It’s been exciting in recent years to note that more
research is being done to determine the many benefits of probiotics. We are thankful that Dr. Poley was in tune to
research about them in 2003 when Sarah was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
With more and more probiotics becoming available, it can
become rather confusing in knowing which one is the most beneficial. Lactobacillus GG has been the most widely researched probiotic and is the one Dr. Poley
highly recommends.
In a study done by Gupta et al, at University
of Chicago in 2000, significant
changes were evident in patients with Crohn’s Disease who took LGG twice a
day. Symptoms of pain, diarrhea and lab
work all improved within 1 week! In another preliminary study done in 2002 by
Guandalini at University of Chicago, some children diagnosed with Crohn’s disease showed
significant improvement by taking Lactobacillus GG.
In 2006 a study was done by Zocco et al at Catholic University on187 patients
with ulcerative colitis, and
it was noted that LGG seems to be effective for maintaining remission in
patients with ulcerative colitis.
In our family, we have noted additional health benefits of increased immunity with
LGG (Culturelle). Along with the benefit
of Crohn’s disease remission, Sarah had great improvement with her allergies
(seasonal and dust) after taking Culturelle. She rarely gets sick with colds
and when she does, the duration is typically brief.
My husband decided to
take Culturelle hoping for improvement of his allergies as well. Previously he had taken allergy shots, used a
steroid inhaler every day for about 15 years, and took Allegra as needed. He began taking Culturelle twice a day in
2007 and stopped taking allergy shots along with the other allergy medicines at
that time. A couple of months later when
the fall seasonal allergens arrived, he realized he didn’t even need to take
any allergy medicine. And when the spring
allergens arrived, he only needed several allergy pills through that season. He continues to do well by taking Culturelle everyday and rarely needs allergy
medicines.
A friend of ours had repeated episodes of bronchitis in the
winter months for a few years. He
started taking Culturelle twice a day and had significant reduction in respiratory
infections.
So if you are following Dr. Poley’s plan of diet and
Culturelle for Crohn’s or Ulcerative colitis, be encouraged that along with the
benefits LGG carries for IBD, you may have other health benefits as well.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I have included a
recipe for Cranberry relish. Since cranberries are so tart, the recipes for
this usually contain a lot of sugar. But
we have found that using some honey and a small amount of orange juice seems to
make it sweet enough. Enjoy!
May you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And
may you be blessed with good health!
Martha
Cranberry Relish
2 cups fresh cranberries
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup water
1/3 cup honey
1 small apple, chopped
½ cup pecans, chopped
Mix cranberries and orange juice and water in a
blender. Pour into saucepan and add
honey. Bring to a simmer for about 20 to
30 minutes. Stir often. Allow to cool
and then add pecans and chopped apple. Refrigerate.
