Prolapse is an Inflammatory Disease

Submitted by Christine on July 18, 2009 - 4:34pm
Body: 

(I’m not really here - but studying frantically at the medical library - sh-h-h-h)

The lightbulb just went on this week and the evidence is there to support the fact that prolapse is an inflammatory disease. Outside of such promoters as poor posture, modern lifestyle, mechanical assault of technobirth and surgery, etc., prolapse is indeed a “connective tissue disorder.”

But not in the way that we have been told - that it is a genetic foregone conclusion and irreversible. Genetics are always involved in cell biology and indeed our race and ethnicity play a role.

However, the real story is all about inflammatory mediators and the solution (I did not say cure) is inhibiting them before they do their damage. This is where the genetics and ethnicity come in, because traditional diets and medicinals offered this balance. We will all be in MUCH better condition when we understand this process - I already am in just a few weeks time.

It is not as simple as popping anti-inflammatory drugs, which have all failed miserably and are truly dangerous. I have quotes from peer-reviewed journals stating that pharmacology has basically failed in the treatment of chronic disease. But the race is on by Big Pharma to develop more and more highly selective inhibitors....and Mother Nature has thrown many gigantic boulders into their paths.

The very best inhibitors known to science are natural herbal substances. This has become (painfully to some) common knowledge in the scientific community at this point. How coincidental that it has very recently become much more difficult in the US to market medicinal teas (I don’t have the whole story yet, but believe in order to do so you now have to pay huge fees for licensing).

Cancer is inflammatory disease and inflammatory disease is cancer. Science has truly uncovered the cause of the lion’s share of cancers and they also have the cures - too bad they are not patentable.

Put your aprons on, ladies, because only we can help ourselves. Tomorrow I will post a list of natural enzyme inhibitors that have been scientifically studied to date.

Christine

kiki

July 19, 2009 - 12:52am

What can i say Christine--you continue to amaze me! Look forward to reading more
Kiki

Judith

July 19, 2009 - 3:59am

Well Christine, I've always assumed that inflammatory conditions (like mine) have an effect on all body tissue, including connective, simply because it's systemic. It's particularly interesting and exciting for me that you're exploring this with regard to proplapse generally. I've been investigating and experimenting with ways to reduce inflammation for years so new input would be great. I find that hyperacidity (of bodily fluids, not stomach)is part of a vicious circle of inflammation, so I aim to eat a predominantly alkaline diet and take an alkaline mineral supplement. I'm about to try sole (can't do an acute accent, pronounced solay), taking small amounts of unrefined salt in solution. And homoepoathy is also good for treating inflammation. I'm looking forward to seeing what you've come up with, it will benefit everyone, including people without prolapse. I'm sure that most people have some degree of inflammation in their body whether they're aware of it or not, mainly because most people eat an acidic diet. I'm v interested to hear other people's views on this esp Louise (there's a whole Buteyko view on hyperventilation and acidity and food), I shall watch this space eagerly Judith xxx

Sammy

July 19, 2009 - 6:45pm

I find this interesting- my son has come down with an inflammatory bowel disease- I understand there is granulamatous formations in his bowel- I have this in my vagina now- I know it is a different thing since mine is the result of my "fix" and is caused by erosion. medicine can sure be an exciting discipline

Christine

July 19, 2009 - 6:52pm

Well, we all get to be brilliant and we’re all allowed to be dumb once in a while as well. I didn’t know that EPA and DHA were derived only from fish oil and would never have taken it had I not forgotten my glasses that day and assumed our very vegetarian-oriented market would only be selling derivatives of flax. I was feeling SO much better by the time I read the label that I had to keep taking it. Oh well, we live in a world where the big fish eat the little fish - if only we could be environmentally responsible big fish. If we can be so lucky, that day may be coming.

The problem is not so much about pH balance, although any internal or external upset can begin an inflammation cascade. The whole nine yards stems from the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) - a molecule derived from linoleic acid (omega-6), which is one of our essential fatty acids and the most plentiful phospholipid making up the outer membrane of almost all our cells. Alpha-linolenic (omega-3) oil is our other EFA and is found primarily in fish and flax - although some people cannot break flax oil down to the component parts necessary for proper cell respiration.

As part of normal metabolism, AA is converted to metabolites called eicosanoids by three different enzymes. Two of those enzymes, cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) play the major roles in physiological and pathophysiological processes. The COX enzymes catalyze primarily prostaglandins (PGs) and the LOX enzymes produce mainly leukotrienes (LTs). Both of these metabolites are pro-inflammatory, although some of their isoforms have roles in maintaining homeostasis.

