Vitamin D for Crohn's Disease

Friday, January 29, 2010 by Bill Todd
Vitamin D may turn out to be a remedy for Crohn's disease. A recent study showed that vitamin D acts on genes that encode for several immune-related proteins. And given the changes in our activity habits as a society, it's no wonder that the incidence of Crohn's has risen so dramatically over the past decade or so.

Crohn's is an inflammatory condition of the digestive tract that generates bowel problems such as abdominal pain and diarrhea symptoms, as well as other sign such as weight loss and arthritis.

The bowel changes of Crohn's affect the body's immune system, as well--because a significant fraction of immune components are formed in the gut.

Follow Dr. Williams' recommendations, and up your intake of vitamin D to at least 5,000 IU a day.

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Do We Need a "National Gut Week" Here?

Monday, August 24, 2009 by Bill Todd
Leave it to the Brits to devote an entire week to digestive health. Their "National Gut Week" runs August 24 to 30 this year. It's no wonder there's an emphasis on digestive health there; estimates are that as many as a third of all Britons suffer from digestive symptoms such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and celiac disease.

I have no doubt that the incidence is just as high here in this country. You name it, people suffer from it. Constipation and diarrhea, bloating and gas, heartburn (or "GERD" these days), nausea, the whole gamut. And it all comes down to one thing: people abusing their insides.

We put so much junk into our bodies (my personal weakness is peanut M&Ms) that we need all the digestive help we can get. That's not to say that taking digestive supplements such as digestive enzymes or probiotics is an excuse to overindulge constantly, but they can help during those times of occasional excess.

Maybe we need a "National Gut Week" of our own to remind some people of what they're doing to themselves.

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