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Get Gastro Sick If You Pet Without Precaution
2007-06-14 23:20:00
Petting zoos are fun, educational, social and for many of us the closest we'll ever get to being Old Macdonald or Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. But in our fur-feeling frenzy, many of us don't realize we're touching more than what we can see or feel. In fact,we're getting personal with germy critters like E. Coli, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, and Campylobacter. These bacteria live in the intestinal tracts of some animals and which then are shed in the animal's feces. Horses, goats, sheep, donkeys and other four-legged creatures--sure they're cute, enticing us with all that hair, fur and those eyes. Ah, those eyes. Don't let them fool you. Yes, touching and not washing could wreak havoc on your digestive system.Common Sense Isn't So CommonIf you're a Gastro Girl groupie, you know how I feel about handwashing--an act so basic and common "sensical" that you would think it comes as second nature to all man and woman-kind. Not so. And when it comes to petting animals at the zoo--w...
More About: Sick , Astro

Butts Swipes Toilet Paper: Faces Jail Time
2007-06-12 00:05:00
How do you like my headline? Ok, I just couldn't resist this news item. Suzanne Marie Butts (yes, that's here real name) shoved three rolls of toilet paper from an Iowa courthouse in her shirt--and well, got busted. Check out her mugshot. According to the Associated Press, police are chuckling, but the theft charge could put her in prison. At least the toilet paper is free there, yes? Here's more from the AP reports: "She's facing potentially three years of incarceration for three rolls of toilet paper," Chief Lon Walker said, stifling a laugh as he talked to KCCI-TV about Suzanne Marie Butts. "See, I can't say it with a straight face." Workers had noticed the rolls disappearing from the Marshall County Courthouse much faster than usual, Walker said. Butts, 38, was caught last week after an employee saw her taking three rolls of two-ply tissue from a storage closet, Walker said. Butts insisted it was the first time she'd pilfered toilet paper, but she declined to...
More About: Toilet Paper , Time , Faces , Toilet , Paper

Confessions of a Gluten-Free Wannabe
2007-06-05 17:30:00
Hold the wheat, the barley, the rye. Who needs these grains? Not I! Gluten is like so last decade. So over-rated. Who needs it? I mean really---gluten is passé folks. Spread the word: Gastro Girl says it?s hip?and pleasantly tasty, or as a friend of mine would say?scrumpdumpdeleeicious baby---to go gluten-free. After my slicing, dicing, chopping, stirring--not to mention slipping and sliding a little in a kitchen so big it made the Julia Child in me emerge with such force I was able to stand the heat in the kitchen?cranking my triceps madly round and round, moving a massive pot of grits towards an amazing gluten-free dish?I realized I?ve been torturing my gut with gluten(ney) needlessly for years. Now I?m not saying I have Celiac Disease but I sure notice a difference in my Gastro Girliness when I avoid gluten. And after my recent gluten-free extravaganza a week ago?I?m voluntarily going on my own little gluten-free spree. Last Friday, I had the honor of participating in a Gluten-F...
More About: Confessions , Free , Gluten Free , Fess

You've Got the Power: Choose Wisely For A Healthy GI
2007-06-05 17:20:00
When I arrived early this morning (May 22, 2007) in the press room for Digestive Disease Week 2007 (DDW), I claimed my spot at one of the long tables alongside journalists from all over the world (ah, brings back memories of my former life as a newspaper reporter), set up my laptop and made my way to the coffee station. I was pleasantly surpised when I spotted a breakfast buffet of scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, fresh fruit, danish, crossiants and a variety of cereal. After arranging a colorful plate of melon and berries I came to a (plastic) fork in the road. Lemon-filled danish or raisin bran? Well, I did what any gastro-logical girl would do and confidently and unapologetically placed a lemon-filled danish next to my fresh fruit. Good choice? Of course not! But I take full responsibity for my irregularity today. See, it's past 3 p.m. and nothing's moving yet. You can see photos along with my original blog post here.Guess, I should've gone for the raisin bran. So what's the...
More About: Power , Healthy , Wise , Choose , Heal

