Colitis and Crohn's Disease

Colitis and Crohn's Disease

The website www.crohnsresource.com defines Crohn's Disease as

... a chronic and serious inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract that affects more than 500,000 Americans. People with Crohn's disease may experience a number of symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal cramps and pain, fever, rectal bleeding, loss of appetite, and weight loss....The cause of Crohn's disease has not yet been discovered.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. IBD affects approximately 2 million Americans and can have devastating consequences. 20 to 40% of ulcerative colitis patients eventually require surgery for removal of the colon, according to the University of Maryland Medicine website. Up to 70% of patients with Crohn's disease require surgery at some point in their disease course to remove parts of the intestine.

IBD is confined to countries of the Western World, according to a study published in The Lancet.
A 1997 article reported that "The last half of this century has seen a rising incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in developed countries," but notes "... the apparent absence of IBD in developing countries." [italics added]

For many years, researchers assumed that a different diet was protecting the developing world from IBD. "What else could it be?" They did not realize that these cultures have no uniform diet. For example, the Masai cattle-herders of central Africa are almost exclusively carnivorous. The Hindus of India are vegetarian. Other groups subsist on fish, or even on insects.

On testing their hypothesis, doctors were forced to conclude that "No special diet has been proven effective for preventing or treating this disease." (from the University of Chicago Hospitals website.)

Currently another theory has become popular among epidemiologists. They believe that fecal contamination of food and water in the developing world "naturally innoculates" children against inflammatory bowel disease. In other words, the Western World is too antiseptic to allow the immune system to produce the necessary antibodies.

This theory reflects a common misconception about the "superior hygiene" of the developed world. Westernized countries are proud of their high standards of cleanliness, but they are unaware that their internal cleanliness compares poorly with the rest of the world.

Colon hygiene depends on the effectiveness of daily elimination. Human beings were designed to perform their bodily functions in the squatting position. In order to be squeezed empty, the colon needs to be compressed by the thighs. Furthermore, the puborectalis muscle needs to be relaxed and the ileocecal valve from the small intestine needs to be closed. By ignoring these requirements, the sitting toilet makes it impossible to empty the colon completely.

Incomplete voiding causes wastes to stagnate in the lower regions of the colon. In these areas, virulent bacteria can establish colonies, inflaming the surrounding tissues. Depending on where in the colon it occurs, and which strain of bacteria is involved, this inflammation is called by different names. Appendicitis, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's Disease can all be considered as various forms of inflammatory bowel disease. (Ileitis will be discussed below.)

Therefore, what protects the developing world is not "squalid conditions" but just the opposite: the natural cleanliness that comes from evacuating as nature intended. The relevance of toilet posture is also confirmed by the historical evidence. Inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome emerged in the West toward the end of the 19th century, as the use of sitting toilets became more and more common.

This explanation is supported by a recent article in HealthScout News entitled "E. Coli Linked to Inflammatory Bowel Disease" (February 5, 2002):

An intestinal infection caused by strains of a common bacterium may be linked to the development of inflammatory bowel disease, a new study says. French researchers report that a heightened immune interaction between Escherichia coli and the cells lining the intestine may result in the symptoms experienced by people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They suggest their work indicates antibiotics might be a useful tool when treating IBD.

Another form of Crohn's Disease is "ileitis" or inflammation of the small intestine. It results from fecal matter being forced backwards into the small intestine during voiding. The ileocecal (IC) valve is designed to prevent this toxic "backflow" – but only in the squatting position. The IC valve needs to be supported by the right thigh in order to withstand the pressure built up during elimination. A more detailed explanation of how the small intestine gets contaminated is given in two other sections: Contamination of the Small Intestine and Appendicitis.

The anatomy and demographics of inflammatory bowel disease imply that squatting would be useful for prevention. Anecdotal evidence suggests its potential for use in treatment as well. Mr. Wallace Bowles, an Australian researcher, has extensively reviewed the medical literature and has surveyed converts to the natural squatting position:

I have received reports regarding several people, aged between 5 and 45 years, diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Inflammatory bowel conditions are shown to react most positively when the cumulative injury of seated elimination is relieved by squatting. People with IBD who have changed to the squat posture for bowel movements report significant improvement within a few weeks and, in time, have lost all symptoms of this horrendous condition. [from personal communication with Mr. Bowles]

More research is clearly needed, but it can be easily and non-invasively done by any gastroenterologist or any sufferer from colitis or Crohn's Disease. Each successful outcome will not only relieve the patient's own suffering, but will also help to validate a promising strategy to prevent inflammatory bowel disease.