LTs are particularly nasty because their ultimate products are various forms of hydrogen peroxide - something our tissues do not appreciate. There are 3 primary types of lipoxygenases and 5-LOX is the one that causes the most damage.

So it is not surprising that science has been working for a long time to try to figure out how to inhibit these enzymes. You may know that ibuprofen is a COX2 inhibitor. So was Vioxx, which was pulled off the market after causing serious heart disease and death. Remember Midol? It is a COX inhibitor also.

Yikes! I’m getting into too much detail.

Although these drugs have stayed on the market, they are not without serious side effects. Jackie has had the common experience of stomach problems while taking ibuprofen (well, she said NSAIDs, but I’m assuming it was Motrin or Advil). This is because it is a non-selective COX inhibitor and stops the action of COX1 as well as COX2 - and COX1 is protective of the stomach lining. The selective COX2 inhibitors cause platelet aggregation and therefore cardiovascular problems.

The main problem and reason people feel really bad on COX inhibitors is that they cause a shunting of AA toward the LOX side of the cascade. So their PG symptoms are resolved while their LT symptoms increase. What science now knows is that we need LOX/COX2 inhibitors.

LOX inhibitors have been much more difficult to develop than COX. The only one on the market is called Zileuton for the indication of asthma. It is fairly toxic to the liver and people taking it must get regular liver function tests.

NDGA is the active ingredient in chaparral (Larrea tridentata) and is that perfect LOX/COX2 inhibitor. It has been used for time immemorial by native people of the American and Mexican deserts. It is a very powerful plant and must be used with care, but a water infusion from its leaves is harmless in a healthy person. NDGA has not been approved by the FDA because it is too toxic. In the mid-nineties when all this science was first coming to light, chaparral was pulled off all the shelves in the US. There were a couple of deaths attributed to chaparral “pills” (with other extenuating circumstances as it turns out) and so they banned the entire plant. A major natural health council demanded a reversal on its status and you can now buy and sell chaparral.

Anyway, omega-3 fatty acids act in two ways to inhibit LOX - mainly by competing for attachment sites with AA.

As Nature would have it, there is a wide range of foods, herbs, and spices that inhibit 5-LOX. Here is what I have come up with so far:

Grape seed and red wine polyphenol, ginseng, clove, cinnamon, pepper, onion, chile, turmeric, garlic, skullcap, blueberry, black currant, raspberry, strawberry, eggplant, rosemary, green and black tea, spotted knapweed, shea, cocoa, carob, avocado, red berries, grapes, aloe vera, guava, soybeans, chickpea, kudzu root, tomato, mulberry, milk thistle, artichokes, broccoli, anise, cashew, neem, carrot, citrus fruits, pumpkin, borage, birch tree, almonds, licorice, feverfew.

There are new ones being described by science every day.

Now, many of you know that I’ve been struggling with a very serious case of LS for about three years. I won’t go into the symptoms, but suffice it to say my butt has been on fire. I have also had personal and up-close experience with a long-standing cervical polyp and what I believe to be the misnomer “internal hemorrhoids”. There is a MUCH longer story about estrogen, anal scent glands, LH and AA, but can’t write it all out here.

So...my diet is filled with many of the above foods - particularly red wine and green tea - ha! and I can tell you that they weren’t enough to balance the serious inflammation going on in my body. Things started to seriously change with daily doses of chaparral tea, pennyroyal sitz baths (not on the list - but probably will be in the future) and when I stringently cut out all omega-6 fats and started taking the EPA/DHA my polyp fell off, my LS cleared up, and my prolapse is vastly improved. The arthritis in my thumbs, which had flared in recent years is gone as are the itchy bumps on my back and the red splotches on my face.

This is truly revolutionary stuff and the scientific community knows it. Those of us armed with this information are going to have extended lives (I’m not dramatizing), yet we may not have the environment capable of supporting a huge population of very elderly folks. I can only hope that as people wake up to the realities of inflammatory disease - and natural cures - that Big Pharma will go by the wayside. We can pray anyway. Jackie...I feel certain all those conditions on the CTD site will be described differently in months and years to come.

