I just found this by accident while going online to buy some VSL-3, it’s a Prebiotic called Bimuno

which I hadn’t heard of before. Prebiotics are a way of increasing good bacteria in the gut, rather than introducing actual live probiotic cultures in to the diet, by feeding and energising the existing ‘good’ bacteria already present in the gastro-intestinal tract, they grow and colonize at a much faster rate than the ‘bad’ bacteria. This allows the ‘bad’ bacteria to be flushed from the digestive system for a much healthier bacterial balance. There are foods in our diet which have this effect like bananas and asparagus. Apparently this prebiotic product called Bimuno is better than common prebiotic foods because it was designed to be the preferred food of your good immune boosting bifidobacteria. It was developed at the University of Reading by experts in prebiotics.

A paper was Published in June 2008 by the Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo outlining the benefits of maintaining healthy levels of specific good gut bacteria. In a healthy gut, Bifidobactrium is the most predominant good gut bacteria and known for its immune regulating properties. Bifidobacterium is fuelled by prebiotics found in many fruit, vegetables and the prebiotic Bimuno which selectively targets Bifidobacterium.

The study aimed to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of Bifidobacteria against the painful inflammatory symptoms experienced by Ulcerative Colitis sufferers. The results showed Bifidobacterium enhanced the production of Interleukin-10, an essential immunoregulator in the intestinal tract, and inhibited secretion of Interleukin-8, an inflammatory component of the immune response. This suggests that Bifidobacterium specifically produces anti-inflammatory effects against Ulcerative Colitis, relieving suffers of some of the awful pain and suffering experienced from this condition.

In another study Research at the University School of Medicine in Tokai has discovered that Bifidobacteria, the most predominant good gut bacteria found in a healthy digestive system can potentially suppress the harmful bacteria responsible for IBD. Bacteroides, a commensal gut bacteria is thought to be responsible for IBD development.

The study examined the effect of healthy growth of Bifidobacteria against the levels of Bacteroides in mice and discovered Bifidobacteria highly inhibited the growth of the pathogenic bacteria. It also significantly suppressed systemic antibody responses and increased the number of Peyers Patches, the guts own immune protection. The results suggest Bifidobacteria, enhanced by prebiotics, found naturally in vegetables and the prebiotic Bimuno, protected the gut epithelial layer from Bacteroid invasion, suppressing an anti-body response potentially responsible for the inflammatory symptoms of IBD.

It looks like an interesting product which might be helpful for us Colitis sufferers, interestingly the clinically proven health benefits of Bimuno include:

• increase in bifidobacteria (good bacteria) levels
• reduction in harmful bacteria levels
• provision of an important immune regulation function by energising immunity boosting bacteria

In addition, prebiotics have been shown to:

• increase mineral absorption (for example calcium)
• help prevent occasional diarrhoea
• help provide relief of occassional constipation, particularly in the elderly
• increase bioavailability of minerals (for example calcium and magnesium)

The people who make this stuff are giving away a free trial pack on their website which is http://www.bimuno.com so I’ve sent off for a free pack to try it out. It seems like it may be a good addition to my Ulcerative Colitis Diet. I’ll post again on how I find it.

