About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Do You Have Money In Your FSA?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:15:03 +0000

Flexible spending accounts (FSA) are a great way to save a little money on doctor's fees, prescription co-pays, and hospital bills. Did you know that you can also use your FSA to save on over-the-counter items, such as heartburn and hemorrhoid treatments? Even Beano. If you've got money left in your FSA and you're worried you might not use it by the end of the year, you can take the opportunity to stock up on the over-the-counter items for use over the next year.

Ways to Save Money on Health Care Costs

Do You Have Money In Your FSA? originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 08:15:03.

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Is It A Cold? Or the Flu? Or H1N1?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:45:28 +0000

Many of us don't really know the differences between the symptoms of the common cold and the flu. It's enough for us to know that we are ill for a few days, should probably stay home from work and school to avoid infecting others, and are typically back to normal in a week or so. But this cold and flu season is a little different, with the addition of the H1N1 to the mix of usual cold and flu viruses. While H1N1 is a form of flu, the symptoms are slightly different than those of the seasonal flu variety, and you may want to know the difference before anyone in your house gets the sniffles this year. Kristina Duda, R.N., About.com Guide to Cold and Flu, has a handy table outlining cold and flu symptoms that you'll want to check out and probably bookmark to refer to later.

Is It A Cold? Or the Flu? Or H1N1? originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 20:45:28.

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Certain Genes Implicated in Pediatric IBD

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:52:16 +0000

An international team has found five genes that play a roll in the development of childhood IBD. Much of the research into the genetic causes of IBD has focused on adult patients, even though pediatric IBD tends to be more severe. The study compared 3,400 children and adolescents with IBD and 11,963 genetically matched control subjects to find the gene regions that are active in IBD. The authors stress that their results need to be confirmed through more study and that finding the genetic basis for IBD can help develop personalized medicine. The research is both ground breaking in its results, but also a triumph of collaboration between at least six leading pediatric IBD centers across the Americas and Europe.

Source:
Imielinski M, Baldassano RN, Griffiths A, et al. "Common variants at five new loci associated with early-onset inflammatory bowel disease." Nature Genetics Published online 15 Nov 2009. 17 Nov 2009.

Certain Genes Implicated in Pediatric IBD originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 13:52:16.

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Register for Take Steps and Be Entered to Win

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:00:40 +0000

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is running a contest, and if you register for one of their Take Steps walks before November 30, you'll be entered to win a $50 gift card to P.F. Chang's China Bistro. P.F. Chang's now has a gluten-free menu (I've tried a few items on it -- good stuff!). Every walk site is giving away one gift card, which increases your chances of winning!

Register for Take Steps and Be Entered to Win originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 08:00:40.

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Free Stuff Friday!

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:18 +0000

Everyone with IBD wonders what they can possibly eat that won't worsen their symptoms. The truth is that diet is extremely individual, and it may even change from year to year. A lot of people with IBD stay away from difficult-to-digest foods such as nuts and popcorn, but other people find that seemingly innocuous foods like chicken can cause problems. There are a variety of cookbooks that you can try to help yourself cook for your condition, and I've found one such book that you can get for free!

Brenda Roscher, who has Crohn's disease, has developed a cookbook of foods that she found to be both tasty and Crohn's-friendly. You can get this book for free by signing up for a newsletter at Crohn's Online, and providing some basic information such as email address, postal address, and year of diagnosis. Crohn's Online is run by Abbott Laboratories, makers of Humira.

More about IBD and Diet:

Free Stuff Friday! originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 08:00:18.

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Would You Take a Drug That Cures Acne, But Might Give You IBD?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:05:21 +0000

The drug Accutane (isotretinoin) has been used for many years to treat severe acne. It's often seen as the last resort for those who have acne that causes pitting and scarring on the face and body. The drug is associated with severe birth defects, and women taking the drug must submit to monthly pregnancy tests and use at least two methods of birth control. Accutane was also anecdotally linked to depression and suicidal behavior, and parents pressured the Food and Drug Administration to pull the drug. The brand name version was taken off the market in June, but generic versions of the drug are still available.

The makers of Accutane, Roche Holding, pulled the drug after several lawsuits that resulted in large payments to plaintiffs who claimed that Accutane caused their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A recent study (presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's 2009 meeting) of 21,832 healthy people and 8,189 people with IBD showed that those who had taken Accutane were one and a half times more likely to have developed IBD. The risk further increased with long-term use of the drug. A similar study done amongst Canadians in July showed no such association: people who had taken Accutane were no more or less likely to have developed IBD than those who did not.

