Crohn's disease not hindering Rolando McClain's NFL draft stock

[cowboyjoe]

Crohn's disease not hindering Rolando McClain's NFL draft stock
By Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register
April 07, 2010, 9:52PM

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2010/04/chrons_disease_not_hindering_r.html

Rolando McClain led Alabama's team in tackles last season with 105. The next closest teammate was Mark Barron with 76. For his efforts, McClain was named the 2009 Butkus Award winner as the nation's top linebacker (Photo by Bill Starling/Press-Register).
TUSCALOOSA -- From the looks of it, the NFL's response to former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain's recent disclosure of an ongoing battle with Crohn's Disease has been a collective shrug.

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN's NFL draft analyst, continues to forecast McClain as a high-to-mid first round pick when the draft begins April 22.

"The teams I've spoken to," Kiper said today, "they're not concerned. He hasn't dropped down their board."

The Crimson Tide's leading tackler in 2009 and its first Butkus Award winner in more than two decades, McClain declared a year early for the NFL draft and is roundly considered one of the top linebackers on the board.

McClain informed the media during UA's pro day workouts that since high school he has suffered from Crohn's, an inflammatory disease of the intestines. McClain didn't let on about it during this college career, leaving many of his own Alabama teammates unaware of his condition.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, a former NFL assistant who also experienced two drafts as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, said he hasn't been asked by any pro teams about McClain's illness.

"Anybody that would penalize him for that would be making a mistake," Saban said, "because it's never affected his performance. ... The way I always viewed those things is whatever the issue was - whether it was behavior, medical - does it affect the guy's ability to perform? And if it doesn't, because he's always on the field and doing a good job, then maybe we're overanalyzing all this."

Kiper projects McClain to be drafted by the New York Giants at the No. 15 spot, but said the Butkus Award winner could go as high as the Oakland Raiders at No. 8. McClain has met with several NFL teams and is planning to visit the Giants next week.

"I don't think there were any problems with any teams," McClain said recently on Sirius NFL Radio. "Crohn's isn't something that will kill you as long as you take proper medication and have a proper diet. Teams are fine with it, especially since I haven't missed a practice during my entire career."

 

[Hoofbite]

Why would it?

 

[TheCount]

They might actually want to explain the disease in the article.

Crohn's disease (also known as granulomatous, and colitis) is an inflammatory disease of the intestines that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms. It primarily causes abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody), vomiting, or weight loss,[1][2][3] but may also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, tiredness, and lack of concentration.[1]

Crohn's disease is believed by some[who?] to be an autoimmune disease, in which the body's immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract, causing inflammation; it is classified as a type of inflammatory bowel disease. There has been evidence of a genetic link to Crohn's disease, putting individuals with siblings afflicted with the disease at higher risk.[4] It is understood to have a large environmental component as evidenced by the higher number of cases in western industrialized nations. Males and females are equally affected. Smokers are three times more likely to develop Crohn's disease.[5] Crohn's disease affects between 400,000 and 600,000 people in North America.[6] Prevalence estimates for Northern Europe have ranged from 27–48 per 100,000.[7] Crohn's disease tends to present initially in the teens and twenties, with another peak incidence in the fifties to seventies, although the disease can occur at any age.[1][8]

There is no known pharmaceutical or surgical cure for Crohn's disease.[9] Treatment options are restricted to controlling symptoms, maintaining remission and preventing relapse.

 

[TheSport78]

"There is no known pharmaceutical or surgical cure for Crohn's disease.[9] Treatment options are restricted to controlling symptoms, maintaining remission and preventing relapse."

Ugh, conventional medicine gets me so POed sometimes. Everything is drugs, drugs, drugs. Not to go off like this, but there's always a reason why the body gets out of balance like this. McClain should check and see if he has any food allergies that are causing his condition. The first step would be to cut out ALL gluten/wheat and dairy and see if his condition approves. No cure my ***, I had a friend that changed his lifestyle and diet around, and his "Crohn's" went away.

 

[Chief]

David Garrard has that.

 

[Hoofbite]

"There is no known pharmaceutical or surgical cure for Crohn's disease.[9] Treatment options are restricted to controlling symptoms, maintaining remission and preventing relapse."

Ugh, conventional medicine gets me so POed sometimes. Everything is drugs, drugs, drugs. Not to go off like this, but there's always a reason why the body gets out of balance like this. McClain should check and see if he has any food allergies that are causing his condition. The first step would be to cut out ALL gluten/wheat and dairy and see if his condition approves. No cure my ***, I had a friend that changed his lifestyle and diet around, and his "Crohn's" went away.

There is drug cure. Sure, you can change your diet and reduce and probably eliminate the symptoms but it's still there, free to flame up if you eat the wrong thing.

I'm pretty sure there is a surgical procedure used to all but eliminate Chron's. They go in and cut out the inflamed part of your intestine. I could be wrong, probably am but I have a few relatives with and they have had the surgery and eat with the rest of us.

 

[TheSport78]

There is drug cure. Sure, you can change your diet and reduce and probably eliminate the symptoms but it's still there, free to flame up if you eat the wrong thing.

I'm pretty sure there is a surgical procedure used to all but eliminate Chron's. They go in and cut out the inflamed part of your intestine. I could be wrong, probably am but I have a few relatives with and they have had the surgery and eat with the rest of us.

I wouldn't say there is a drug cure though. In the information someone posted above, there are ways to suppress the illness, but those drugs do not cure the disease, and those drugs 99% of the time come with side effects. Taking out a part of the inflamed intestine is most likely a last resort and could lead to other problems down the line.

I've read that some people are pre-disposed through the disease due to genetics, or a gradual harmful lifestyle that can lead to the disease. I haven't heard of anybody born with Crohn's, but it's something they acquire later on in life. I'm allergic to gluten and dairy, and many have said if you over the years continue to eat gluten, dairy, etc and you have a negative immune response to it, it can cause and exacerbate Crohn's and other possible autoimmune diseases (IF Crohn's is an autoimmune disease).

 

[Hoofbite]

I wouldn't say there is a drug cure though. In the information someone posted above, there are ways to suppress the illness, but those drugs do not cure the disease, and those drugs 99% of the time come with side effects. Taking out a part of the inflamed intestine is most likely a last resort and could lead to other problems down the line.

I've read that some people are pre-disposed through the disease due to genetics, or a gradual harmful lifestyle that can lead to the disease. I haven't heard of anybody born with Crohn's, but it's something they acquire later on in life. I'm allergic to gluten and dairy, and many have said if you over the years continue to eat gluten, dairy, etc and you have a negative immune response to it, it can cause and exacerbate Crohn's and other possible autoimmune diseases (IF Crohn's is an autoimmune disease).

Oops. Forgot the word "NOT" in there. There is no drug cure.

My bad.

I know someone who wasn't born with it but had VERY EARLY onset of Chron's.

 

[TheSport78]

Oops. Forgot the word "NOT" in there. There is no drug cure.

My bad.

I know someone who wasn't born with it but had VERY EARLY onset of Chron's.

I believe it man, sorry to hear that. Sometimes I think there is a cure out there for certain diseases but if they made it public, drug companies would go out of business.