Representatives Jesse Jackson Jr. & Ander Crenshaw teamed up recently to create the Congressional Crohn’s and Colitis Caucus. The aim of the new caucus is to raise awareness for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases such as Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis. Republican representative Ander Crenshew personally knows the struggle that Inflammatory Bowel Diseases can cause due to the fact that he has a child with one of the diseases.
“As a parent of a child with Crohn’s and colitis, I have witnessed first-hand the often debilitating effects of this disease,” Crenshaw said, according to a press release. “Alongside Congressman Jackson, I am continuing to help raise much-needed awareness about issues related to Crohn’s and colitis — across party lines.”
Quote from Politico.com
This is not the first time that Crenshaw also has teamed up with others in the past to raise awareness about Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In 2009 he teamed up with NFL player David Garrad for the Take Steps Walk for Crohn’s and Kick-off Event.
A recent study from the Archives of Surgery is shedding some light on how well stomach band weight loss surgeries are at shedding the pounds. The study looked at the medical histories of 151 patients who had received some form of stomach banding surgery at least 12 years ago. Over half(54.3%, 82 patients) needed some form of follow-up after the initial surgery. Patients experienced minor complications 22% of the time & major complications 39% of the time. Only a little over half(51.4%) the patients still had their stomach band in place, of those the mean weight-loss seen by them was approximately 48%. Overall, 60% of patients stated that they were happy with the results of the surgery, regardless of the fact that not all of them saw major results. Given the fact that many had complications & only half the patients ended up keeping their device, the study suggests that stomach banding surgery has poor long term outcomes.
It’s definitely food for thought for those who may be thinking of surgical measures to help them reduce their weight. While the FDA has approved stomach band surgeries for people with body-mass indexes as low as 30, surgery should still be seen as a last resort after diet & exercise options have completely failed.
Oregon senator Robert Kruse is sponsoring Oregon Senate Bill 777 which aims to reduce the number of ailments medical marijuana can be used for as well creating stricter criteria regarding it’s use with ailments that would remain allowable. Additionally it would require patients to have a doctor verify their illness & eligibility every six months. Continue reading “Oregon Bill Threatens To Restrict Patient Access To Medical Marijuana” »
Chelsea Rushton is a 22 year old mother of two who developed Gastroparesis after the birth of her second child. She also suffers from Fibromyalgia as well. Her husband works full time along with going to school. It is hard to imagine the strain this illness can cause on not just her, but on everyone around her.
“I want to cry when I tell you that we need, so badly, more studies on gastroparesis,” [her mother, Sherri Petersen] said. “We need the awareness to get out there that this is a real disease. This is not something that is in your head that many are told it is … She has been told many times over, ‘You don’t really hurt. Just go home and take a Tylenol.’ “
Chelsea’s surgery was scheduled for March 10th, 2011. Hopefully things went smoothly. We wish her the best in her recovery & hopefully her rehabilitation from Gastroparesis.
You can read the full story at The Standard-Examiner.
A recent study coming out of Penn State University is showing more positive results for the opiod antagonist Naltrexone. They studied 40 people who had active Crohn’s Disease and gave them a daily, orally administered, 4.5mg dose of Naltrexone or a placebo. Eighty percent of those treated with Naltrexone stated that they had improvement in their symptoms, 78% had confirmed benefit via endoscopy & 33% went into remission. Naltrexone had a huge lead against placebo, for example while 33% went into remission on Naltrexone, only 8% went into remission while taking the placebo. Overall it looks like Naltrexone may be of great help to those with Crohn’s Disease. Hopefully the positive results will continue as more studies are done.
For those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Naltrexone might be of use as well. There is another opioid based antagonist that’s being studied called Mu-Delta. It’s somewhat different than Naltrexone & the manufacturer is focusing on Irritable Bowel Syndrome specifically.
More Info:
LowDoseNaltrexone.org
“WANTED: Crohn’s End” is a documentary that will feature people with various digestive conditions(Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis) who are using natural alternative treatments. The director(Reid Kimball) has Crohn’s Disease himself. He has regained his quality of life after starting the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. During the documentary he will be taking part by trying out some of these additional alternative treatments in search of an effective cure for Crohn’s Disease.
The documentary will highlight the fact that for many, drugs may not be effective and might even make their situation worse. It will focus on the healing that can come from things like diet changes, herbs, supplements, probiotics or even alternative therapies such as Helminthic Therapy.
Overall this looks to be a fascinating documentary & could be a real eye opener for those who are struggling with these conditions, but may not know there are other things they can try outside the scope of modern medicine.
“WANTED: Crohn’s End” reached it’s Kickstarter funding goal on March 8th, 2011. There is no firm release date at this time, but for now you can view the trailer on the WANTED: Crohn’s End website.
For Now, FDA Blocks Approval Of Xifaxan for Usage By Those With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Salix Pharmaceuticals confirmed on Tuesday(March 8th, 2011) that approval of their drug Xifaxan(aka Rifaxamin) for use in those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome was put on hold by the FDA for the time being. The FDA stated that they did not feel the drug was ready for approval in it’s current form & are requesting Salix provide them with additional information about the drug before they’ll reconsider. Salix’s stock price took an immediate hit on the news & has stayed down by about 25% since. Continue reading “FDA Puts Brakes On Approval Of Salix’s Xifaxan For Irritable Bowel Syndrome” »
American Idol contestant Casey Abrams had to sit out the recent results show of American Idol due to a flare up of his Ulcerative Colitis. It appears this is not the first time that Abrams has had to be hospitalized while with the show. In February he was admitted to a local hospital due to stomach pains. Abrams is a fan favorite due to his unique funky voice & bushy beard. It appears he is now doing better after receiving blood transfusions while hospitalized and it’s assumed he will be ready for next weeks show.
We here wish him the best & hope this brings more awareness to Ulcerative Colitis.
If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area & you are dealing with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis then you may want to check out the Oregon IBD Connection 2011. It will be held on Saturday, March 19th at the Buckley Center Auditorium on the University of Portland campus. Check-in begins at 11:45am while the event starts at noon and goes until 4pm. It is recommended that you pre-register online by Sunday, March 13th. It appears you will be able to also register when you arrive to the event if you are unable to do so in time online. The event is provided at no cost, will have light refreshments available & a many speakers discussing Crohn’s Disease research & treatment. You can register at the CCFA website.
Event Details:
Oregon IBD Connection 2011
Last year(2010), Ashley Hasty was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease causing her to be in and out of the emergency room for months. It was finally determined she would need resection surgery on her colon to alleviate her symptoms. This experience was very traumatic for her and during this time she felt alone as she did not know anyone else who had the disease. Continue reading “Purple Dress Project Looks To Raise Awareness About Crohn’s Disease” »