What drives Crohn's Disease? Is it a virus, bacteria, fungus like H. pylori?
Could it be eradicated with a course of antibiotics as has been the case with ulcers followed by a course of probiotics?
Recent research identifies 3 genes associated with Crohn's.
More studies focus on a bacteria or a virus as the cause.

Scientists are still trying to figure that one out. As I said in my other post however, this disease would not exist if humans ate what nature gave to us to eat instead of mutilating everything and destroying it by cooking. It's a fact given by the Crohn's and Colitis foundations around the world that these diseases are rare in the less developed world where the usage of modern food processing is at a much lower rate. Nearly 100% of Crohn's and Colitis sufferers who switched to a raw vegan diet have cured themselves. Try it and see for yourself.

I am interested in the study or data that supports the nearly 100% cure rate with a raw vegan diet. I am anxious to try it! Thanks.

I don't know if there is a study but I personally know of 2 other people who were cured of ulcerative colitis. One of these people does telephone support for people who want to be cured. I used his services and I was cured too. He claims he helped over 1000 people do the same. He said there were only a handful of people who were not able to get fully recovered. I can send you the details if you want but I would rather send them in a private email to you. Not sure if the PM on the board works but please email me at sotb (at) rocketmail (dot) com and I will send the links to you. Make sure you put Crohn's in the subject so I don't delete the email by mistake.

Okay, gotta weigh in with my two cents here: I've had over 6000 people use the LTYG program so far, thus I've had quite a bit of feedback by this point.

And to be honest, yes, there are some people who've been helped by a raw food diet (in varying degrees from improvement to cure). Many people though, simply cannot tolerate raw foods until they are fairly healed. Even juiced, they can give people killer diarrhea.

But, since everyone is different, again, this is an area where you should follow your gut. If the concept of raw foods appeals to you, then give it a try! It may well be just the thing your body needs. There are many pathways to healing and each person's body knows exactly what they need.

Just remember though, anyone who claims a 100% success rate with any healing tool - is lying. Because people are so different, and you can never know what emotional blocks people hold to prevent good health, it's virtually impossible to hit 100% with any one method, diet, drug, herb, etc.

But as I said, if you feel led to raw foods, then go for it! Feeling, "yeah, that sounds intersting, that sounds as if it should work" is often a way our intuition nudges us towards what we need.

And thanks Ian, for making this info/option available to people.

Jini

Sorry, I have to weigh in here as well. There is absolutely no data or evidence of any kind that suggests the lower incidence of CD and UC and autoimmune disease in general in developing countries is due to less food processing. (Not to mention the fact that many developing countries now have diets nearly as high as ours in processed foods, with less availability of fresh produce)

In fact, the prevailing theory for that discrepancy is what's referred to as the "hygeine hypothesis". Human beings co-evolved with certain organisms as normal residents of our guts (parasites, helminths, bacteria, etc.) for hundreds of thousands of years. These organisms learned how to "downregulate" the host immune resonse so that they would be able to survive.

Due to the increase in sanitation over the past 100 years in Western countries, most of us no longer harbor these organisms. Our immune systems did not develop properly as a result, and in people who are genetically susceptible to CD and UC, the immune system becomes dysregulated and overactive to otherwise innocuous bowel flora.

There is a lot of research that supports this hypothesis, mostly done by Weinstock, Summers, Elliot et. al at the University of Iowa. Even a cursory look at the parallels between the development of sanitation and the increase in the incidence of autoimmune disease reflects the pattern. If you look at a graph of the rise of sanitation in recently developed countries like Japan and Australia, and then superimpose a graph of the increase of autoimmune disease in those countries on top, you'll see that the lines are directly related.

Also, a treatment has been developed on the basis of this theory that has shown very promising results (albeit the study was open label and fairly small). The patient ingests porcine whipworm (helminth) eggs once every two weeks for 5 months. The helminths then downregulate the host immune system as they have done for hundreds of thousands of years. In the limited trial close to 70% of patients were brought into clinical remission, with none of the side effects of immunosuppressive meds. If you want to learn more, go to "http://www.ovamed.de" and click on the "publications" link to read the studies.

How this relates to the mycobacterial theory (that Crohn's is caused by the MAP organism), I'm not sure. There was a recent article published that speculates on these relationships in the Feburary 2006 (vol. 12, no. 2) issue of the Medical Science Monitor by Dr. Will Chamberlin and Dr. Saleh Naser. http://www.medscimonit.com/medscimonit/ ... ry&id=8181

Regarding the raw diet, I agree with Jini that everyone is different and ultimately we all have to find what works for us. However, the claim that nearly 100% of CD & UC patients were cured with a raw/vegan diet is simply unsupportable and false. In fact, if you go to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) website, and look in the diet and nutrition section, you'll see that they recommend limiting the intake of raw fruits and vegetables because of their high insoluble fiber content. If there is narrowing of the terminal ileum, which there often is in CD, these foods may cause cramping and even obstruction. And since digestion in the small intestine is often impaired with IBD sufferers, raw and high fiber foods may not be fully digested before they pass into the colon, which can trigger diarrhea.

I write this not to challenge your experience with a raw/vegan diet, but for the benefit of others who may be reading these posts. FWIW, if I eat a lot of raw foods, nuts, seeds and high insoluble fiber fruits and veggies I am virtually guaranteeing a major flare and days of gas, bloating and pain.

