Write For Health

“One study found that blogging might trigger dopamine release, similar to the effect from running or listening to music.”

It’s been 15 months since my official Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis, almost 18 months since the symptoms began, and almost 15 months to the day that I wrote my first post on this blog. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my sudden urge to blog – rather than simply journal, or continue writing creatively in hopes to get published – may have had deeper roots connected to my overall health. In two separate articles: Science Shows Something Surprising About People Who Love to Write and Writing Your Way to Happiness, researchers have discovered a strong link between writing and improved mental and physical health.

No longer an outlet for the overly imaginative or heartsick, writing – especially about personal experiences/traumas – has surprising benefits, including spending “less time in the hospital, enjoy[ing] lower blood pressure and ha[ving] better liver functionality than [non-writing] counterparts” (Science Shows).  Additionally, writing has the power to “make physical wounds heal faster,” a serious plus for those of us inflamed, ulcerated and bleeding (Science Shows).

Why? Well each article has a slightly different take, but basically writing about yourself is cathartic, thereby stress-relieving, and ultimately, becomes a mirror: “by writing and then editing our own stories, we can change our perceptions of ourselves and identify obstacles that stand in the way of better health” (Writing Your Way). And let’s face it, people dealing with injuries and illnesses have a great deal to process, and subsequently a whole lot to vent about, sometimes on an hourly basis. If we’re journaling or blogging, at the very least we’re not abusing the sympathetic ears of friends and family. Either no one reads it – or a select few – or you can cast your message-in-a-bottle into the Cloud for everyone, or none, to consume. The point isn’t so much to be heard as it is to relieve your anxieties, reflect upon them, and move on. I took a several month break from blogging because it got to the point where so much of my Ulcerative Colitis pain, embarrassment, and hassle was behind me (a.k.a. remission) that I didn’t want to dwell. Blogging began feeling like taking a step back into a period of time that I’d rather put behind me. Now, having that distance, I can look back objectively, sans negative emotional memories and ties.

The key component in all of this? Don’t feel like you need IBD or heart disease as an excuse to blog about your health or life. Just because others are experiencing technically more “significant” ordeals (i.e., cancer treatment) doesn’t lessen the significance of what you’re personally going through. This isn’t a competition, everyone has their burden to bear and it’s not up to us to judge whose is “worse,” or more “worthy.” Struggling with weight loss? Blog about it. Hair loss? Back pain? Infertility? Get on it. Sit down at your computer, or grab a notebook and pen, and GO: “Studies have shown that people with asthma who write have fewer attacks than those who don’t; AIDS patients who write have higher T-cell counts. Cancer patients who write have more optimistic perspectives and improved quality of life” (Science Shows). So, what are you waiting for?

 

Can’t run thanks to Colitis? At least you’ll look younger!

Not running = forever young

Take heart those of us who can no longer run thanks to Colitis (or a Colitis flare). I read in the March 2014 edition of Marie Claire that running makes your face sag! All that high-impact bouncing and jouncing stretches muscles and ligaments, apparently giving us the face of a Basset Hound. The blog Walk Jog Run confirms it. The condition is called “Runner’s Face.” It’s recommended we use an elliptical, or try other low-impact exercises instead. But let’s not kid ourselves – if vanity is our goal, we’ll ace our marathon-ready competitors. We can’t eat much of anything, weight loss is par for the course. While our intestines might look like a war zone, we’ll (outwardly) look Utopian.

The “Healing Crisis”

It’s going to get worse before it gets better.

I found out the hard way that healthy healing hurts. And it’s supposed to. After my first acupuncture session I experienced what I later learned was a very common thing, a “healing crisis.” The blog Healthy Life has a great article on it titled “Healing Crisis: When It’s Good to Feel Bad” which describes this “crisis” as “a temporary worsening of symptoms that occurs when the body is going through the process of healing itself through the elimination of toxins. It occurs when the body ‘retraces’ old injuries, wounds, infections or other imbalances from its past.” Journalist and blogger Jennifer Chaussee also posted about her experience with a healing crisis in “Why Acupuncture Made Me Sick.”

For all the research I did on acupuncture, how it can cure Colitis (among many other illnesses and injuries) and what to expect during a session, I somehow never came across this until I started Googling “feeling sad after acupuncture” and other phrases. Then I found a plethora of information on this phenomenon. For one, symptoms range from a worsening of actual physical symptoms (blood and cramps for me) to emotional symptoms such as sadness, irritability, or feeling “down.” After reading more than a dozen articles, I also learned that a healing crisis isn’t just the result of acupuncture. Even things as seemingly benign as a new diet can bring one on, and they’re equally common with meditation, chiropractic treatments, biofeedback, intense massage and–as one might expect–psychotherapy. Why?

