A study looking at food poisoning (salmonella and campylobacter) found that people who had one or the other had a higher risk (1.2%) of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than those who never had food poisoning (0.5%). These findings were presented to doctors and researchers at the annual Digestive Diseases Week.
Results showed that the risk for developing IBD grew over a 15-year period after having the food poisoning. The researchers, in Denmark, looked at the histories of over 13,000 people who had been treated for either type of food poisoning and compared them with people who had not become ill …read more

While getting a diagnosis of a disease like Crohn’s disease isn’t what most people want, when you’ve been sick or affected by chronic pain, severe pain, getting such a diagnosis is often a relief.
An 18-year-old in the United Kingdom had been experiencing severe abdominal pain for five years before she was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Now that she has a diagnosis, doctors can work on trying to get the disease under control.
The disposable “camera pill” is swallowed and then tracked as it goes through the patient’s digestive system. The radio transmitter provides the images of areas in the body …read more

I is for injection….
It’s also for:
Inflammation: Many times, when we have pain, it’s caused by inflammation or swelling, even if we can’t see it. For example, some types of arthritic pain are caused by inflammation inside the joints, so people are treated with anti-inflammatories to help relieve the pain.
Imagery: As part of the complementary and alternative methods of healing, imagery is a major player. People are taught to put themselves in a different place from their pain, or they are taught to imagine pushing the pain away, for example. Here are a couple of sites that do a …read more

What is Crohn’s disease? What are its symptoms? How does Crohn’s disease cause chronic pain? Are there treatments?
To answer these questions and more, click on the radio below to listen to a radio show that was taped in November 2007. Dr. Gary Wild, from the McGill University Health Center in Montreal, Canada, discusses Crohn’s disease.

Image: Newscom
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Some of the most useful medications for arthritis treatment are now undergoing a review, according to an FDA announcement. These medications, Enbrel, Humira (Press release: FDA Approves HUMIRA (adalimumab) for Juvenile Arthritis), Remicade, and Cimzia are also used for the treatment of Crohn’s disease because of their effect on reducing inflammation. The drugs are very powerful and must be monitored closely.
The FDA review has been called after reports of children and young adults developing cancer while taking these drugs. The FDA acknowledges that the cancer risk was listed as a warning, but the number of cases has caused concern.
According …read more

People who live with chronic pain from Crohn’s disease are not given much hope in terms of treatment. Yesterday, however, the FDA approved a new drug for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease:
Press Release:
FDA Approves Cimzia to Treat Crohn’s Disease
A new drug has been approved to help sufferers of Crohn’s disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today. Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) received approval for adults with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease who have not responded to conventional therapies. This product was approved with a Medication Guide.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease that affects more than 1 million …read more

Omega-3 is gaining popularity as a supplement that can help with many illnesses and disorders.  However, in respect to Crohn’s disease, there doesn’t seem to be any benefit from omega-3.
In a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers found that the fatty acid was “ineffective for managing Crohn’s disease.”
You can read the press release about the published article here: Omega-3’s no help for Crohn’s sufferers.
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