With this recent study and the results of the court cases, the availability of the generic version of the drug is in question. It can already be difficult to obtain, but soon it may be impossible for those who wish to take it to treat their severe acne. Dermatologists and other professionals argue that the risk of developing IBD is still very low, and that therapy with isotretinoin is very effective and can help prevent the facial scarring and that can occur with severe acne.

After weighing these arguments -- would you take Accutane to treat your acne? After voting, click on "Comments" and tell me why or why not.

_Sources:
_{Crockett S, et al "Accutane use is associated with inflammatory bowel disease: A case control study using administrative data." ACG 2009; Abstract P1122.}
_{Clara I, Lix LM, Walker JR, et al. "The Manitoba IBD Index: Evidence for a New and Simple Indicator of IBD Activity." Amer J Gastroenterol July 2009 104:1754-1763. 10 Nov 2009.}

Would You Take a Drug That Cures Acne, But Might Give You IBD? originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 10:05:21.

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Certain IBD Drugs May Increase Risk of Skin Cancer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:34 +0000

Results from a recent retrospective�cohort�study presented at the American�College�of�Gastroenterology's annual meeting has shown that people with IBD who take a class of drugs called thiopurines are at an increased risk for non-melanoma�skin� cancer�(NMSC). Two IBD drugs that are thiopurines are Imuran (azathioprine) and Purinethol (6-mercaptopurine).

The risk of NMSC was calculated to be 3 times greater in those with IBD who took a thiopurine when compared to people with IBD who were not taking these drugs. An open question that the study was not able to resolve was whether the risk of skin cancer was due solely to the thiopurines, or if the changes in the immune system caused by the IBD itself contribute to the risk. Because of this risk of skin cancer connected with the thiopurines, the authors of the study recommend that people taking these drugs use broad-spectrum sunscreen daily.

_{Source:

Long M, et al. "New�Study�Reveals�Possible�Link�Between�Therapy�for�Inflammatory�Bowel�Disease�And�Non-�Melanoma�Skin�Cancer." American�College�of�Gastroenterology 26 Oct 2009. 5 Nov 2009.}

Certain IBD Drugs May Increase Risk of Skin Cancer originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 08:00:34.

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Dreaming of Bathrooms

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:01 +0000

It's been a while since this has happened to me, so last night's dreams were a surprise to me. I was dreaming about bathrooms. For those of us with IBD, it's usually not a pleasant dream, but typically the bathrooms we encounter in our dreams are dirty, unusable, missing doors, or otherwise unavailable to us. Compounding the nightmare-quality is the fact that you are usually in dire need of a bathroom -- immediately (if not sooner). In my dream, some of the restrooms were under construction, so they were unusable, and there were signs over the restrooms, telling us which ones we could use. The line for the "IBD" restroom was long, and I was in terrible pain while waiting. When I finally woke up -- you guessed it -- I needed to empty my j-pouch.

Do we dream about bathrooms because our bodies are trying to tell us something, to wake us up? Or is it because the finding of restrooms takes up so much of our waking life, that it's only normal that it would enter into our dreaming life, too? We might never know the answers. What we do know is that sleep is incredibly important, even more so when you have a chronic condition. Guard your sleep as the precious commodity it is, and learn how to improve your quality of sleep.

More about sleep:

Dreaming of Bathrooms originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 08:00:01.

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CCFC Sponsors Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Month

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:46:22 +0000

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) has designated November as Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Month. This year, the CCFC is developing an initiative to better understand Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in children and adolescents. They are working with pediatric gastroenterologists to create a system to track cases of IBD in kids across Canada. Other events in November include the "Gutsiest Canadian" contest, which will honor seven Canadians who are making a difference in the IBD community, and educational symposia in cities across Canada. If you haven't become involved with the CCFC, this month is a great time to get started!

CCFC Sponsors Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Month originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 13:46:22.

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CCFA Holds Local Educational Events

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:06 +0000

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (CCFA) is holding educational events across the country, sponsored by Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. The conferences, entitled "Understanding Bowel Disease: What Every Patient Needs to Know," are free for anyone who would like to attend. Experts will discuss various aspects of IBD, including symptoms, disease management, treatments, side effects, and coping. A question and answer session will also be included. The locations and dates are:

Akron, OH: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Baltimore, MD: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Bethesda, MD: Tuesdays, November 3, 2009
Cincinnati, OH: Thursday December 10, 2009
Columbus, OH: TBD
Fort Worth, TX: Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Guilford, CT: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
New York City/ Queens, NY: Thursday, December 3, 2009
Poughkeepsie, NY: TBD
Riverhead, NY: Thursday, November 19,2009
Rochester, NY: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sun City, AZ: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

CCFA Holds Local Educational Events originally appeared on About.com Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 08:00:06.

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