Oh...and there is lots of scientific evidence that 5-LOX mediates pain and its inhibitors cut the pain cycle. I don’t deal with serious pain so I have no personal experience with this. However, I am aware of the necessity of allowing human beings access to pain medication when we need it. For Pete’s sake, we have evolved (sorry Lauren!) long enough with poppies and hemp that we have cannabinoid and opiate receptors in our brain!!

The world is a perfect place and our enemy is fear.

****One last thing**** The growing fetus needs lots of omega-6, and I do not know about the status of children in that regard, but it is probably similar. This is probably why the pregnant physiology becomes free of inflammatory disease. However, as non-pregnant adults we become more sensitive to omega-6 oils and after menopause they seem to become a poison.

I really can’t contribute any more because I must get this info into some kind of reasonable form. I will read when I can though and I know that Kiki, G-mom, Alemama and Louise will take good care of you.

Blessings,

Christine

bad_mirror

July 20, 2009 - 9:53am

Just wanted to share the info for other BF moms . . . I was curious if chaparral is compatible with breastfeeding. According to the kellymom site, and several others, it is not. (Nor is it for those TTC, as it *may* inhibit ovulation). So this is one thing that those of us in our childbearing years may just have to wait to try. Use your personal judgment, of course! :-)

karrymae

July 20, 2009 - 4:57pm

Thank you Christine.. you are truly a blessing to us. I am excited to learn what you will come up with!

I have three huge issues that I am dealing with and they all seemed to have appeared as the same time that I "hit" menopause.

Not only do I have POP, but I also have diverticular disease (large intestine disorder...which I have had under control now for the last two years, but also means that I have to be very careful with my diet... and I also have LPR..(acid reflux which is "atypical" (larynx/pharynx reflux ) meaning that I don't have heartburn, but have two faulty esophogeal sphincters.. Lower and Upper and the reflux ends up in my throat and sinus cavities.) I have also been "weaning" myself "off" meds for this condition and just trying to avoid certain foods which seem to trigger the reflux.

In January, I saw my gyno to have a vaginal polyp removed, which turned out to be unremarkable, but she told me that the biopsy showed that I have A LOT of inflammation. REALLY??? I think I could have told her that. Anyway, my doc gave me a steroid cream to treat it, which I promptly threw in my medicine cabinet when I got home. (I am currently going through menopause and don't need anymore thin tissue.)

BUT we not only discussed my POP issues, but also the diverticular disease and LPR and she told me that it ALL made sense to her as it is all related to weak connective tissue.... I was really depressed to hear that from her and thinking there is nothing to be done and this could not possibly be true! (I did have episiotomies and forceps with the birth of my children.. I am still convinced that this was the contributing factor for my "pops"... my sister had 3 babes and had c-sections with all of them and has NO issues.)

ANYWAY.. after reading Christine's post, it does make a lot of sense to me that all three of my "issues" can actually be related.... go figure that my doc could actually be right... however her solution was ....to do kegels.

Just wondering if anyone else out there has other issues besides POP and do you think that they could be related to "connective tissue disorder" and inflammation?

~karrymae

Oceanblue

July 22, 2009 - 7:05am

Thank you for this!

Mega Hugs,

Oceanblue

louiseds

July 20, 2009 - 9:54pm

Re your doc's advice, ROFL!!!!!!!!

Louise

:-)

luvmiboyz

July 20, 2009 - 11:28pm

I find this very intriguing.....I sometimes have a feeling of athritis in my hands especially in my thumbs which is because of inflamation I am sure.....here I am in my early 20's with a prolapse and athritis. This may just be the key for me.

Christine

July 21, 2009 - 9:29am

...there is still a lot to learn and we must take caution with this new information.

The balance to be struck is going to be different for all of us - and stopping all intake of omega-6 foods is also going to curtain vitamin (particularly E) and mineral intake, so we all must use our best judgment right now.

Also - chaparral tea should be treated as a powerful medicinal. Daily intake is fine for a couple of weeks, by which time - if you are taking omega-3 and sharply limiting omega-6 your symptoms should be vastly improving. After that, occasional use of chaparral is probably wisest. It is horribly bitter stuff and the inability to drink much of it is the body's way of making sure we don't drink too much.

The thumbs issue is very intriguing - much of mine resolved with the posture because my droopy shoulders were allowing my arm bones to pound against the joint where the thumb joins the hand. And when I straightened up, the joint pain improved. However, the inflammation process clearly accounts for pain there as well. Inflammation follows disturbances from many internal and external sources.

