hate to be pessimistic, but I think it will take years of research, and then maybe give an insight into the prevention of bowel disease.  cant see much new coming for those of us post op.

True.  

I am rather broad minded (and optimistic)...I believe that progress is progress and somewhere down the line it will help someone...even if I am no longer around to benefit from the progress.

wow!!  fascinating.  i have a dream that some day there will be centers for autoimmune diseases and doctors from all the disciplines will be under one roof and collectively treat the patients.  not in my lifetime, but that's ok, just so autoimmune diseases get properly treated.  this organ might be a step in that direction.  thanks, jlh

Considering that the GI tract is one of the most complex systems in the body, any new avenues of research is all good. Huge inroads have been made in my lifetime. A generation ago they didn't even have sulfasalazine for UC. 

Jan

^^ a generation ago they didn't have UC, or at least nowhere near the volumes of people affected today.  A lot of illness can be medically attributed to environmental factors, I honestly believe that the rapid explosion of autoimmune diseases is linked to this too. 

Any medication for UC is simply to control the bodies reaction to the environment, we need to be looking outside the body for fixes, i.e. at the area of environmental triggers, pesticides on crops, bulk farming methods, food transportation, storage methods, posture, exercise, water quality etc

That said we are also living longer, which means more chance for organs to wear out, I guess the digestive tract is in constant use, and we are eating foods that differ to our natural (evolved) diet, so that is going to take significant wear and tear.

Not sure how much less UC there was a generation ago, since it was very underdiagnosed. I would assume that there were a number of people who died from rectal bleeding to have an assumed diagnosis of cancer. So, the data is probably not an accurate representation. 

I do agree that better treatment options need to be found. Plus, early detection or even prevention is the ideal approach. But, to get there, we need to fully understand the disease itself. Part of the problem is that there is still much to learn about the normal, healthy gut. We can assume it is environment, but that does not explain why some in the exact same environment, even identical twins, do not develop the same disease. 

Jan

Less UC a generation ago? Not sure either...maybe 100yrs ago or maybe not.

More natural foods and more natural sources are surely healthier for the body in general but that is a sort of utopia for most of us.

Even if we buy nothing from a can or a box and make everything from scratch does not mean that we are eating healthier because the supplies that we make them from are industrially grown.

All that we can do is hope for better treatments, more research and more curious and compassionate doctors willing to listen, learn and act on our behalf.

The fact that they are actually researching this makes me feel better already.

Sharon

Thanks for the post Sharon. That said I am imaginating what a mess my new organ is in after 8 abdominal surgeries  Maybe something new will come out of this that can help people with many other abdominal problems,  like IBD, IBS and the awful adhesions some of us get. I think I need a transplant! (Joking).