Stem Cell Treatment

Stem cell treatment gives hope to Crohn's disease sufferers

Sufferers from the debilitating bowel condition Crohn's disease may be cured using a groundbreaking stem cell treatment, according to the British doctor leading the research.

Initial findings from the world's first controlled trial of the procedure have raised hopes that it could banish the disease's symptoms for many years in up to half of the patients who undergo it.

The pioneering therapy involves "rebooting" the patient's immune system, by first destroying the cells that have attacked it to cause the Crohn's, and then replacing them.

Professor Chris Hawkey, a gastroenterologist at Nottingham University, is leading the Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Crohn's Disease (Astic) trial. So far, 15 patients from six European countries, including three Britons, have taken part, though others are being recruited.

"I'm hopeful that half or more of the patients who undergo stem cell transplantation may either be cured or have a long-term remission," said Hawkey.

Hawkey, other specialist doctors and patients involved in the trial will tomorrow meet the chancellor, Alastair Darling, to press for the NHS to offer better treatment across the UK to the estimated 60,000 people who have Crohn's and the 140,000 who suffer from colitis.

Crohn's is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulceration and inflammation of the digestive tract. Existing treatments all involve drugs, which help sufferers to control their symptoms, but do not offer a cure. It wrecks lives because its embarrassing and painful symptoms – including diarrhoea, stomach pains, fatigue and weight loss – can mean that those with the most severe form of Crohn's find it hard to go to school or college, hold down a job or plan a holiday.

The stem cell treatment, which takes two years, is very painful for patients, and involves risks including bleeding, infection and a 1%-2% chance of death. The stem cell transplantation is used to kill off the patient's old bone marrow, which produces the harmful cells that cause the Crohn's, and generate new cells.

Original article by Denis Campbell, health correspondent, www.guardian.co.uk

The Comfort Wipe

There are no words to describe this. I thought it was a joke at first, but no, I am assured that it is in fact legitimate. Enjoy.

Teen Self-Diagnoses Her Mysterious Disease - ABC News

Teen Self-Diagnoses Her Mysterious Disease - ABC News

Shared via AddThis

Heather O'Rourke, star of Poltergeist films died from Crohn's Disease

I found this Article over at Tragic Stars

Four of the actors involved in the Poltergeist films died within six years of one another, which led to a persistent rumor of a "Poltergeist curse" plaguing those involved with the horror films. Dominique Dunne, the actress who played O'Rourke's big sister in the original film, was murdered in 1982 by John Thomas Sweeney, with whom she had recently broken up. In 1985, actor Julian Beck died of stomach cancer during the filming of Poltergeist II: The Other Side. Two years later, Native American actor Will Sampson, who also starred in Poltergeist II, died of kidney failure and malnutrition problems.

In 1987, Heather was diagnosed with Crohn's disease after she suffered flu-like symptoms and swelling of her feet and legs. Despite her health problems, she began work on the final Poltergeist film, in which she starred alongside Lara Flynn Boyle and Tom Skerritt. According to fellow cast members, she never complained of pain and did not appear sick.

During a brief hiatus from filming, Heather fell extremely ill, unable to keep food down. Her mother called an ambulance after Heather fainted. Heather insisted she was fine to the paramedics, apparently worried about missing school.

Tragically, Heather O'Rourke died on February 1, 1988, of cardiopulmonary arrest and intestinal stenosis while having an acute bowel obstruction removed. Her mother claimed that had O'Rourke been diagnosed correctly months before, she would have lived. The family's lawyer filed a wrongful death suit against Kaiser Permanente, which they claimed responsible for the Crohn's disease misdiagnosis. The lawsuit was settled out of court.

World Crohn's & Colitis Day

Happy World Crohn's & Colitis Day!

Crohn's and Colitis affects 7 out of every 100,000 people. There is no cure. More research is needed to work on effective treatments until a cure is found. Crohn's is an embarrassing and painful illness, often involving surgery. It can be controlled with medications and although diet does not cause Crohn's, food can trigger violent flair-ups.

So, What have you done to help raise awareness of this debilitating disease today?  


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Everly Councilman Charged Says Pot Was Medicinal

A Siouxland councilman who's been busted for possession of marijuana says the system is broken when it comes to helping him and others.

Steve Rank has served on the Everly, Iowa city council for the past seven years. He's also served on various committees and volunteer positions in the town. His battle with Crohn's disease has been about twice as long, and now his position in town is in jeopardy as he tries to find a way to cope with pain.