It seems that 5-LOX inhibits the "housekeeping" function of COX1, which is to maintain tone in many of our tissues. Then, once the tone is gone, LOX is free to cause additional damage. Regular broad-spectrum COX inhibitor intake could be expected to make so many conditions worse - including prolapse.

Christine

elleninala

July 21, 2009 - 9:44am

Christine and all --

Hi! This is an interesting post. It had occurred to me that the weakness of the fascia holding my bladder was probably associated with the weakness of the ligaments around my joints.

I need to share a discovery I made on-line. For some people, there is a strong negative response to nightshade plants. The nightshades are tomatoes, all peppers except black pepper, white potatoes and eggplant.

I was waking in the night groaning with pain in all joints. I cut out nightshades about 6 months ago. I still certainly have aches and pains but not the hot, painful joints that I had before and that made turning over in bed excruciating. I so dreaded presenting this complaint to a doctor, knowing that their cure could be worse than the ailment, but the ailment was getting alarming. I am better now. And if I do eat white potatoes or peppers I know it that night. Giving up tomatoes and peppers, which of course are responsible for so very many delicious dishes, would be a hard sell. I was very fond of spicy food. But pain is a motivator.

Dr. Norman Chambers is responsible for this research. He is 99 now and less active, and the website is outdated, but you can still get the info at www.noarthritis.com. He is a horticulturist and was at the Univ of FL in Gainesville for many years.

I don't know how the chemistry of nightshades fits in with the research you're doing, Christine, but perhaps there is a correlation. It's long been known that if cattle eat nightshades in the field, it disables them severely, and there are cases of potato poisoning. People used to think tomatoes were poisonous. I've concluded that for some, they are, not immediately, but they have an effect over many years.

Thanks for all,
Ellen

karrymae

July 21, 2009 - 10:19am

Hi Robin,

I am 50 years old and I too did not have a choice with the forceps and episiotomy with the birth of my son. (He is now 21 and my daughter is 16). He too got "stuck". I did have a lot of bladder problems after his birth which eventually resolved themselves to the point where I did not notice them. I was never told that I had a prolapse, but I remember my gyno asking me if everything was working OK. So now I know he saw that I wasn't the same. SO I do think that his birth contributed to a lot to "setting me up" with prolapse problems but I don't think it was the only thing.

I think that poor posture (boobs out and butt in) and poor diet played a factor over the years. I did exercise A LOT... aerobics and strength training daily, racquetball, elliptical machines, and pilates and I think this may have helped ward off my Pops as being more noticeable than they actually were. I did suffer from constipation (again poor diet and not enough liquids)

Also I came down with an intestinal infection in the fall of 2007. APparently I had diverticulosis for years and was unlucky enough to get an infection. I was put on extremely strong drugs (which have a tendency to rupture tendons) and I lost 20 pounds within three months..and this is when my POPS became MOST noticeable and I started pressing my family doctor and gyno for answers.

I still keep wondering if the drugs had a factor in loosening ligaments, but can't find anything about CIPRO and FLagyl and ligaments.... only that tendons can rupture spontaneously.

SO I am not sure what actually caused all of this (genetics is a factor too..)

BUT, I am very excited by Christine's research and can't wait to see where she takes us next.

~karrymae

Judith

July 21, 2009 - 11:09am

I have ankylosing spondylitis (inflammatory, auto-immune) and on the advice of my kinesiologist stopped eating the nightshades a few years ago. Apart from causing inflammation in susceptible people, they apparently contain a chemical that can stop the ileo-caecal valve from closing when it should (again, in susceptible people), with attendant problems - pain in right groin, auto-intoxication as bacteria can get into the small intestine, candida.

Thank you so much for all this information Christine. And it's brilliant that you've achieved so much with your own symptoms which sounded quite distressing, I'm very glad for you and for all of us! Judith xx

AnneH

July 22, 2009 - 9:02am

I too have suspected that prolapse is partly a "connective tissue disorder". I've been diagnosed with a very mild form of scleroderma, a collagen disorder. My POP is not the same thing as the collagen depositions of scleroderma, but both may be related to mild chronic tissue inflammation, which seems to be causing all kinds of other vague symptoms in my body (leg edema, joint pain, etc.)

elleninala

July 22, 2009 - 10:09am

Here is a link for the basic info from Dr. Childers (not Chambers) about the link between nightshades and arthritis/inflammatory-disease/connective-tissue/auto-immune disorders:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDL/is_3_10/ai_n18616487/pg_2/?t...