In Chaussee’s words: “apparently, your body holds grudges better than your relatives. as it stores layers of fat over the years, that fat stores trace amounts of the various viruses and toxins and whathaveyou that have visited your body at one time or another. so all the colds you’ve had, the flu’s, the hangovers, the emotional crap you put yourself through in the past is literally stored inside of you in remnants and when you detox the idea is to release all that built-up crud. . .but during the release, those toxins are released into your blood stream from the fat they’ve been hiding in. if you don’t have enough water in your system or you just have a lot of crud built up in your body over time, you can essentially re-live all those toxins all over again. that flu will come back. you’ll be hungover. you’ll be thinking of that fight you had, those things you said, revisiting that memory you’d thought you’d seen off long ago.” [sic] Ah-ha!

When I returned for my second round of acupuncture, I was prepared. Instead of being blind-sided by overwhelming emotion (or fatigue) I was alert for it, welcomed it, and found that it was definitely not as intense this time as it was the first time. Instead of lingering for 2 days it was gone by this morning (and I went at 6:30pm last night). I read elsewhere that if the condition you’re primarily trying to address is more acute, such as my 6-month bout with this first flare, your healing crisis will be intense but brief, and likely won’t affect you as severely after 2-3 treatments. That is the case here. So, acupuncturees take heart – the needles aren’t painful and the fallout from your first treatment or two is normal and actually desired. If you’re not experiencing any kind of “healing crisis” then likely you either need more frequent treatments, or what you’re trying–whatever it is–isn’t working. No pain, no gain.

My 1st Acupuncture Experience

So in follow-up to my earlier acupuncture post, I had my actual appointment today. (This was after the first place I’d wanted to go “lost” their acupuncturist, and I needed to look around for another reputable site.) The minor delay was totally worth it. I walked in not knowing what to expect, but with an open mind. I walked out with my mind blown, in the best, most relaxed calm of my entire life. This “peace” makes all the relaxation I’ve felt with various massages feel negligible in comparison. The needle insertion was slightly uncomfortable – while certain needles went in entirely without me feeling a thing, some did “pinch” a little, or were accompanied by odd sensations. She warned me about each one if they were going to feel a little weird, and the sensation passed almost immediately. (And at no time was it like receiving a shot at the doctor’s office, or giving blood. Those actually hurt, this does not.)

She also cautioned that a “heavy” feeling, or minor “dull aches” and sensations along those lines were entirely normal while lying there. I relaxed for about an hour, during which time I was transformed. I experienced a highly meditative state, and also a lot of strange, fascinating sensations, particularly in my lower abdomen. At times it felt excessively warm, at other times I felt dull cramps – things I either haven’t felt at all or haven’t felt in quite awhile, thanks to the Remicade. I also experienced bizarre muscle twitches and sensations in other parts of my body, which is also apparently very normal, as acupuncture treats the whole body, not just whatever you’re trying to address.

When she removed the needles my limbs felt like jelly, and I felt like I’d just come off a two-week vacation on some tropical island paradise. It was an incredible 180 from the way I’d walked in. Throughout the rest of today I’ve had some unusual cramping, but I was also warned that a return of symptoms is normal, and actually indicates the process is working. And, even though I went in to begin “curing” my Ulcerative Colitis, other ailments would inadvertently be “cured” as well, such as any muscle pains I might be experiencing, anxiety, fatigue, et cetera. Typically patients report easier digestion and longer, deeper sleep following a session. Fingers crossed that’s the case, and that this finally gets a handle on my IBD so I can get off the mouse poison!

Red Wine (Yes, Wine) Kills Cancer Cells

Cab Franc, you’re my hero.

Raise your glass and rejoice! Red wine–and yes, actually wine this time, not just its properties, like resveratrol–kills cancer cells! In the article from Wine Spectator, “Wine Kills Lung Cancer Cells in Lab Tests,” Canadian researchers discovered that “red wine possesses anti-cancer properties.” For the test, “the team decided to measure red and white wines’ impact on non small-cell carcinoma lung cancer cells. They exposed samples of lung cancer cells to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Riesling . . .They found that both red and white wines halted the spread of lung cancer, but the reds were more effective. Red wine effectively stopped the spread of cancer cells, when compared to the control group, at 2 percent concentration. For white wine, similar results didn’t happen until 5 percent.” The article goes on to say that the “next step is to use doses of wine that correspond to moderate wine consumption in humans, one to two glasses per day, and examine the effect on tumor growth in mice. . .if we see a significant reduction in tumor growth with wine then we will have strong evidence that will justify the need of a clinical trial, a study in cancer patients.” Read more here. So the next time someone tells you that all that hype about red wine is nonsense, refer them back to this article and tell them to show a little respect.

Red Wine + Colitis = No Colitis?

Get your lifetime supply today!

