Inflammatory Bowel Disease Expert Jennifer Rackley shares Inflammatory Bowel Disease management news and commentary at MyIBDCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113 http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113 http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/101854/probiotic-treatments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:32:00 -0500 Jennifer Rackley According to the World Health Organization probiotics are defined as "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Due to recent coverage on the health benefits of probiotics many companies have begun to add them to more and more foods but how do you know whether they will help you or not?   During the Children's Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation's (CDHNF) webcast on... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/101854/probiotic-treatments http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/99883/answers-endometriosis Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:13:00 -0500 Jennifer Rackley If you have landed on this site it is quite likely that you either have IBD or many of the symptoms and are searching for answers.   Part of the problem in obtaining an accurate diagnosis is that IBD can mimic many other diseases, making it harder to pinpoint exactly where the problem lies.  Many women are misdiagnosed with things like "irritable bowel syndrome" or "spastic colon" before failed treatments lead them to additional... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/99883/answers-endometriosis http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/92883/protect-practitioners Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:22:00 -0500 Jennifer Rackley   I have written many posts in the past on how to be your own advocate, how to take control of your medical records and how to get the most out of your doctor's appointments. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans can go awry. Even when you are doing everything right... how do you prevent the doctor from doing something wrong?   About a month ago it began, excruciating pain. I am used to pain and deal with chronic pain due to... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/92883/protect-practitioners http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/92864/cancer-ibd-medications Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:02:00 -0500 Jennifer Rackley According to a recent study of 26,403 Crohn's disease patients and 26,974 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) some of the medications used to treat IBD can increase the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers. The use of immunosuppressive drugs and biologic agents were both studied and both increased the risk of skin cancer developing (1).   Some of these increased rates are thought to be due to medications preventing the body from... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/92864/cancer-ibd-medications http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/91390/misdiagnosis-problem Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:15:00 -0400 Jennifer Rackley As I sat home with my three sick girls today an episode of The Doctors blared in the background. The show's topic was self diagnosing and it discussed a beautiful high school girl who had gone undiagnosed with IBD for years. It wasn't until she looked at cells from her own GI tract through a microscope in one of her high school classes that it was determined something was amiss. I am sure many of you can relate to this poor girl's... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/91390/misdiagnosis-problem http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/89375/fatty-acids-uc Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:12:00 -0400 Jennifer Rackley Omega-6 fatty acids are all over the news for their potential benefits for various health conditions. Linoleic acid is a part of the family of omega-6 fatty acids and is, in part, responsible for the production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins have several jobs in the human body, one being to regulate inflammatory mediation. Linoleic acid is found in several food items including cooking oils, red meats and some margarines.   According to... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/89375/fatty-acids-uc http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/87930/restroom-uncomfortable Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:03:00 -0400 Jennifer Rackley There have been many time during my trials of potty training twins where a restroom has been denied or inaccessible. Kids often give you very little warning and it can be "hit or miss" whether you make it to the restroom in time. While it can be comical after the fact this is a problem that many IBD patients face every time they go out into public. Not so funny anymore, right? More than one million people and counting are dealing with IBD. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/87930/restroom-uncomfortable http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/84784/hormone-pediatric Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:55:00 -0400 Jennifer Rackley The incidence of IBD is on the rise in the pediatric population. It is unclear at this time why this is the case. Researchers theorize that there could be environmental factors that are lending to the increase but there is no reason that has been able to be scientifically substantiated.   Many of these children with IBD present with growth issues or failure to thrive. Sometimes these issues are the trigger which gets a child diagnosed... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/84784/hormone-pediatric http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/82356/poisoning-increases Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:52:00 -0400 Jennifer Rackley A recent study done in Denmark by Henrick Nielsen concluded that exposure to two common food born illnesses, salmonella and campylobacter, can increase the risk of developing IBD. With in the 15 years following initial exposure patients had triple the rate of developing IBD when compared with those who did not have exposure to the food born illness at all. Nielsen theorized that reducing these food born illnesses might help to lessen the cases... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/82356/poisoning-increases http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/80099/short-bowel-syndrome Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:02:00 -0400 Jennifer Rackley Short Bowel Syndrome occurs when a patient is unable to absorb enough vitamins, minerals, water or other nutrients. Not all IBD patients will suffer from Short Bowel Syndrome but it is far more common in the IBD population than in healthy individuals. This is due to the fact that IBD itself, damage to the intestines, removal of a portion of the intestines or intestinal surgery can all cause the condition to occur.   The main symptom of... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/91113/80099/short-bowel-syndrome