Jump to content
ACN Latitudes Forums

Chemar, could you weigh in please?


faith

Recommended Posts

Hi Cheri,

could you give me a little info if you know it? I'm trying to figure out something here.

 

since your son has Crohns, did I recall you once saying since it is autoimmune (is it?) that you have to avoid things that would "boost" the immune system? is that the way it goes?

 

when we talk of supporting or strengthening the immune system, is that the same as "boosting" it?

 

remember some of the discussions re fish oil and omega 3's and 6's? was there something there re omega 3 being good for one and omega 6's not, in other words, tics/tourettes or whatnot should not have omega 6, because that would depress the immune system and not too goof for that? and the omega 3, is that something you need to avoid right now because of the Crohns?

 

could you give me a little recap on the above and how the immune system relates to crohns and other autoimmune diseases? is crohn's considered an immune 'deficiency' for your son at this point? how do you balance the two (TS and Crohns)?....

 

thanks so much.

 

Faith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Faith

yes Crohn's is autoimmune which means the immune system is "hyperactive" and so no, one no longer wants to "boost" it but rather to "modulate" it (one of the reasons azith seems to work well for many with PANDAS - which is also believed autoimmune, is that it apparently has immuno modulating properties in addition to it being antibiotic.) In autoimmune illness it is like the body sees areas of itself as "foreign" and so sends the immune system into overdrive reaction

 

so one is seeking to balance the immune system with autoimmune illness, causing it not to overreact so easily.

This is why anti-inflammatory diet/supps etc is also needed for Crohn's as the hyper immune system causes inflammatory reactions over little triggers that wouldnt normally cause such intense inflammation in someone with a "normal" good immune system

 

Omega3 is an excellent anti-inflammatory but omega 6 boosts the bodies inflammatory response so is not wanted in autoimmune disorders

 

it is a fine line between things that are good for the immune system and those that boost it to the point where it actually triggers symptoms in autoimmune disorders

 

my son stopped taking the supps he used to for immune boosting support after his Crohn's dx ...they are excellent supps and usually needed by most people, but not a good idea for autoimmune illness. eg pycnogenol/grapeseed extract and even too much probiotic, too much vit C/citrus stuff. He has learned by trial and error which foods to avoid too.

 

it was hard initially to get the balance of supporting what he needs for the TS/OCD while avoiding anything that could cause the Crohn's to flare but he has it really well tuned now and doing great

 

hope that helps answer your questions...let me know if more specific info needed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

two more questions,

does your son get sick alot, either in the past or now? hs he ever had immuno work ups? if so, what were the findings? any immune deficiencies there?

 

also, do you feel in any way that any of the immune boosting treatments/supplements/whatever, could have 'contributed' or even caused the 'crohn's', by inadvertently causing too much inflammation by the party of the first part :P .... or am I reaching here?

 

thanks

Faithh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Faith

 

nope he doesnt even get colds etc. No other illnesses either. Overall very healthy, and especially now with both his Crohn's and TS so stable.

He used to always have sensitive tummy stuff even bf the Crohn's onset. Had a lot of ear infections as a little one(not on a lot of antibiotics tho) and got ear tubes aged 2 plus adenoids removed then.

Not much other illness tho...he had chicken pox aged 3. no known strep ever.

 

not sure what you mean by immune "work ups"?

 

and yes, I did question whether the immune "boosting" supps and omega 6 could have triggered the Crohn's but was told by the GI specialist it was unlikely.

 

The naturopath believes Crohn's is triggered by a microbe, likely Mycoplasma, and has a theory about this being the case for most autoimmune disorders. Others feel autoimmunity is genetically inherited. Many theories abound

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Faith

 

nope he doesnt even get colds etc. No other illnesses either. Overall very healthy, and especially now with both his Crohn's and TS so stable.

He used to always have sensitive tummy stuff even bf the Crohn's onset. Had a lot of ear infections as a little one(not on a lot of antibiotics tho) and got ear tubes aged 2 plus adenoids removed then.

Not much other illness tho...he had chicken pox aged 3. no known strep ever.

 

not sure what you mean by immune "work ups"?

 

and yes, I did question whether the immune "boosting" supps and omega 6 could have triggered the Crohn's but was told by the GI specialist it was unlikely.

 

The naturopath believes Crohn's is triggered by a microbe, likely Mycoplasma, and has a theory about this being the case for most autoimmune disorders. Others feel autoimmunity is genetically inherited. Many theories abound

 

thanks.

by immuno work up, I mean bloodwork to test to see if he had any immune deficiencies.

 

was he ever tested for mycoplasma? there's a thread on the PANDAS board from a mother whose daugher got symptoms at 15 years old and they found she was positive for mycoplasma (pneumonia?).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

he had a lot of bloodwork done when younger but no immune problems detected then

 

never been blood tested for mycoplasma as he has developed blood draw phobia since hearing about how many people have developed RSD from phlebotomy

 

It did not specifically show in his transdermal radiogenics testing tho (similar to NAET, last done 2006) but that doesnt mean he hasnt been exposed to it. He did show +ve for Epstein Barr

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Cheri,

thanks for your info here.

 

you mention some things not being good for autoimmune (i.e. grapeseed, probiotic....).. would you know why probiotic would be on that list? why would that not be so good? is that an immune booster?

 

thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Cheri,

 

I remember I wanted to ask about Epstein-Barr, form another thread but forgot.

 

So one can be tested for this?

 

It just made me think after my son exploded with the tics after vaccines.

 

Do you think Epstein-Barr could trigger TS?

 

CP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheri,

thanks for your info here.

 

you mention some things not being good for autoimmune (i.e. grapeseed, probiotic....).. would you know why probiotic would be on that list? why would that not be so good? is that an immune booster?

 

thanks.

 

Hi Faith

I think perhaps it is because the probiotic in high dose may trigger mor of the autoimmune response IN THE GIT of those who have CROHN's. Not sure how it impacts other autoimmune illnesses that are not GIT related. My son still takes probiotic in the form of plain no fat Stoneyfield farm yoghurt once daily, but he seems not to be able to tolerate anything stronger ie kefir and culturelle, both of which he tolerated well some years back, before the crohn's symptoms started

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Cheri,

 

I remember I wanted to ask about Epstein-Barr, form another thread but forgot.

 

So one can be tested for this?

 

It just made me think after my son exploded with the tics after vaccines.

 

Do you think Epstein-Barr could trigger TS?

 

CP

 

Hi CP :)

 

the Epstein Barr virus test is one that measures antibodies in blood to show if one has ever been exposed to it

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003513.htm

 

 

IMHO it is always possible that those with a genetic predisposition for TS might be triggered to manifest it after any microbial infection, just as likely as by any of the other triggers we discuss here

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...