It’s not often that you hear a doctor talk about how smoking can help you manage a disease. To be specific, do you know that tobacco smoking, specifically its nicotine, can help people prevent or manage their ulcerative colitis? For once, tobacco smoking is being talked about in a positive light.
If you are a sufferer, however, you would want to know about your options. If smoking, a known carrier of many diseases, is not something you want to take up, there’s the e-cig option for you.
Understanding Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the innermost lining of the colon or large intestine and rectum that is referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It hasunknown etiology or origin, but it is medically thought to be an abnormal response of the immune system. For patients with IBD, their immune system mistakenly identifies the usual contents of the large intestine as foreign substances so that it sends an army of white blood cells to the site causing its linings to develop ulcerations and inflammation.
The inflammation and the small sores or ulcerations cause abdominal pain and frequent bowel movement to empty the colon. While there is no known cure, there are certain treatments that can greatly ease the inflammation and discomfort of those afflicted with IBD. Without treatment or avoidance of triggers, this disease can lead to serious debilitating complications.
Managing IBD with Nicotine
It is very interesting to note that people struggling with ulcerative colitis tend to manifest improved signs and symptoms with smoking. These observations prompted researchers to validate if it is nicotine that is the principal reason for the beneficial effects of cigarette smoking on the course of the disease.
Clinical studies using transdermal nicotine revealed that the risk of developing IBD is significantly lower in smokers than in non-smokers. Earlier studies were done using nicotine gums. Clinical improvements were seen among IBD patients after resuming or starting smoking. There is overwhelming epidemiological indication that cigarette smoking can protect smokers against ulcerative colitis. There are also studies that show nicotine can even bring about long-term remission as well as fewer flare ups than those treated with steroids.
The Theories Behind Nicotine Treatment
Smoking can help patients with ulcerative colitis, but not those with Crohn’s disease. The latter is different in the sense that it can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and all the layers of the intestinal wall. More importantly, know that nicotine can’t prevent or treat Crohn’s disease the way it does ulcerative colitis.
There are certain theories as to how smoking or nicotine can help treat ulcerative colitis.
One: Nicotine is thought to suppress the abnormal responses of the immune system that helps treat or reduce the signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
Two: Nicotine or some other substances in tobacco smoke may be increasing mucus production in the colon that functions as a protective barrier for its lining.
Three: The nicotine is known to stimulate the release of nitric acid that can diminish muscle contraction in the colon lessening ulcerative colitis spasms.
An Interesting Deduction
Tempting as it may be for people with IBD, smoking is still regarded as bad for health. Smoking cigarettes may help manage the disease, but it can cause other disorders that are as debilitating or life threatening; this is why most are still warned against the habit.
This brings to the fore the potential benefit of electronic cigarettes as a source of nicotine minus the usual disadvantages of cigarette smoking. What’s the big e-cig advantage? It comes in various nicotine strengths that can be adjusted depending on the severity of the IBD case. More information on current treatment options can be found on various authoritative MD websites, such as here on ehealthMD.