as i always say - there's no such thing as one size fits all.
i think that sums it up perfectly. that's one of the main things i have learned from participating on this forum. for example ...
probiotics - great for sue22, terrible for alinus
sulfasalazine - great for philsta, terrible for molly
NSD - great for chicharito, terrible for finnari
biologics - great for finnari, terrible for gbash
...and so on for almost any treatment imaginable.
this thread was started by mentioning the need for balanced reporting that acknowledges both successes and failures. i think this is an important issue, just as it is important to be aware of any potential negative effects that a particular drug or diet has as well as the potential benefits. being aware of a potential side effect is not a negative thing, they are far less likely to occur if you are aware of them and take steps to minimise any potential risk. with better information, we can make better informed decisions.
the great thing about a forum like this is that we can all suggest potential treatments to others based on what worked for us. we can inform people of our experience with particular treatments, any tips/tricks/tweaks, and any theoretical rationale behind it. it is only when we insist that our own experiences/treatments are somehow more valid than someone else's that we can get ourselves into trouble. imagine how silly it would seem if a group of patients for whom probiotics were an effective treatment accused alinus of simply wishing that that they didn't work for him. in this case it doesn't matter how much theory supports the use of probiotics, or how many people have been helped, for alinus they simply do not work - end of story. science doesn't unanimously support any particular drug or diet, and neither do people's experiences. if we all acknowledge this complexity, we can pool our combined knowledge and experiences together in a constructive way to help each other to kickAS.