Here is what I do if my Ulcerative Colitis Flares Up –

1. Take Probiotics in particular VSL-3 which is specifically formulated for Ulcerative Colitis, and in one medical study at The University of Alberta UC patients were given 8 sachets a day for 6 weeks and this produced remission in 77% of them. Also get some Kefir Grains and make your own Kefir with Goats Milk, which is easy to do and provides you with a nourishing drink which is packed with probiotics. Another good Probiotic supplement for Colitis Primal Defense Ultra it’s cheaper than VSL-3
2. Drink Fangocur it is a  clay based mineral drink which is a highly effective natural remedy for Ulcerative Colitis. It has been studied at the Medical University if Vienna and was found to be effective in the treatment of Ulcerative Colitis. It fights inflammation of the intestinal wall and reduces diarrhoea.
3. Diet, No Sugar or Alcohol at all, Best to avoid fruit too with the possible exception of the odd banana. Chicken Stock Soup is soothing and nutritious in a flare up recipe here. Avoid all grains, beans and potatoes, with the exception of rice. Eat Chicken and Fish but when you cook them only steam or boil, absolutely no frying. Vegetables are ok if well cooked , again steam them well, but avoid the really fibrous root ones like swede, and also tomatoes and peppers. Avoid all dairy products,I find they make any bleeding worse – except Kefir and home made probiotic yogurt. Don’t overeat, have lots of small meals little and often is best.
4. Take these Herbs – Boswellia, Turmeric and Ashwaganda, all are very effective anti inflammatories, in one study Ashwaganda was shown to be a stronger anti inflammatory that steroids.
5. Elemental Drinks – These are a form of feeding which is completely absorbed in the small intestine, and therefore give the colon a rest whilst still providing nourishment. They have been used in medical studies to induce remission in UC as successfully as steroids. I have had Elemental 028 from my Doctor and they really help in the midst of a Flare Up. You can also get Absorb Plus on the Web.
6. Omega 3 Fish Oils are another excellent anti inflammatory, take 4g of them a day.

Once things settle down, continue with Probiotics, Omega3, and Boswellia & Turmeric. Reintroduce more foods but follow a paleolithic diet for autoimmunity. It is also worth having a Igg antibody test for food in-tolerances done in case there is any food which is triggering your Colitis.

Did you know there are more bacteria in your intestinal tract that there are cells in your body?

Benefits of Probiotics -

• They reduce diarrhea
• They are anti-inflammatory
• They Manufacture B complex vitamins
• They help regulate bowel movements
• They create lactic acid that balances intestinal pH levels

There are many other benefits from Probiotic’s but these are the main ones we are concerned with in Colitis. Probiotics really work by reducing your diarrhea and lowering inflammation levels in the bowel. When I first took the right type of Probiotics in the right quantity I was amazed at the results, they really improved my stool consistency back to normal in a matter of days.

This is the first Probiotic I tried and I was surprised at how well it worked -
Primal Defense Ultra Probiotics For Colitis

One of the first alternative ideas I tried out when I got out of hospital apart from improving my Diet was Probiotics, there have been some proper clinical studies done in to how these can help ease Colitis Symptoms and  induce remission, the research is really very exciting. There was one study I read about that used just probiotics – very strong ones and lots of them to induce remission in patients with a flare up and they worked ! There is also a study in which one brand of probiotic was used to maintain remission and worked as well as the drug Mesalazine. There’s lots of different types of probiotic such as Acidophillus and Bifidobacteria, and there are loads of different products out there, so its difficult to choose which one to use. I found out the brand which was used in several clinical trials with good results – because that seemed to be the best – and ordered some. Well the results were brilliant, I was on the mend from my big flare up of Ulcerative Colitis(Colitus) but I was still pooing 3-4 times a day and things were still pretty loose. Within 2 days of starting the probiotics my stools were suddenly well formed – like normal poo and the frequency went down to 1-2 times a day ! Wow – I was amazed and very pleased to have found something that wasn’t a drug that was helping to make my Colitis go away. In fact my only other flare up since happened at a time just after I stopped taking probiotics. Probiotics work to rebuild the good bacteria in your guts, which in Colitis are often struggling against the bad bacteria. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect which is really good because after all Colitis is literally inflammation of the colon. Another benefit is that Probiotics help to heal a leaky gut which could be one of the causes behind Ulcerative Colitis. I just can’t understand why these Probiotics aren’t being prescribed by Doctors because they really Do WORK ! The best Probiotic for Ulcerative Colitis sufferers and the one I still use today is called VSL-3, it has over 450 billion bacteria per dose and has the following strains of probiotic in it – Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp Bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacteria breve, Bifidobacteria longum, Bifidobacteria infantis. It really is the best one avaliable and has been tested several times in proper clinical trials and has proved to be very effective. I take a sachet every day and I can’t recommend it highly enough, find out more about VSL-3 click here and then click the probiotics link on the left had side. If you want to read more there is also an excellent book on Probiotics and Ulcerative Colitis here.