Anyone try Fish oil for anit-inflamatory?

[thrombuss]

I'm a Crohns sufferer and have done the doctor thing. They give me pills and the side effects are worse than the disease. I have Mild to Moderate Crohns according to my doctor that I used to see..

I've been in remission for years, but now having a flare up. I've done some research online and some folks were talking about fish oil as an anti inflamatory... Anyone try this instead of the anti-inflamatory drugs?

Acidophilous has worked great for me over the years for maintenance, but it wont handle the inflamation. Diarhea medicine doesn't touch it and I have lots of bloating gas pain. I drink water and hear it running through my pipes like a wave and within minutes on the toilet :-(.

 

[Rebecca85]

I am taking fish oil, and it hasn't made things worse! My guts feel better than they did a month or so ago, but in that time I also started a low res diet and my pentasa dosage was upped, so I don't know for sure what caused the improvement.

 

[thrombuss]

I sure hope I can find something that will bring down the inflammation. I hate these flare ups and they make me so angry. All anyone says it to go to the doctor and I have done that for years.. The drugs would actually cause diarhea, joint pain and acne.. Now that I'm unemployed with flare ups..makes it hard to interview. I'm looking for a home remedie as I don't have insurance anymore.

 

[Regular Joe]

Hi.

I take it regularly now. I noticed a decline when I ran out of fish oil last month. The decline was gradual over two weeks. I noticed an improvement almost immediately when i bought some new. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the kind that is easily digestable and doesn't leave a lingering fishy taste. I just bought the cheap stuff, but it works. You just have to take along with a meal. Note...when I say fish oil, I mean the type that is mercury-free and has a reliable amount of Omega 3 fatty acid which is the ingredient that is said to be helpful.

Now the degree of improvement is not "total", so it hasn't got rid of my flare, but it was a noticeable improvement. It was enough to convince me that fish oil is a "keeper" in the supplement category.

BTW, as you seek some alternative supplements, be sure to take them sort of "one at a time" so when you find one that works, you're not confused about what did what.

One more thing in the supplement category I'm going to try that I haven't yet is "glutamine" which is a supplement weight-lifters and atheletes use to help their muscles heal faster after workouts. This ingredient is also supposed help relieve inflammation and assist in healing.

 

[thrombuss]

If I feel up to it I'm going to visit the local GNC. What should I look for in a 'relaible amount of Omega3?' How much is good? Should the bottle say Mercury free?

BTW, last time I went to the doctor I was prescribed Asacol once which worked and some horse pill thing that was like Asacol. It's been like 7 years since my last flare..have they changed the pills at all?? Just curious..

 

[Regular Joe]

Naw. the Asacol is still that big brown horse pill. And it ain't cheap either! My girlfriend and me laugh about it because we wondered who's idea it was to make the dam pill brown? Then they ask you to see if it comes out in your poop undigested. A brown pill in poop undigested? That's like looking for a white cow in a snow storm, ennit?

I guess I meant a "reliable source". If you're going to GNC, the quality of the fish oil will probably be great, compared to the Walgreen or Walmart brands. Also, there is supposed to be a balance between the Omega fatty acids, but I'm not an expert on how that works. The GNC pro in this forum can help, also some of their counter help in the stores are pertty knowledgeable. Also Danny B - if you got your ears on, chime in here with your fish oil Crile oil sermon.

Just remember if the bottle doesn't address the "taste" issue, eat the thing on top of a meal or else you'll be belching some really gross-tasting air. The brands that figure out how to get around the fishy taste charge more for the product. And yes, the bottle should indicate "mercury-free".

 

[Claire617]

Not too sure if I can see a change or anything but it can't hurt can it!!

 

[Mike]

If I feel up to it I'm going to visit the local GNC. What should I look for in a 'relaible amount of Omega3?' How much is good? Should the bottle say Mercury free?