My friend mentioned that she read an article about how resveratrol, found in red wine, suppresses Ulcerative Colitis. “Red wine may be the silver lining here!” she wrote. I want to believe that, but is it too good to be true? It’s the real deal, according to the article “Resveratrol suppresses colitis and colon cancer associated with colitis” from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Now, they’re not saying to guzzle bottles of red wine–you’d have to drink about “1,000 a day” to receive the necessary concentration–but they are saying that resveratrol supplements are a good addition to an IBD-sufferers diet: “Resveratrol. . .is a naturally occurring compound, often derived from the Japanese (bushy) knotweed, but is also found in the skin of red grapes and is a constituent of red wine…Resveratrol has been shown to suppress several autoimmune diseases, including experimental encephalomyelitis, arthritis, myocarditis, and diabetes. The capability of resveratrol to suppress chronic inflammatory diseases associated with a high cancer risk, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), has only been explored in rats by one other group…[in this study] resveratrol administered in the basal diet suppresses DSS-induced colitis and colon cancer associated with colitis in mice.” Read more here. In the meantime, if you can stomach it, pour yourself a nice glass of pinot noir. Studies show it has the highest concentration of resveratrol of all the red wines (white wines are not made with the grape skin, thus they have little to no concentrations of resveratrol). And for those of you following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, you’ll be pleased to know that dry red wine is permitted!

Acupuncture as a Treatment for Colitis

A needle a day keeps the doctor away…

My therapist recommended acupuncture as a possible alternative to my heavy Remicade treatments, and also as another avenue for stress relief. Normally I don’t like needles, but after being stuck pretty much once a week since September–most recently four days ago–I’m kind of immune to them now. I found a place close to where I work, so I’m giving them a call first thing tomorrow in hopes that I can get in for a consultation. Of course that made me wonder, exactly how will sticking needles into the outer layers of my skin relieve my colitis symptoms and help get me into remission and stay in remission? In Googling, I found a great blog article: Can Acupuncture Help Cure IBD and IBS? from the site Living With Crohn’s and Colitis. It delves deeper than just the usual “yes it can” response, outlining how Chinese medicine approaches diagnosis and treatment: “However, with Chinese Medicine, the patterns are based off of the symptoms the patient is currently experiencing as well as their history, their facial color, body odor, general demeanor, abdominal diagnostic, pulse diagnostic and tongue diagnostic. All of this information is compiled which leads to one of many “diagnostic patterns” to which the according acupuncture points, herbal formula, diet and lifestyle is prescribed. Chinese Medicine is a powerful therapy that can help treat severe cases and help keep mild cases and patients who are in remission stay in remission.” The article goes on in greater detail from there. I highly recommend clicking on the link above to read more.

P90X and Colitis? You bet!

IBD puts the “X” in “Extreme.”

IBD sufferers are some of the toughest people I know. Our bodies are like iron maidens (the torture device, not the band). Outwardly we seem harmless, but on the inside…! And yet somehow we go on living, day after day. So once we begin to feel better and start thinking about returning to fitness, why shy away from “extreme” workouts such as those along the lines of P90X? I checked with my new doctor, and he said there really aren’t any exercise restrictions for an otherwise healthy person going into remission. (Of course we all know every case is different, and all docs are different, so touch base with yours before starting anything.) In doing my own reading and research, I’ve learned running is a no-no during and while you’re recovering from a flare (see my post “Staying Fit – Walking Cure-All“) and that abdominal-specific exercises should be avoided; i.e., no crunches. (Yay!) But that doesn’t mean you can’t develop a strong core. In fact, you absolutely should strengthen your mid-section. Strong abdominals support the intestines and can reduce a lot of the discomfort associated with our symptoms. The way to do it is with stabilizing exercises, ideally total-body workouts that require good form to prevent injury. Think activities that require balance–throwing a punch, yoga, walking or the elliptical, doing squats and lunges. There are dozens of “extreme home fitness” regimens out there, but I found P90X to be really effective, easy to follow, and so far the only exercise segment I avoid entirely is the “Ab Ripper X” (for obvious reasons). Every now and then I feel a twinge or tweak in the old gut, but I incorporate a little trick I learned from another home fitness program and in several weeks I haven’t had a relapse or worsening of symptoms:

A strong core is key to a happy gut.

The secret? A “soft stomach.” A few months ago I purchased the DVD “Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” While the initial information wasn’t useful to me at the time (I should probably view it again) I did find the short yoga video beneficial. The key take-away was to be mindful of our stomachs while exercising. Our instinct might be to clench or suck in our abs, but yoga instructor Rodney Yee encourages a “soft stomach.” It’s one of those tricky moves so characteristic of yoga, remaining strong while also staying relaxed. But the more you focus on keeping your intestines relaxed–even while exercising with your core–the more you realize it is achievable. You can work out your midsection without straining and torquing your intestines. Once you learn that trick, extreme fitness like P90X suddenly becomes possible. And hell, if a perfectly healthy guy or gal can strut around thinking they’re all tough because they sweat, puke and burn through CrossFit and P90X and cry-momma boot camps, how much more bad-ass are we doing it while shitting blood? Gives a whole new meaning to being “shredded” doesn’t it?