Chris

It is true that raw fruits and vegetables will cause problems for some who are in a active disease state. This is all taken into consideration when people consult with someone who can guide them to health. They will most certainly be eating a diet which is very low in these things to get into a stable and healthier condition before adding more raw fruits. This process is not something that will help some and not others but it will help anyone who has a digestive disorder. All humans have similar organs and bodies. We are not meant to consume most of the foods we force on our bodies and therefore the result to many of us is serious problems with our digestive system. It cost virtually nothing to pick up a book on natural hygiene and see for yourself. I don't see why anyone with a disease would want to simply cover up the symptoms instead of eliminating the root cause and cure themselves. It is a personal decision, sickness or health. I chose health and all of you can do as I did.

This process is not something that will help some and not others but it will help anyone who has a digestive disorder.

There are many paths to the top of a mountain.

I am very wary of any belief system - whether it be political, religious, or dietary - that claims to be "the only way".

Many, many people have healed themselves from bowel disorders using approaches other than a vegan and raw diet. And many people who have ardently followed a vegan, raw diet have not healed.

Those two simple observations alone point to the complexity and individual nature of the healing process. We'd like to think it was as simple as choosing the "right" diet, or finding the magic pill. But genuine, lasting healing often requires a deeper look at ourselves - our lifestyle, our relationship with ourselves and others, our emotions and psychological patterns, our very way of being in the world - and the willingness to make changes when necessary.

We do share the same basic bodily structure, but we are not machines. From even before we're born, we begin a process of individuation that will continue throughout our life based on our genetics, environment, diet, lifestyle, emotional and psychological development, exposure to pathogens, vaccinations, whether we were breast or bottlefed, and other factors (both known and unknown) too numerous to list.

The existence of these various factors means that, long before we become adults, our bodies are already so different from one another that we can instantly recognize each other as unique individuals just by looking. If that much is obvious to the naked human eye, imagine the differentiation that is present at the biological level.

This is why, when it comes to diet and healing in general, one approach does not fit all.

Regards,
Chris

I just wanted to see if you agree that there is no human on earth that can live without oxygen. If you think some can live without oxygen then there are also humans who will fail to be helped by a natural diet, oxygen, rest and positive thinking. I also ask if you have cured yourself of Crohn's or colitis? Well I have and I have seen thousands of others do it. You can't change the nature of our bodies - try to force unnatural food on a body that needs natural food and you get disease. It's simple as that. All I ask is that you research this and try it - instead of reiterating some information that is given to us through the drug companies and medical community. Have an open mind and live in peace and harmony without disease. If you don't want that then find your own happy medium but nothing doctors or the drug companies discover will ever change the laws of nature.

I appreciate your analogy, but it is false. The fact that we all need oxygen to breathe does not in any way prove that a vegan, raw diet heals Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis.

For the record, nothing I said in any of my posts is in any way related to information advocated by the drug companies or medical establishment. I take no drugs, pharmaceutical or otherwise, nor do I advocate that others do. This is very clear if you read what I've written.

Finally, I'd be happy to read any research you wish to provide that indicates a vegan or raw diet heals IBD. I have done extensive research on IBD, as you suggest, and not once have I come across such a study. However, even if there were such a study, I would not take it to mean that the approach would be appropriate or work for everyone.

Would you appreciate it if someone came along and tried to convince you that eating vegan and raw was wrong? What if they told you that they have "the answer" for everyone suffering from IBD, and that you should immediately stop eating raw and start eating meat and cooked foods? Would you simply abandon what you know works for you, just because someone told you they had the solution? I think not.

Yet that is exactly what you are asking everyone else to do. There are far too many groups of people in the world who claim a monopoly on the truth. At best, that attitude leads to arrogance, narrow-mindedness and suffering. At worst, it leads to violence, oppression and war. One must only open the newspaper each day to see how this plays out in the world.

We all have to find our own way. I am truly glad you've found something that works for you, but please don't expect us to conclude that just because it works for you, it would work for everyone else with IBD. That is simply not true.

Best,
Chris

I can accept whatever you say - sure people believe whatever they want to believe - religion says that we were created - whatever - but were we created with ovens and cooking utensils? I use the analogy because humans will all be much healthier to eat the food we were eating more then 10,000 years ago. Some suggest that children can't eat raw foods - this makes me laugh as little as 10,000 years ago there was no such thing as cooking - so what were parents to do? Wait for cooking to be invented so they can feed their children. Logic and truth will always win out. There is no human on this planet that will not benefit from eating what he was meant to eat (UC and CD aside). Studies can be done to make anything look good - many studies show the complete opposite of the prior study only to have another come along to prove the original again. I do not believe in any of them...just be open minded and listen to nature. I do not say that everyone will be cured as I was by doing what I did but everyone will benefit in a big way - many people will not even try something that is logical and makes sense because there is a lot of misinformation out there. If you feel you are doing the right thing and are cured then be happy but do not ruin other's opportunities to have a better life (both in being cured from UC and CD and in just having a much healthier body). Just maybe there are people who do not need oxygen, but most in fact do in order to live.

I think what Chris is trying to say about us all being unique (despite all being human beings), and why what works for one, may not work for another, is well summed up in this article.

The article talks about herbal therapies vs. diet therapies, but the concepts are the same:

http://www.mercola.com/imageserver/publ ... dherbs.pdf

take care,
Jini