Scoping Out Endoscopy: Getting My Gastro On
2007-06-05 16:30:00
It's not everyday I get to don blue gloves, white lab coat and do a little endoscoping. But I sure looked like a real Gastro a week ago, when the hoopla down at the zillion square foot exhibitor hall at Digestive Disease Week 2007 was evaporating into the glorious air outside as the 19,000 or so Gastro docs and other Gastro groupies from all over the world made their way back home, went sightseeing or shopping (hey Dr.Mark hope you found Best Buy!.) And while the Gastros were probably relieved to have some time away from doing endoscopies, I was in heaven--yet again! Let me tell you this was one of the best Gastro weeks I've had in a long time!You can see photos on my original blog posting here. Ok. Do I look, like way, Gastro or what? Ok, maybe not WAY Gastro, but sort of, right? Yea, that strange look on my face is one of sheer amazement and intense concentration--I took this demo seriously and I was in true awe! The representatives from U.S. Endoscopy were oh so kind to indul...
More About: Copy , Ping , Astro

Colons and Polyps and Preps, Oh My!
2007-06-05 15:44:00
Did you know that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States? Yikes. But when colorectal cancer is detected early, it has one of the highest cure rates. Now that's good news! But  IT HAS TO BE DETECTED EARLY!That's one reason why we need innovative and improved ways to screen for and detect this disease. Here's what you need to know. When I was at Digestive Disease Week® 2007 (DDW®), there was new research presented there that highlighted several technological and research advances that are helping to decrease both the number of deaths and the number of new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in the United States. This is great news! But remember, early detection is the key to prevention! Colorectal cancer in its early stages usually doesn't cause any symptoms. If you don't get screened, you won't know and frankly, by the time you do decide to get screened, it may be too late. Now, I'm not trying to alarm you here. In fact, I ne...
More About: Poly , Prep

Feel the Flow: IBS With Constipation? Lubiprostone May Help
2007-05-22 00:01:00
I'll tell you one thing, constipation isn't a problem here at Digestive Disease Week 2007, which is by the way the largest annual international meeting of digestive disease specialists. Whoa, That's a lot of Gastros and their groupies (like me) in one place! And yes, a steady, sometimes quick stream of news and information is flowing like you wouldn't believe. No bowel obstructions of any kind. And this perfect regularity has nothing to do with my taste-testing  Benefiber down at the Novartis booth. Way better tasting than Metamucil (and no lumpy, choke-hold swallowing problems getting this stuff down, either). Suzanne, the kind demo-lady was taking her Benefiber in a cup of Cappuccino. Oh, la, la. Is this the beginning of it's hip, cool and wow to get your fiber on along with your foam? I bet we'll soon see girlie girls ordering grande-decaf-non-fat-extra-hot-fiber-fill ed-sugar-free vanilla lattes! Just remember, you heard it here first! Anway, when I asked Suzanne for...
More About: Const , Constipation , Patio , Feel , Cons

Digestive Disease Week 2007: A Gastro Girl Dream Extravaganza!
2007-05-21 23:41:00
It's finally here. DDW 2007. (Digestive Disease Week 2007). I'm in heaven. See, it's all information, all the time. I'm reporting live from the press room at the Washington,D.C. Convention Center and man is this place buzzing. Just got my purple bag filled with all sorts of yep, INFORMATION. In my hand now is the Scientific Session Handout--a nearly 2 inch thick book filled with all the latest and greatest research. Actually, it's a guide to where all this latest and greatest research is being presented. SO much to learn...so little time...I need a team of Gastro Girl s to help me cover all this great stuff. But I'll do the best I can to bring you what you need to know...and if I can't cover it all to the extent I want to...I'll summarize the highlights and point you to more information. Most importantly, I promise to follow-up with all this great stuff (ok how many times have I used the word "great" so far? Quickly, before I run off to a Press Conferences: Two things of majo...
More About: Dream , Extra

Gastro Highs and Lows: Pot Helps, Nicotine Hurts?
2007-05-03 23:24:00
What?s with all the inhaling and exhaling these days? And I?m not talking about breathing. In the past few days I?ve read news that involved smoking (cigarettes and marijuana) and its relationship to gastrointestinal health. So what?s a Gastro Girl to do but share this interesting and rather insightful news? First of all, I?m not endorsing the use of illegal drugs. I?m not slamming them either but hey, I want to explore the use of marijuana for medical purposes?and warn you about the impact of tobacco products on your digestive system, especially if you have or at risk for a condition like Crohn?s disease. If you?ve got a problem with my pondering this (or take offense to anti-cigarette smoking banter)?stop reading. But then you might as well stick your head in the sand.  Ready? Ok. We?ll deal with the ?gastro health low? first. Smoking your digestive health? Nix the nicotine Don?t know how else to say this and I won?t even try: smoking damages your digestive system?perio...
More About: Astro , Nicotine , Coti , Nico