He goes into the chemical properties involved, which I don't understand. Does this fit with anything else we're discovering?

Ellen

Christine

July 22, 2009 - 12:39pm

I don’t know about this, Ellen, have sort of dismissed it through the years, but will find out more. On the one hand, our native foods changed our genes and were responsible, it is believed by some, for many of the “polymorphisms” that make us different - including our external ethnic characteristics.

On the other hand, when nightshades were brought to the old world (at least potatoes and tomatoes) they were thought to be poisonous and suspect for a long time.

Yes, I remember reports of Cipro causing disintegration of the Achilles tendon...swell.

elleninala

July 22, 2009 - 7:35pm

Thank you, Christine.

Ellen

kiki

July 25, 2009 - 1:45am

I just thought I'd share that i am going to try these changes to my diet.

My hat goes off to Christine, as I do not know how you've managed to cut out 6's so well. But I'm greatly reducing them as of today (don't eat much processed food anyway, but looking at ingredients they are everywhere!), going to religiously take the fish oil i religiously give to my kids but not me, cut out alllll sugar and even that treasured occasional cup of decaf coffee. I can't get chaparral at the moment, but got some turmeric as a starter till i can get some.

I'm doing it for the LS, but will be interested to see how everything else goes as well! Challenges are that my little one is allergic to dairy, so cooking for all of us gets tricky without oil, and i eat lots of nuts and seeds as i need to keep blood sugars stable. so it'll be a learning process, but i'm going to try.

(i'm thinking i might lose this annoying 10 pounds that's crept on in the last few months as well doing this!).

will keep you updated.

Kiki

alemama

July 25, 2009 - 2:38pm

coconut oil?
we are on a very restricted diet right now and there is nothing better than an avocado with coconut oil and sweet potato.

kiki

July 25, 2009 - 3:37pm

I got it for my son before and used it some, but felt like it tasted funny when i cooked with it so stopped. but you'll inspire me to try again!
harder is when i bake muffins, as you need a good lot of fat--125ml+... might just have to cook two lots--one for me, one for him... or could i use coconut for baking muffins?
do you melt the coconut oil on your avocado? sounds scrummy! (i'll have to look up avocados...)

any ideas on proteins other than pulses? can't eat those all day long, but i need a regular supply of protein to keep my blood sugar constant. i have plain yogurt and flax with my breakfast, and am fine with pulses at lunch / dinner and some fish . but need snacks. was doing nuts / tofu / seed spread, but all those rather heavy on the 6's...so struggling there!
anyway ideas welcome!

kiki

July 25, 2009 - 3:37pm

I got it for my son before and used it some, but felt like it tasted funny when i cooked with it so stopped. but you'll inspire me to try again!
harder is when i bake muffins, as you need a good lot of fat--125ml+... might just have to cook two lots--one for me, one for him... or could i use coconut for baking muffins?
do you melt the coconut oil on your avocado? sounds scrummy! (i'll have to look up avocados...)

any ideas on proteins other than pulses? can't eat those all day long, but i need a regular supply of protein to keep my blood sugar constant. i have plain yogurt and flax with my breakfast, and am fine with pulses at lunch / dinner and some fish . but need snacks. was doing nuts / tofu / seed spread, but all those rather heavy on the 6's...so struggling there!
anyway ideas welcome!

alemama

July 25, 2009 - 9:29pm

since I made muffins but you don't have to have oil at all- you can use banana and apple sauce instead- maybe some carrot and zucchini
but yes you can cook with coconut oil and I think it is supposed to be more stable at higher temps than other oils-

louiseds

July 26, 2009 - 10:58pm

I believe that avocado is a weaning food, (ie first solid food for babies) in the West Indies. L

kiki

July 27, 2009 - 2:04pm

i'll try adding applesauce or banana instead & see what happens.
avocado is lovely, but very high in 6's i've found looking into it and lots of what i eat.
i found an amazing site that tells you the ins and outs of lots of foods--and it's amazing to realise what has what in foods! this is definately challenging, but i did well today at looking at what i normally eat and seeing what fits into this...
will keep seeing how it goes! still not sure about getting regular protein, but working on that...

