Hey UC’ers,
What’s happening! It’s another end of the week, and I thought it would be great to do a little re-visit on an old topic that is making the headlines once again. That’s right, the good old “Hygiene Hypothesis”. As you might have guessed, it is pretty controversial like most “new” ideas in the world of medicine, some doctors buy into the thinking, others not so much. And the same goes for the scientists who don’t always agree with the medical world’s thinking(but that’s a whole other story).
As you might recall from two years ago now, when I recorded the “Gut Bacteria” videos with the gut biologist/immunologist from Stanford Univerisity, we had some discussion about the hygiene hypothesis. It was total news to me back then. It was the first time I’d ever heard of it before(the video clip from that discussion is below, there’s some other pretty interesting stuff included in the clip too which you might enjoy learning about).
Well, some news is out, and some of the good old folks down at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have come up with some research that was published today. To sum up the idea and current thinking of some of the researchers: bacteria and some germs are actually a great thing for our immune systems. By introducing the body to bacteria, the immune system becomes stronger. Now that’s a very short summary, and I would encourage everyone who is interested in learning more to read a very simple news article and watch the video below. The news article below makes a direct reference to ulcerative colitis and the immune system which you just might find interesting and intriguing if you’ve never thought about this topic before. I find it fascinating!
Bacteria Helping the Body and the Immune System
If you want MORE related articles, well, you can get a ton more on the subject here: More Scietific Articles
Have a great weekend, and more UC Venting Stories to come soon,
-Adam Scheuer
I started site shortly after being diagnosed in October of 2008 with severe pancolitis (when my whole colon was inflamed).
For me, it was a very rough start with severe symptoms. Getting bounced from medication to medication was not easy or too helpful. But, I did meet another UC’er, changes several parts of my diet, and of course the rest is history.
Leave a comment, ask a question, take advantage of our past experiences here, use the search boxes, they are your friends to0:)
I’ve written 2 different ulcerative colitis ebooks, you can check them out here.
And, the Free eNewsletter, which has important updates can be joined here.
This IS FASCINATING stuff!
I can feel a cause and a cure coming in the next coming years. Between the hygiene hypothesis, diet, and antibiotics…somebody will discover something!
Watch this space…..
I find this line of research fascinating. I’m 30 years old and was not sheltered by my parents. I grew up in the country, played in dirt, had pets, picked up bugs, etc. etc. Although there might be something to be said about 1st world vs 3rd world differences in gut parasites/bacteria. I do have mild allergies (cockroaches and some plants) and the allergist put forward the same theory/hypothesis as to why we develop allergies.
I think Bev is right and that there are likely a number of “causes” to IBD/UC that vary by individual – and between that and our normal individual differences is why some people respond so well to, say, the SCD diet while it does not work for others.
I agree, its pretty interesting, and it will be even more interesting to see what the researchers come up with in the future. There’s some pretty smart people out there trying to figure out so many different diseases, so with some more time and effort, maybe we’ll be much closer to putting all this to rest.