Now that I have your attention…the above headline came out today all over the internet.  It was from The Telegraph, a British paper.  The article can be found here – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10908884/Crohns-disease-in-teens-jumps-300-per-cent-in-10-years-fuelled-by-junk-food.html.

What I wish, is that people would really think before they speak…or type.  First, the claim is that antibiotics used early in life is causing the IBD.  Coupled with that is the intake of “junk food”.  My favorite quote comes from a Dr. Sally Mitton.  She says, “Definitely, if you have a lot of junk food before your diagnosis it actually makes it more likely that you will develop Crohn’s Disease”.  Really?  REALLY?  This is by far one of the worst statements I have heard yet on Crohn’s.  If I eat bad right before a diagnosis then that was the cause.  So by her reasoning, if you are petting a dog and suddenly have a heart attack, then the petting of the dog caused the heart attack.

I really don’t know how someone is allowed to put this in writing without any sort of empirical data to back it up.  So let’s look at my life.  Before diagnosis I hadn’t really had any antibiotics so that isn’t what killed my gut.  As far as junk food, I did eat junk food but I also ate healthy food.  And what about all the people who had IBD before mass-produced sugar products?  What is the reason they got IBD.

Oh wait, it’s coming back to me know.  IBD is genetic and hereditary.  It is something that gets passed down and is in our DNA.  I guess that well-educated doctor didn’t read those articles.

Dr Sally Mitton goes on to say that people can manage their disease by altering their diet.  Um…again not true.  Yes, food can play a role for many people.  But what about people who can’t touch food at all and have to go on TPN?  As we know, there is no one diet for IBD.  Everyone is different.

I swear, every time I think we are making progress with these diseases, something comes out to push us back.  How many people are going to read this article and believe it.  Now we are going to have to hear people say.. “Stop eating junk food and you will cure yourself”.  Ugh.  Ignorance.  I can’t stand it.

As far as the antibiotics go, does she realize that antibiotics are also a treatment for CD?  Hmmm.  It can cause it and then cure it.  Amazing.

Honestly I don’t know what is worse.  A doctor that believes all this, a reporter that will write the article or a paper that will print it.