Canterbury Crohn's & Colitis Support Group
PO Box 2568 Christchurch
www.chronsandcolitis.org.nz
Info@crohnsandcolitis.org.nz

 Patron: Prof. Philip Bagshaw
Academic Department of Surgery
Christchurch School of Medicine

4th November 2003

Dear Members

Next meeting: Tuesday 18th November 2003
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Knox Centre, 28 Bealey Avenue, Christchurch

Well it's not long until Christmas now and this will be our last meeting before the end of the year. Hasn't 2003 flown by?
We have a great speaker lined up for our November meeting. His name is Dr Charlie Richardson and he is from the Oxford Clinic. Dr Richardson will be giving a talk entitled "Clues to the cause of Ulcerative Colitis leads towards new therapies".

Dr Richardson's talk should be very interesting. I hope some of you were able to borrow some of our new library books at the last meeting. In this newsletter we have two reviews. Dr Richard Gearry has kindly written us an update on his IBD research. We have also enclosed a questions and answers article out of the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (England) summer 2003 issue. We thank the NACC for giving us permission for including this in our newsletter.

2003 subscriptions are now due.

You may remember us discussing the new fees at the AGM. For the members who were unable to attend the meeting there has been a slight change. For the 2003 year, subscriptions are now either $15.00 for unwaged people or $20.00 waged. I have included a form for you to fill out when paying your subs. You can either post them to our PO Box number or give them to me at the November meeting.

If you have any concerns or questions in regards to this newsletter, the upcoming meeting or anything else, please do not hesitate in calling me, my phone number is 3880566. On behalf of the CCSG, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

See you all at the meeting.

Regards Katrina Secretary/Treasurer

Book Reviews

CONTROLLING CROHN'S DISEASE -THE NATURAL WAY By Virginia Harper and Tom Monte

This is very easy to read and is divided into two parts.
Part one - My Story of Recovery - covers the diagnosis of the author's disease, the reality of its progression and the discovery by her of Kushi's "macrobiotic diet". She goes on to explain in the rest of this section how she was able to avoid surgery, discontinue all medication and how by sticking rigidly to the diet she is able to control any exacerbation of the condition. She maintains she has been symptom free for 13 years.

Part two of the book is devoted to detailing a program for controlling Crohn's Disease and other bowel problems with a focus on what is termed healing recipes, remedies, supplements and lifestyle. I found this book very positive reading as it is the first time since I have been learning about IBD that I have encountered the idea that diet can have such a powerful effect in controlling the symptoms.

It certainly has prompted me to explore the subject of "macrobiotics" and other dietary options.
Virginia's Harper's email address is ginny@kioflife.com By Ros Podmore

COPING WITH PREDNISONE (AND OTHER CORTISONE-RELATED MEDICINES), IT MAY WORK MIRACLES, BUT HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE SIDE EFFECTS? By Eugenia Zukerman and Julie R. Inglefinger, M.D.

Where was this book when I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and prescribed Prednisone?!?
I think most people who have previously been on Prednisone (or like me, still on it) would think the above statement after reading this book. I for one wish I'd been able to read this before going on it.

Eugenia Zukerman doesn't have Crohn's Disease, (she had Eosinophilic Pneumonitis). Crohn's Disease hardly ever get's a mention in this book. But most of us (fellow IBD'ers) have had to take, at one time or another, a course of the drug we love to hate (please note, that last comment is my opinion, and may not be the opinion held by the Canterbury Crohn's and Colitis Support Group), so this book is of great value to us.

The book is also written by Eugenia's sister, Dr Julie R. Inglefinger, who is a paediatric nephrologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Most of the chapters have a section written by Eugenia and then a separate section written by Julie. I think it was a good idea to have a book like this written from a patient and a doctor's point of view.

This book explains how Prednisone works, the majority of side effects associated with Prednisone and how to deal with them, and then how to deal with the side effects one "suffers" whilst tapering Prednisone. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is about to start Prednisone or anyone who has ever taken it too. I'd also recommend it for friends/family members of people prescribed Prednisone.

It might help them understand why when we're on higher doses we can clean the house from top to bottom in two hours flat and also empty the entire contents of the refrigerator and cupboards in two hours flat!