Try a Vitamin Shoppe, much cheaper. I made the switch last month and can't believe the price differences. I don't understand the difference in price and the back of the bottle says the same stuff. From what I read up on fish oils in multiple articles I know you need atleast 2000mg to get the benefits.

I have not stopped taking it in over a year so I don't know if I would feel different but I do know the fats help with the gym routine.

 

[kenny]

From what I understand the amount of PGE-2 production is driven by consumption of excessive AA(Omega6) and it will not be mitigated simply by supplementing some EPA in hope of increasing PGE-3. (Omega 3)

There is also GLA which can not be metabolized properly in the presence of excessive AA. GLA can mitigate PGE-2 production by producing PGE-1 but you have to bring the intake of AA down first.

Short Version: Upping Omega 3 intake without considering the ratio if Omega 6 intake my not do anything.

 

[thrombuss]

After doing some intensive research on the matter I found an awesome article regarding fish oil. Its written by Ben Best who is the leading spokesman on Cryonics. He is also President and CEO of the Cryonics Institute. He sites all of his sources, but overall the article was very informative. After reading the article I went to my health food store and purchased a product with the highest DHA levels. Also, I noticed you may want to supplement your diet with Vitamin E since your immune system does get suppressed by using fish oils. I noticed a difference even hours after I took my two pills..maybe its too early to make a real decision, but I do notice something.

Here is the link to the article, benbest.com/health/dha.html

Hope you find the article as life changing as I did.

Not all fish oils are created equal.

 

[maxibear]

i take carlson liquid pharmaceutical grade fish oil, its from norway, supposed to be the beston the market, but not cheap

 

[D Bergy]

I use Krill Oil for the omega 3 and anti-inflammatory effect. I have never taken it by itself, so I cannot say it helped on its own. What it did do is help my dandruff considerably.

I have a list of supplements at the bottom of my posts. most all of them are anti-inflammatory, and Krill Oil, Turmeric and Ginger combined did rid me a decades of Chronic depression by accident. The anti-inflammatory effect is the most probable reason for the disappearing depression. It was the most important accident in my life.

Those three supplements along with Magnesium are what I consider "most important" for too many reasons to list here. If you research the benefits of just Turmeric in relationship to Crohn's, you will be amazed at the research available.

Grass fed beef has a much better Omega three to six ratio than grain fed beef. I can find it up in my remote area, and it may be good to find a source in your area. This ratio is pretty important for general health, and it is skewed by modern farming techniques.

It is worth while to dig into this stuff.

Dan

 

[wolfem]

I've used fish oil for a long time. I haven't really noticed too much difference in my crohn's symptoms but I'm sure it probably has some effect I'm not aware of. I know it diminishes the crepitus in my joints and helps with depression.



____________________________
Diagnosed: Crohn’s December ‘09
Gastritis August ’09, TMJD 1992
Surgeries: 1-terminal ileum removal
Treatments: Current- pentasa
Past- pred.:thumbdown: aciphex, ranitidine
Other: Multi-vitamin, calcium,
digestive enzymes, probiotics,
and fish oil

 

[COLLEEN S]

I have used Boswellin (boswellian serrata) to great relief when I had bad plantar fasciitis. I'm thinking of trying it for the IBS. It is a natural anti-inflammatory and can be bought at the Vitamin Shoppe.

 

[CrohnsHobo]

I have taken two a day for close to 10 years. Still have had flares in that time. Also take a ton of other supplements now too.

 

[Cheryl]

I take a 1500mg daily of fish oil and 1500mg glucosamine for my body aches and pains. It takes a few months to work but definately takes the edge of the joint and muscle pains. I told the GI I was taking them and he said the couldn't hurt.

 

[YogaGirl]

My current theory on fish oil is that it helps keep you in remission but will probably not bring you into remission. I took it with my prenatal vitamin for about two years and was in remission the entire time. When I flared again, I had stopped taking it (because it was a part of my prenatal regimen and I had stopped breast feeding at the time).

I just recently bought some again and am trying it. It did not bring me into remission, but I am still taking it. I don't think it can hurt.