On Sunday, my mom and I attended the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Educational Symposium. I missed it last year, actually...I chickened out last year from going. I don't think I was quite ready to grasp the Crohn's community and embrace it.
It was such an eye-opener! Seeing that 100% of the fundraising efforts that the CCFC does, goes straight to research! This is so important to ensure that all that money is getting used to the maximum. And, because of that money, some researchers are on the brink of some serious breakthroughs. There are new genes that are being identified as possible contributors to Crohn's and Colitis. This means that soon, maybe, there may be a way to isolate these genes and eliminate the symptoms of C & C.
Also, I learned a heck of a lot about Probiotics! These could save me from being a very, very sick girl! I'm on 4 different medications right now, one of which being Imuran, an immunosuppressent. The probiotics may boost my immune system and help the rest of my body to function on a healthier level. If my body can do less work being healthy, it can concentrate on healing the Crohn's lesions and extra-intestinal manifestations! Very exciting for me! I'm also going to get my family started on probiotics, there is an awesome website that explains everything about them by Allison Tannis, RHN (who's originally from Barrie!) www.allisontannis.com.
It's good to see that there is hope out there for a cure or, at least, a chance at maintaining my Crohn's without harmful pharmaceuticals!
That's all for now!
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