(just to share food site in case interested...)
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
For any of the foods, both in the nutritional profile and just above the references, there is a link to an in depth nutritional profile which is absolutely amazing.

emmalu49

January 6, 2010 - 9:46pm

Hi Christine and All,

I just had to post after reading all these entries about inflammatory conditions. I have a suspected autoimmune disease called sarcoidosis and inflammatory conditions run in my family - a mother with rheumatoid and possibly lupus, 2 aunts with inflammatory diseases and a cousin with rheumatoid arthritis. I try to eat an almost all raw diet or mostly whole foods (which has seemed to keep me in stable condition - no flare-ups in several years); I've been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, although when I started eating only gluten free food 2 years ago the irritable bowel symptoms seemed to clear up. Christine, I do believe you are right on with this theory of prolapse being an inflammatory condition.

Keep us posted. :)

Mamato2boys

January 6, 2010 - 11:22pm

Emmalu49,

I also have an inflammatory disease and have been considering going raw. But, what do you eat? All I can think of is raw nuts, fruits, veggies and sprouted bread. What else? Also, did you find any books that helped guide you in this?

I eat an all organic whole food diet most of the time with the exception of my chocolate, but I guess that is also organic. Fortunately where I live "organic" is en vogue.

K

kiki

January 6, 2010 - 11:49pm

Hi Emmalu,
I thought i'd reply in case Christine doesn't have time to check in. She is working on a DVD about food, health, and inflammation (and a ton more!) ;-) that's taking up a lot of time, so she may not be able to check in at the moment...

a few of us have been trying anti - inflammatory diets which for Christine started out for another inflammatory condition which I've also been closely following as i suffer from the same thing. But, she noticed her prolapses got much better! I noticed that when i started the diet my cystocele symptoms got much better--less frequency, better bladder capacity... huge added bonus!
so definately can't hurt to try...

i've cut out all omega 6 except what is naturally in a few bits of food, and am taking fish oil (can't get algae oil affordably where i am), curcumin (from turmeric), and chaparal but less often. just started grapeseed extract to see if it affects my hormones... i feel great, and have more energy which is fabulous.

hope that helps a bit...

kiki

emmalu49

January 7, 2010 - 12:01pm

Thanks, kiki. I'm excited about Christine's new work - will watch for it. I'm going to research omega-6's. I've been taking evening primrose oil, but I just read on the bottle I bought a few days ago that it's a mixture of omega 3's, 6's and 9's. I thought it was only omega-3's.

Mamatoboys,
A typical day for me is:

breakfast - soy yogurt with flax oil, a few walnuts or peanut butter, and some fruit (half a banana, blueberries, any maybe a little pineapple, papaya, or grapes). Sometimes I'll make grits or Rice and Shine (Arrowhead Mills).

mid-morning snack - 5-7 almonds or an apple

lunch - green salad or a kale salad that I've made or bought at the deli at Whole Foods, or hummus with gluten free crackers, or soup that I heat up at home before leaving for work and take in a hot thermos.

afternoon snack - grapes or a carrot with peanut butter

dinner - sometimes just air popped popcorn with olive oil, garlic powder and a little salt or more hummus, or some gluten-free deli item again.

I don't eat all raw because I don't think it's healthy. There's a good raw deli in town that also has a booth at the local farmer's market and almost every Sunday I buy 2 or 3 things there. They make good granola, salads and kale chips. The above sounds pretty healthy but I do crave chocolate ALOT and sometimes stop in the afternoon to buy a bar of dark chocolate, which I try to only eat some of. :)

Hope that helps.

kiki

January 14, 2010 - 4:06pm

wow, sounds like you are eating very healthily! i think really, you just have to experiment. i cut out pretty much all omega 6's, which include soy drinks / yogurts (most have vegie oil), hummous (need to just make it from scratch, havne't had time!), crackers as lone and behold, most have oil
basically, if it's ready made it has oil. so annoying! i cut out all nuts, but am starting to reintroduce them to see how i feel...
not to say you need to go to that extreme--just know it's there where you least expect it...

question is also about where you get the omega 3 from...i go for fish and fish oil, christine recommends Algae Oil (put it in search for posts about that) but unfortunately not readily available where i am yet...

jut thoughts.

but wow, i love reading what other people eat!!! inspring!

