March 2011- choices

If there is one thing I have learned, it's never blindly take any prescription tossed your way by a doctor. They are paid to prescribe by the drug companies and that's what most likely got me into this mess, anyway. Since Dr M couldn't or wouldn't offer any alternative then swallowing poison and destroying other parts of my body in the process, I decided to look for more answers on my own.

So I went home and learned.  Here are the Cliff Notes:

1. Predisone (while I'm sure helps many people) is probably what Satan would give you if he were your doctor, just to watch you suffer. Read the side effects.
2. Asacol is not terribly effective, and has a slew of unpleasant side effects too. Not to mention they are both expensive, and she wanted me to take Asacol for the rest of my life.  
3. Drugs work for many people, but they don't always work. Sometimes you have to use worse and worse drugs, until they have to cut your colon out anyway. And you're left with whatever system or organ the drugs ruined, too. 
4. People have had success treating and controlling UC without dangerous drugs, or in spite of them
5. Doctors don't really know what causes UC. And even though the symptoms are the same, each person can develop it for different reasons. For example, Accutane may have had an effect on my immune system, causing me to develop UC. Another person develop it after getting a parasite. Taking antibiotics for a long time can cause UC as well by killing off the good bacteria. Maybe it's a combination of things, and then the UC develops. 
6. Surgery is the only known cure. The colon is removed and the person is left with a bag outside their body. Sometime the doctors can build pouch inside the body instead.

Here are some of the alternative treatments that I have found.
Diet: needs to be high-nutrient and anti-inflammatory. Green veggie juices and omega-3s are important. Dr. Fuhrman has had success treating many patients with various auto-immune diseases, so I am following his dietary protocol.Recommended supplements for me ire: iron, D, B12, fish oil
Fasting: so much can be said about the effectiveness of fasting in the treatment of many illness. This has been well documented, yet our prescription- focused health care providers don't even offer it as a suggestion. People like me have put their condition into remission by fasting (properly).
Probiotics- High dose probiotics in an effort to balance the good and the bad. VSL #3 was recommended to me, but it's so expensive.
Low Dose Naltrexone- has shown to be somewhat successful with various auto-immune diseases including UC. In high doses it's can have negative side effects, but with a low dose, it's OK. It has been FDA approved for treating MS, so finding a doctor to prescribe it for UC is a challenge.
Worms- certain human parasites and pig parasites have been used to effectively treat UC. The worms actually turn down the immune systems activity. It's safe and has very little side effects, so natuarally it's not FDA approved. It's illegal to sell them in the US, but you can get them in Canada or Mexico, for a great deal of money. Or any third world country for free just by walking around barefoot near the water. If you don't think they are helping, you just take a pill that kills them off  in two days.
Fecal transplant- just like what it sounds. Someone with a healthy gut (and therefore good bacteria) donates some poo. It's mixed with water and shot up your butt. This has cured some people. Others not so much. I guess it depends on what caused your UC to begin with whether this would help.