Steve Rank is on various medications as he deals with his Crohn's disease as well as two herniated disks in his neck. For him it's his only legal option to deal with the pain associated with his illnesses, his main source of pain being the Crohn's, an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, a disease that Rank says is both painful and embarrassing.

"Deep, deep horrible pain in my gut, constant diarrhea, going to the bathroom 8 to 15 times a day, couldn't eat food, it got to the point anything that when down, I threw up," says Rank of his symptoms.

Rank says he has used marijuana sporadically over the past 15 years to help ease the abdominal pain and nausea so that he could eat solid foods again. The medications he was prescribed could only do so much for him, and he considers them to be much more dangerous.

"Any one of these drugs here you can die from overdosing," said Rank as he looked over his small arsenal of prescribed medications. "Any one of these drugs here have serious, serious side effects."

Rank says the side effects include abdominal pains, nausea and bloody stool, the same symptoms of the disease they're supposed to treat. Rank says his choice to use marijuana for medicinal purposes puts him in a hard spot since it's not legal to do so in Iowa, plus it makes things difficult as a public figure.

After his arrest for possession May 11, many folks in town aren't sure he should keep his post on the council.

"Any kind of drug used by anybody, whether you're on council or not, is wrong," said Pam Boelman of Everly. "If it's illegal, leave it alone."

"He is a good councilman. What he did was wrong and, gosh, I don't know. If he wants to give it up that should be his choice," said Kathy Watkins, also of Everly.

"There's no reason to have a vote. I think he should do the right thing and step down," said Everly resident Brad Phelps.

Rank says he will plead guilty to the charges and face the consequences, but hopes future chronic pain sufferers won't have to do the same.

"When I was at the jail the deputy asked me 'I imagine you're not going to smoke marijuana again?' and I told him 'well, yeah I am.' And he looked at me and its like 'you took my drug but you did not take my disease,'" said Rank.

Rank met with the Everly city council for the last time Monday night. He decided to hand in his letter of resignation to avoid anymore negative attention to the council and the town, and says leaving was inevitable anyway as he has plans to move out of state in the next couple months.

Currently 13 states allow the medical use of marijuana. Iowa considered legislation on such a measure this past session and will likely discuss it more when they reconvene.

Article posted on kcautv.com ABC9

So, what are your thoughts on Marijuana use in the treatment of IBD?

IBD in the Workplace Survey by CCA

I received this e-mail yesterday from Crohn's and Colitis Australia and thought I'd post it here for others to see and possibly complete. 

Important Survey for all members living with IBD

IBD in the Workplace 

 

Employment stability and security are issues on everyone’s mind in this current climate, and even more so if you suffer from a chronic illness such as IBD. Over the years, we have received many calls from members who were confused about their rights and obligations in the workplace. CCA has heard too many stories from people who suffered discrimination at work due to their condition.

 

In response to this, our 2009 National Crohn’s & Colitis Week Campaign will focus on the workplace, employment issues, and challenges faced by people living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. 

To help support this year’s important public awareness campaign, it is necessary for CCA to gather strong, credible data. To achieve this, we have developed an online survey to give our members the opportunity to be heard. 

 

The only participation requirement is that you are over 16 years of age, and have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. If you are a carer for someone with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, please encourage them to complete the survey.

 

The survey can be accessed at http://www.ibdsurvey.com and will take approximately ten minutes to complete.

 

Please complete the survey by Sunday 24th May 2009

Your support is extremely valuable. It is only through sharing your experiences and challenges that we are able to raise awareness and improve the lives and employment opportunities for people living with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis.

The information gathered from the research will be used to;

·         Raise public awareness through various media outlets

·         Influence employers and governments to establish supportive and fair work environments for people living with IBD

·         Assist with targeting our communication and media campaign

·         Help create an understanding of Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and dispel some of the misconceptions.

The survey is completely anonymous, and being completed by our research consultants StollzNow Research. Your answers are covered by the Market and Social Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act and the Market and Social Research Society Code of Professional Behaviour.

If you have any questions about the survey and its purpose, please call Crohn’s & Colitis Australia on 1800 138 029. If you have any technical questions or problems with the survey, please call StollzNow Research on 1800 010 543.

Thank you for your support and participation, your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Australian Crohn's & Colitis Association ABN: 42 082 747 135 

PO Box 2160 Hawthorn VIC 3122 AUSTRALIA Ph: 03 9815 1266