Zelda

April 5, 2010 - 12:06pm

Dear Christine,
This is the piece of the puzzle I intuitively have felt was still out there for me. This site, and your observations have pointed out the many factors one can look at in their own lives, many of which I have learned to do, and adapted my lifestyle around. But this feels like an accurate diagnosis for me personally as I continue to fight with issues of chronic pain in my hips and lower back, and the interplay with prolapse feels very much like an inflammatory issue. I haven't visited any more MD's since it first presented, but I do see my Acupuncturist when I can and will let him know what you are thinking. I couldn't easily find any more info about the enzymes on the site, but like the format around here all the same.
Do you have any idea how many Women's lives have been changed for the better by your efforts? It's quite possibly The best possible use of the word; you are one "Awesome" and inspiring Woman.
Take Good care, and Thank you.
Zelda

Surviving60

October 12, 2015 - 8:37pm

I discovered this great discussion while searching on milk thistle (have started drinking it as a tea, supposed to be good for liver detoxing).....lots of good info here. - Surviving

Always Hopeful

June 2, 2016 - 12:11am

Hello!

I randomly came across this post and I am very curious as to what came of this info.... Can anyone redirect me to a more recent post that perhaps has this continuing discussion now in 2016? when i did a search for "inflammation" there is hundreds that contain the word. Thanks!

CarolAnn

June 6, 2016 - 7:34am

Surviving60, I have read about milk thistle recently. How is it going for you? Would love to know more about it if you have the time.
Christine, I also believe that Prolapse is an inflammatory disease.
I take fish oil twice a day for the inflammation problems. it helps with my degenerative disk disease.
I have diverticulosis also and for many years used cipro and other drugs to help and read on the drug papers that it causes tears in your muscles and ligaments. So I feel sure that is part of my problem.
Thank you all for the information! God bless you!

CarolAnn

June 6, 2016 - 7:46am

edit reply

Surviving60

June 6, 2016 - 10:37am

Hi CarolAnn - I do still drink this tea, but not on any regular basis - it's just part of my collection. I find it a little blah in the flavor department, and usually mix it with something like peppermint. - Surviving

CarolAnn

June 6, 2016 - 4:56pm

Hi Surviving! Thank you for your reply!
I didn't realize it was a tea. Do you order it online? If so can you send me a link of where to get it?
Thanks!

Surviving60

June 6, 2016 - 4:59pm

This is what I have, bought it locally at health food store.
http://www.amazon.com/Alvita-Organic-Herbal-Thistle-Count/dp/B00BGVKXX6/...

CarolAnn

June 7, 2016 - 5:33pm

Thank you very much, I'll have to give this a try.

Joyure

June 8, 2016 - 2:44pm

Wow, thankyou Christine.

I do the GAPS diet because I have major inflammation and actually cannot eat anything but meat and cooked veggies without getting symptoms. GAPS diet can heal inflammation though, as well as autism and the list goes on.

Surviving60

June 8, 2016 - 4:21pm

We have lots of different opinions on food here, but when I researched the GAPS diet, I realized it's pretty much in line with what all the best experts are recommending for any and all types of autoimmune disease. Pretty much a Paleo-type diet with some variations and restrictions (example, nightshades are healthy foods but they can overstimulate the immune system; legumes are healthy but they are hard on the gut....taking digestive enzymes with them can help). Something like 70% of the immune system is in the gut, so we are not just talking about celiac disease here. I myself don't stick to every principle religiously, but I do my best, and I'm getting better, and as an added bonus I have dropped 35 pounds without lifting a finger. Mainly, we are all working towards a goal of not letting a scary diagnosis win! - Surviving

deserthomestead

June 28, 2016 - 6:01am

Do you think taking collagen protein supplements would help prolapse? Claims to help with inflammation, strengthening
muscles, tendons etc.

Surviving60

June 28, 2016 - 11:16am

Not all of these supplements are created equal, so you will want to check the ingredients. But overall, these products are basically powdered versions of bone broth which is about as "healing and sealing" as you can get, when it comes to gut health and efforts to stem increased intestinal permeability. Not sure if they have any direct effect on prolapse symptoms, but certainly couldn't hurt. That's my personal opinion only. - Surviving

deserthomestead

June 28, 2016 - 7:25pm

You always have knowledgeable opinions Surviving60. Thank you.

marric

October 5, 2018 - 6:46pm

Hi Everyone -

I came across this thread on inflammation that originated back in 2009. Christine talks about taking algae oil which - if I understood her correctly - helped significantly with her LS and prolapse. Somewhere in the thread it mentions Deva algae oil. Just wondering if this brand is the best option out there. I read on the label that one of the ingredients is carrageenan, which I heard is supposed to be bad for the digestive system. Any thoughts?

Marric