Not into the SC Diet? How About VSL#3?

112.5 billion bacteria in every capsule. Swallow the equivalent of 16 planet Earths today!

Specific Carbohydrate Diet or probiotics? My new doctor advised me to do one or the other, not both. He said that while he does have patients who swear by the SC Diet, it’s a “religion” and therefore you must stick to it “religiously.” I bought the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle which discusses the diet, including the “legal” and “illegal” foods, and provides some helpful recipes. In short – I’m going to do my best to incorporate as much of this diet lifestyle as I can, but I can’t fully convert. I’m being honest; for one, I hate to cook. I do it because I have to, and on occasion I do get inspired to create a culinary masterpiece. It’s not that I’m bad at it, I’m actually pretty darn good when I apply myself. It’s just that 9 times out of 10 I find cooking boring, and I also don’t have the time to dedicate to doing things like making my own yogurt (because in the diet you can’t use store-bought plain yogurt, even the “pure” stuff).  And, some of the things on the Illegal List I simply cannot part with. No chocolate?! I’m not a chocaholic – if they at least permitted the really dark chocolate that would have been fine –  but they don’t allow ANY chocolate. Not even cocoa powder, not even the beautifully bitter 90% dark stuff. Nothing. Sorry, but as Peanuts creator Charles Schultz said: “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

The alternative is taking a powerful probiotic. I was prescribed VSL#3 which is one of the most powerful probiotics on the market (read all the details here). This particular type uses 8 strands of live bacteria which colonize the gut in 20 days and begin to promote healing and, when consumed daily, a continuously healthy gut environment. Translation: no more flares. I was told that it’s not clear whether the body’s autoimmune response creates the imbalance of bad bacteria in the gut that triggers a flare, or if a sudden overpopulation of the bad bacteria stimulates the body’s autoimmune response, resulting in a flare. Either way, eliminate the bad bacteria and the body either doesn’t need to flare in the first place, or it heals and remains healed.

I’ve got 13 more days to go, but already I think I’m feeling a difference. I had the initial minor bloating, which is apparently a positive sign because it’s evidence of “changing intestinal microflora.” Woohoo! I’ll post my official review once this has had a chance to work. So, in closing, if you’re not sold on the insanely restrictive diet alternative to meds, consider adopting probiotics. There are billions out there who need a good home.

There Are Drugs That Alleviate Cramping!

You know that special “gut feeling”? Actually…no.

I won’t keep you waiting. The magic word is: Levsin. Now for the blah blah blah: After six months of this crap I went in today for a third opinion. The second opinion had been uneventful and unremarkable, like trading ground hamburger for ground turkey–no thanks, I’ll stick with what I’ve got. This visit, however, illuminated just how mediocre my care has been. For one, a doctor sat with me for more than half an hour getting my history. Then I received a brief physical. THEN the actual doctor I’d set up the appointment with came in, and together they answered all of my questions, and then that doctor conducted his own physical. Last, the first doctor sat with me for another twenty minutes answering additional questions while he set up appointments for another flex sigmoid and a sooner dose of Remicade. I thought I’d won some kind of contest. Or that they had my medical record mixed up with someone worthier. This kind of time and attention is unheard of, a completely alien experience. I was there a total of two hours, and walked away with several revelations, the most mind-blowing being: THERE ARE MEDICATIONS TO REDUCE CRAMPING!!!

Maybe you knew this. But holy cow, I did not! Not once, not ever, did my GI or the nurses mention a little thing called Levsin which – and I only just have the prescription so the personal review is forthcoming – reduces cramping associated with irritable bowel disorders, diverticulitis, peptic ulcers, etc. What was even more surprising was that they brought this up on their own, I hadn’t even thought to ask the new docs about pain management! I mean, I thought discomfort was a fact of life. Every time before I’d been told to “Just take Tylenol.” (Which is such a joke, Tylenol doesn’t touch it.) Fingers crossed that Levsin does.

In closing, this “discovery” further reinforces my belief that even if you’re madly in love with your doctor, a second (or third) opinion never hurts. It should, in fact, be mandatory if your situation is not cut-and-dry. I trusted that my doc was giving me ALL my options, and come to find out, she was not. Whether she didn’t think my situation rated it (and that’s pretty strange because I’m on the phone with her office once or twice a week) or whether she (or her staff) weren’t aware that things like Levsin exist I can’t say. It’s not like I didn’t ask if there was anything we could be doing for the abdominal pains. A doctor-patient relationship shouldn’t be like communicating with a genie, and since you’re paying them for their expertise, they should be informing and educating you. Caveat emptor, friends.