Crohn’s Disease: An Expert Explains Signs, Treatments and More
By Carole Jacobs, Special to Lifescript How does Crohn’s disease start? Is it the same thing as ulcerative colitis? Do I have to change my diet permanently? If you or someone you know were recently diagnosed with Crohn’s, you have a lot of questions. We talked to a top gastroenterologist to get the answers about this inflammatory bowel disease...
If you frequently suffer from chronic diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea and fatigue, you may think you are just prone to tummy troubles. But you could have Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
“Crohn’s disease can attack any part of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus, but usually affects the small intestine and/or colon,” says Armen Simonian, M.D., head of gastroenterology at Capital Health Systems in Trenton, N.J., and chairman of the Department of Medicine.
“The disease can be mistaken for gut or parasitic infections, stomach flu, food poisoning, gluten allergy, irritable bowel syndrome, and even lupus or appendicitis,” he says.
Also, because Crohn’s is a systemic disease, it can manifest anywhere in the body, causing skin conditions, joint problems, eye diseases, arthritis and even gallstones, says Simonian.
Fortunately, with today’s treatments, which include anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, corticosteroids, biologics, or immune suppressants and surgery, “some women have remissions that last years or the rest of their lives, although it’s more common for remissions to last months or a few years,” he says.
6 Ways to Ward Off Depression
By Linda Wasmer Andrews, Special to Lifescript Being hit with hard times can send you into a deep depression. But it doesn’t have to. Learn expert tips for getting through life’s challenges…
It’s no secret that experiencing a significant loss – unemployment, divorce, illness, a loved one’s death – can leave you feeling down.
But even positive events – like celebrating holidays, getting married or building a home – can cause disappointment that leads to depression if things don’t go as expected.
When faced with a tough situation, “there’s the sense that you’re no longer in control of your life,” says LeslieBeth Wish, a psychologist and clinical social worker in Sarasota, Fla.
And that can make it seem harder to snap back.
Fortunately, we’re often more resilient than we think. Feelings of depression can be temporary if we catch them in time. And when we have the right tools to fight those feelings.
Here, experts offer techniques for keeping sadness from turning into depression.
Is Foot Odor Linked to Diabetes?
By The Lifescript Editorial Staff Foot odor is usually caused by the breakdown of bacteria on the skin, and isn’t relegated only to those who have diabetes – anyone can suffer from it.
However, sometimes it can be a symptom of a more serious diabetes-related problem – such as a foot infection or ulcer that has gone undetected because of nerve damage – and should be checked. Inspect your feet carefully and, if you detect a foot wound, see your provider immediately.
If your foot odor is not serious, however, and is simply an inconvenience, you can find some relief from daily bathing, changing socks and keeping feet clean and dry.
Here are some other tips from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to help you control odor while still treating your feet gently:
Use an antibacterial soap and soft brush to gently scrub away dead skin when you bathe.
If your feet get wet during the day, you’ll need to change socks more often.
Always wear socks when you wear shoes. Avoid plastic or synthetic shoes. Some foot odor problems are really from smelly shoes, so be sure to dry out shoes between wearings and get new shoes when your old ones can no longer be cleaned.
Try an antiperspirant or powder for your feet to help control odor. There are also special insoles with activated charcoal, available at large drug stores or from a foot-care specialist.
Reprinted from 101 Foot-Care Tips for People with Diabetes by Jessie H. Ahroni, Ph.D., ARNP, CDE. Copyright by the American Diabetes Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Diabetes Diagnosis: A Game Changer for Randy Jackson
By Mari Cartel, Lifescript Entertainment Editor When “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson found himself tired and thirsty, he thought he just had the flu – but he ended up with a diabetes diagnosis instead. Now, the music producer, who says he didn't look after himself as he should have, is singing another tune to help others manage diabetes better...
Nine years ago, Grammy Award-winning music producer and “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson was on top of the world. He was living large with a hit TV show, successful producing career and loving family – wife Erika Riker, daughter Zoe, 14, and son Jordan, 12.
But he realized that something wasn’t right with his health.
“I was perspiring all the time and couldn’t quite quench my thirst,” Jackson says. “I was very lethargic [and] started to get a little lightheaded every now and then.”
When he couldn’t shake off those symptoms, he headed to an emergency room. That’s when he got a wake-up call: a diabetes diagnosis.
Type 2 diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease in which the body can’t use blood sugar normally, affects nearly 26 million Americans. Many, like Jackson, don’t know they have it and postpone getting annual checkups or physicals.
“I’d go to the doctor only when something was drastically wrong,” Jackson confesses.
How to Keep Your Knees Healthy
By Linda Melone, CSCS, Special to Lifescript Healthy knees are important to your well-being, but painful injuries like “runner’s knee,” ACL tears and tendonitis are all too common. In fact, women are more likely than men to suffer serious knee trouble. Read how the knee works, what can go wrong and how to prevent getting hurt. Plus, learn how to strengthen leg muscles and reduce pain with a knee workout...
Although they’re the largest joints in the body, your knees are also among the most vulnerable to injury. And women face a higher risk, especially if they’re active.
But if you take precautions, you can reduce the likelihood of painful or even debilitating damage.
“Knee injuries generally fall into two categories: macro traumas and overuse injuries,” says John Hurley, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Summit Medical Group in Morristown, N.J.
Macro trauma includes tearing of a tendon or cartilage, usually the result of turning and twisting during running or sports. A tear can also occur when you stop short with feet planted in one direction and the knee forced into a different direction.
