Recent studies from Digestive Disease Week 2011 link the bowel, brain & meditation.
Lots of interesting studies being reported fresh off the heals of Digestive Disease Week 2011. The study we’re discussing today looks at the usefulness of meditation & support groups for the treatment of symptoms in those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Continue reading “Irritable Bowel Syndrome, The Brain & Meditation” »
A recent study examined the effects the growth hormone agonist, ghrelin, had on Guinea Pig antral and pyloric smooth muscle tissue. Ghrelin is partially responsible for stimulating hunger along with increasing motility & digestive juices. Continue reading “Guinea Pigs, Rats & Ghrelin Helping With Gastroparesis” »
A recent study published in Gastroenterology(Vol. 140, Issue 5) has found that Dronabinol may help with treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. Dronabinol is a purified form of THC which is the active ingredient of cannabis(Marijuana).
Patients were split into two groups, one group was given 2.5mg of Dronabinol while the other group was given 5mg. Tests were done to measure colon motility & compliance 1 hour after taking the oral treatment & 1 hour after eating a 1,000 calorie meal. Continue reading “Study Supports Marijuana’s THC Helpful For IBS” »
A recent small scale study shows that people who have long term Functional Dyspepsia are more likely to have sleep disturbances or anxiety.
Functional Dyspepsia is essentially chronic indigestion. It usually involves bloating, belching, nausea & heartburn. Often Functional Dyspepsia is not an often diagnosis. Many doctors seem to prefer to link these symptoms to acid reflux. Functional Dyspepsia may have links to stomach motility issues & may actually be a milder form of Gastroparesis. This hasn’t been confirmed because often motility tests are not done on patients complaining of these symptoms. The reason is is called “Functional Dyspepsia” is because it is usually a diagnosis given to people after normal diagnostics show nothing wrong. Continue reading “Funky Sleep Linked to Functional Dyspepsia” »
“Lazy Stomach” article written by a doctor, makes them sound out of touch regarding gastroparesis & patient’s needs.
I am not sure why I didn’t see this earlier, but there was an article posted on DrOz.com about Gastroparesis by Robynne K. Chutkan, MD titled “Lazy Stomach”. The article belittles & seems to make light of Gastroparesis.
The technical term for Deborah’s condition is “gastroparesis” which means paralysis of the stomach – affectionately referred to as a “lazy stomach”.
Who in their right mind actually refers to Gastroparesis affectionately and uses the term “lazy stomach”? Oh “my stomach is just lazy!”, wrong! How about we just leave it at “my stomach is partially paralyzed and/or malfunctioning” which doesn’t sound quite as cute… Continue reading “DrOz.com “Lazy Stomach” Article Angers Many” »
As our food supply becomes more consolidated, outbreaks of bacterial contamination may become larger. Some of those outbreaks may involve drug resistant bacteria.
A study by the Oxford Journal along with stories by the LA times may give some a cause for concern regarding the safety of our meat supply.
[Researchers] established that 40% of pork samples were contaminated with such bacteria.
Nearly half of the samples — 47% — contained strains of Staphylococcus aureus, the type of bacteria that most commonly causes staph infections. Of those bacteria, 52% were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics[…]
While most of these bacteria are killed off with proper cooking & the risk of infection is low if proper handling procedures are followed, it still gives one pause to think about all th stuff going into these animals before they are sent to slaughter for consumption.
Haemochromatosis can mimic symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
South African website Business Today is running a story about Roger Keyte, a 50 year old man who visited doctors after experiencing intermittent digestive problems for months. His symptoms ranged from stomach ache to diarrhea. Instead of being diagnosed with an infection, parasites or a functional disorder like Irritable Bowel Syndrome it turns out he had an often overlooked genetic condition called Haemochromatosis(iron overload). Continue reading “Iron Overload Can Mimic Irritable Bowel Syndrome” »
E. Coli’s impact on digestive health can be good or bad, depending on the strain.
A recent study brought to light some interesting information about how different strains of E. Coli(Escherichia coli) affect those with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease. The study looked at patients who had Crohn’s Disease & where infected with the “adherent-invasive E.Coli”(AIEC) strain “LF82”. It appears that another strain of E. Coli called “E. Coli Nissle 1917” is an effective way of treating LF82 infection & can improve symptoms considerably. Continue reading “E. Coli’s Relationship With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases” »
Research mapping the digestive system’s bacterial flora seems to suggest that most people fall into one of only three different “gut types”.
A recent study published in Nature has found that our gut’s bacterial flora may not be as diverse or unique as once thought. Researchers deciphered the microbial life within each test subject’s fecal samples. What they found was that the test subjects fell into one of three different “enterotypes” (microbe ecosystems). Factors such as age, weight or nationality did not matter as far as who ended up with what enterotype. Essentially what this means is that it appears the life forms living inside of us aren’t as random as we might have thought in the past. Continue reading “Knowing Your “Gut Type” May Soon Be Like Knowing Your Blood Type” »
Implantable device may help regulate hunger those with severe obesity.
The company Intrapace has come out with a new gastric stimulator device called “abiliti” which is meant to do the opposite of what Medtronic’s Enterra device does. While the Medtronic Enterra device is designed to help reduce nausea & vomiting in those with Gastroparesis so that they can increase food intake, “abiliti” is meant for those who are looking to lose weight and not eat as much. “abiliti” works in a similar fashion but obviously the goal is not to cause patients to experience symptoms similar to Gastroparesis, but instead to stimulate the stomach which causes a feeling of satiety or provides a feeling that the patient interprets as a signal to stop eating. Continue reading “Gastric Pacemaker ‘abiliti’ May Help With Weight Loss” »