Tags
bacteria, Crohn's disease, Digestive Disorders, health, Inflammatory bowel disease, Johne's Disease
My friends over at the SCD For Life blog posted an interesting link on their Facebook wall today. It’s an article discussing research into a potential link between increasing instances of MAP, a bacteria that causes a condition in cows, Johne’s Disease, similar to Crohn’s, and correlating increases of incidences of Crohn’s Disease in humans. It seems that products derived from MAP-infected cows have the potential to introduce MAP into the human GI tract. What are the chances of a connection, then, between Johne’s Disease and Crohn’s Disease? Read the article and see what you think. I welcome your comments.
I left a comment on their facebook link. Please read it, we have known about MAP since we began our research into the disease and strongly believe it is the main cause of Crohn’s Disease. I’m so pleased that this is being discussed by the SCD community.
I’ll check it out… thanks!
I too, have discovered this connection, i blogged about it a while back. I used to be a heavy milk drinker pre-SCD, I wonder if most Crohn’s people were? Amazing how similar the disease is to Johnes.
I was a pretty heavy dairy consumer myself, before adopting SCD. I still eat quite a bit of dairy, but it’s almost all food that I have cultured myself, from certified organic, pasture-raised cows. Seems to be working well. I’ll be sure to look up your blog post!
It’s not just in the milk. it’s in the water supply as well! For the first 3 years of my son’s diet he consumed only bottled spring water, we use UHT milk to make the yogurt and he still does not eat uncooked cheese. Though its a controversial subject and I haven’t blogged about it, we strongly believe that MAP is the culprit! The Lake District in the UK is a “hot spot” and we used to regularly holiday there. My son actually drank water from a farm tap there on school hiking trips and from streams – the sterilization tablets do not kill MAP. Once in the body it can take years to eliminate. But we have succeeded, I think. I’m very passionate about this subject – as you can see. Map is believed to be the cause of IBS as well as Crohn’s Diseaseand the recorded number of diagnosed Crohn’s victims is deemed to be far smaller than the actual number.
What is UHT milk? I’m not sure we have that in the states.
Thanks for the comment. It sound as though it’s been quite a battle for you and your family!
It means Ultra Heat Treated and I’ve just been on a site which states over 80% of organic milk sold in the US is UHT – a fact I’m surprised about since it wouldn’t be our number one choice. However, it makes wonderful yogurt and is the safer alternative in the UK.
Jada, were you ever able to secure an LDN prescription? How’s that going for you?
Nope, not on LDN, gave up on it pretty quickly after my gastro denied me. But I am actually really glad. I went to a naturopathic doctor and he gave me various whole food supplements. These have helped immensely. I really don’t think LDN would help me anymore than these, and this way I’m not taking anything artificial.
Well, I’m so glad you’ve found something that’s working for you… that’s what it’s all about!!
MAP can’t possibly cause Crohn’s disease. Here’s why.
1) Long-term anti-mycobacterial protocols have failed to produce a “cure” for anyone with CD. A few people have been put into remission for a year or so, but that’s hardly news. Myoconda (an antibiotic protocol consisting of three anti-mycobacterial drugs) has been a complete failure. Surely we would have seen some modicum of success in more than an anecdotal number of cases if anti-mycobacterial drugs were going to work.
2) The absolute contraindication for use of TNF-alpha drugs is tuberculosis. Other contraindications include “infection.” If Crohn’s were caused by MAP, people would get worse when they were given TNF drugs, not better. Moreover, there is (to the best of my knowledge) not a single case of an individual who has died of fulminant MAP infection as a result of being given TNF drugs. (For that matter, if the pro-MAP crowd could give me a single case of MAP being attributed as the cause of death in a Crohn’s patient, I would be very interested.)
It is unfortunate that MAP continues to distract researchers. It should have been disproven long ago. I have no doubt that MAP persists in the gut of a sizable proportion of Crohnies, probably because the damage that has been done to the gut provides a suitable environment for the organism. But the meta-studies have shown repeatedly the correlation between MAP and Crohn’s isn’t a very good one- certainly far from absolute.
Thanks for adding another voice to the conversation, TJ. You make some interesting arguments here. Clearly, there is still much work to be done before we have a clearer understanding of the nature and causes of Crohn’s.
True, the antibiotics have a temporary effect on the bacteria which can quickly develop a resistance hence the reason the protocol is continually being changed. During the course of the Australian treatment, they were using a sequence of different antibiotic combinations and dosages which initially gave encouraging results
but was doomed to fail because of the highly resistant bacteria which changed its state.
Antibiotics also have an effect on the e coli whose presence is masked by the enzyme produced by the MAP bacteria that disguises e coli to the human immune system. This temporary relief from the e coli onslaught of the gut lining produced periods of apparent remission.
Neither the MAP nor the e coli is completely eradicated or prevented from recurrence by the antibiotic treatment. The only way that the MAP bacteria can be eradicated from the human body is by a DNA vaccine that identifies it specifically. In the absence of an available vaccine, before the human clinical trials have completed, the only known successful treatment for Crohn’s Disease is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet which starves the MAP bacteria from the polysaccharides and disaccharides that sustain it.
The DNA vaccine is now being trialled by veterinary scientists to treat affected animals and to prevent the MAP bacteria from entering the food chain.
Presently, only patients who adhere strictly to the SCD and do not ingest the offending carbohydrates and contaminated dairy and meat produce will be successful in achieving a state of remission. Which is true in our son’s case since he has been enteritis free for over 5 years.
What a great exchange! I’m lucky to have such well-informed readers!!