An overuse injury, on the other hand, often occurs from asking too much of your knees without enough rest.
And while they’re not completely preventable, both kinds of injury can usually be avoided with proper care.
Anatomy of a Knee To understand how these problems happen, it’s helpful to know what makes your knees work.
How to Sleep Better With COPD
By Nancy Christie, Special to Lifescript If you suffer from COPD breathing problems, getting enough shut-eye is difficult – and related health conditions like acid reflux, sleep apnea and pregnancy can make things worse. These doctors’ tips and techniques will help you to snag the slumber time you need...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sleep make poor bedfellows. You take longer to drift into slumber, sleep fewer hours and wake frequently throughout the night.
After all, it’s hard to sleep when you’re coughing and wheezing, have chest pain or tightness, or struggle to breathe. And other conditions that often accompany COPD – such as acid reflux, hormonal fluctuations and sleep apnea – can turn attempts to snooze into a bad dream.
“Patients with COPD often complain of difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep,” says Pittsburgh lung specialist Brian Carlin, M.D., chair of the COPD Alliance, an educational organization for doctors.
That's because COPD is a condition in which breathing becomes more and more difficult, usually a result of bronchitis (a long-term wet cough) or emphysema (a breakdown of the lungs over time). Its main causes are smoking or exposure to pollution and other lung irritants.
Prevent Larger Diabetes Complications
By The Lifescript Editorial Staff Having one serious diabetes complication might make you worry that you’ll have a natural, out-of-control landslide of others, but this isn’t necessarily true, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
It’s true that higher blood glucose levels make all complications more likely – so if high glucose levels led to your original complication, they may very well lead to others – but you can use this correlation to your advantage, says the ADA.
If you work to get your blood glucose levels down, you lower your chances of getting another complication. Not only that, but getting your glucose levels down is one of the best ways to keep the complication you already have from getting worse. Some people have said that getting a complication made them see their lives with diabetes differently, says the ADA. The complication was both a blow and a wake-up call.
If you’re currently coping with a complication, talk to your health care provider about things you can do to increase your chances of living the rest of your life healthy.
Compiled from 101 Tips for Coping with Diabetes. Copyright by the American Diabetes Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Preventing Heart Disease in Women
By Mari Cartel, Lifescript Entertainment Editor Do you understand the causes and symptoms of heart disease in women? Probably not – and what you don’t know could hurt you, says renowned cardiologist C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D. In an exclusive Lifescript interview, she explains that because most heart research has been done on men, you could have a heart attack and not even realize it…
If you had chest pains, you’d probably guess right away you were having a heart attack.
But what if your symptoms were fatigue, jaw pain or even nausea – would you know they might signal a cardiac emergency? Would your doctor?
That’s just one of the major differences in the symptoms of heart disease between men and women.
To get the facts on heart disease in women, we talked with leading cardiologist C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D.
She’s director of the Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, which leads cutting-edge research on gender differences in cardiovascular disease.
In this exclusive Lifescript interview, Bairey Merz discusses the new realities of heart disease in women, how women’s risk factors have changed over the years, and the best ways to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.
11 Joint Supplements You Haven’t Tried
By Gina Roberts-Grey, Special to Lifescript If you suffer from osteoarthritis pain, you’ll probably try anything to ease stiffness and discomfort. Glucosamine is the most well-known, but many other natural arthritis remedies work just as well. From plant bark to spices to shellfish, these joint supplements could become an important part of your arthritis regimen. Read on to learn about their effectiveness and how to take them safely...
A lot of controversy has arisen over common joint supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin, spurred by large studies that questioned their effectiveness at easing osteoarthritis pain.
But those aren’t the only natural arthritis remedies out there. An array of natural supplements and joint pain remedies can reduce pain, stiffness and joint inflammation.
Some are traditional herbs and spices that have been used for centuries; others were recently proven effective by modern science. Most can be taken with or without medications.
“Whether or not you’re taking prescription or non-prescription osteoarthritis pain relievers, it may be worthwhile to turn to [these] supplements,” says David Pisetsky, M.D., Ph.D., chief of rheumatology, allergy and clinical immunology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
New Diabetes Diets
Reprinted From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine People with diabetes know the vigilance it takes to stay healthy. But are traditional diabetes diets really best? Here's a new approach to managing the disease in four easy steps. Plus, get 3 delicious vegan recipes...
Food can be powerful in preventing and reversing diabetes. However, dietary approaches have changed as we have learned more about the disease.
Traditional diabetes diets focus on limiting refined sugars and foods that release sugars during digestion – starches, breads, fruits, pasta etc. With carbohydrates reduced, such diabetes diets may contain an unhealthful amount of fat and protein. So diabetes experts have taken care to limit fats – especially saturated fats that can raise cholesterol levels – and protein for people with impaired kidney function.
New diabetes diets focus more attention on fat. Fat is a problem for people with diabetes. The more fat in the diabetes diets, the harder time insulin has in getting glucose into the cells. Conversely, minimizing fat intake and reducing body fat help insulin do its job much better.
Newer diabetes diets drastically reduce meats, high-fat dairy products and oils. At the same time, they increase grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. One study found that 21 of 23 patients on oral medications and 13 of 17 patients on insulin were able to get off of their medications after 26 days on a near-vegetarian diet and exercise program. During two- and three-year follow-ups, most people with diabetes treated with this regimen have retained their gains. The dietary changes are simple, but profound – and they work. Low-fat, vegetarian diets are ideal for people with diabetes.
This page was created using RSS courtesy of FeedForAll