Drowning Pre-Wedding Jitters in Hand Sanitizer?
2007-05-01 23:49:00
As a walked by a co-workers desk with my ceramic cup of Blueberry Tea (yes, it's an afternoon ritual for me and yes it is a nice blue color)--I noticed alcohol aroma wafting through my path. "Whoa, I smell alcohol," I announced with a Gastro Girl-silly laugh. "Me, too," said another co-worker a bit more seriously.Hmmm, I mean it's crazy busy here, but it's only Tuesday, can things really be that bad?"Then she (our lovely bride-to-be) showed me her hands.Waving them around, she then displayed a rather jumbo-sized bottle of Safeway brand hand sanitizer as though she was Vanna White showcasing a vowel.Ah ha."Yea, hand sanitizer is like 60 percent alcohol," a male co-worker piped in.Now the bride-to-be is getting married on Saturday--so I pried, "honey, the wedding stress is not that bad, now is it?"What do you mean?" It says on the bottle it kills germs, why wouldn't it be good for me?"Well, first of all--on the matter of swallowing germ-killing liquid--I wonder if it could kill of...
More About: Wedding , Hand

Latest Beef: Massive Meat Recall Amid E-Coli Fears
2007-04-21 19:49:00
Just when the weather turned BBQ friendly, two major beef producers have recalled nearly 400,000 pounds of beef due to fears of E-Coli contamination.    Gastrointestinal systems everywhere beware! A Pennsylvania beef company is recalling about 259,230 lbs of beef products and a California company is recalling about 107,943 pounds of frozen ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Friday. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Health have found several illnesses tied to steak products produced by HFX Inc. for Hoss's Family Steak and Sea Restaurants, a chain based in Pennsylvania. USDA said 4,884 pounds were produced on various dates between April 5, 2007, and April 19, 2007, and were distributed to retail stores in Pennsylvania. The rest of the meat, 254,346 lbs, was distributed to restaurants in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The beef from Richwood M...
More About: Meat , Recall , Beef , Late , Mass

Virginia Tech: Nauseous over the deadliest shooting in U.S. History
2007-04-16 23:58:00
My stomach has been in knots all day. It started after I glanced at CNN and saw a breaking news story about a campus shooting at Virginia Tech .  Each time I checked for updates, the description went from campus shooting to campus rampage, a massacre, with 32 dead. The deadliest shoooting in U.S. history. Here is one student's actual account on LiveJournal.  I cannot comprehend this heinous act, finding the enormous scope random, senseless killing unbelievable-hard to understand, fathom. I wonder why. How could this happen? For what reason? Who could do such a thing? A monster? A despicable human being? A scared man-child? Perfectionism at its worst? Was it stress, school, family pressure too much?  How could anything be that bad-to take one's own life is tragic enough. But to take others, in such a cold-blood senselessness is an act so horrid I cannot even begin to make sense of this. My gut's reaction I'm aware more closely today of my body's ...
More About: History , Shooting

Roll out the toilet paper: Today is Poop for Peace Day!
2007-04-13 23:08:00
Yes, it's finally here. Do you know why you're pooping today? In honor of this annual homage to all things digestively common. I'm re-posting this:See if our world leaders could laugh. If they could find the common thread that weaves us all together since they don't get the obvious stuff like the fact that we're all human, all bleeding blood, all needing food to sustain life and all needing to yes, poop.  Unfortunately, I have to admit that Osama and I share a commonality. And you my friend like it or not, do too. Yep, no getting around the fact that Everyone Poop s. Stay with me here.Given the state of world affairs and even in our own communities---it's a mess. I mean really, hatred, bloodshed, violence, self-absorption, greed...somewhat dramatic, ok, but you get the point. Can't we all just get along? Yes, I think we can-especially once we embrace what is fast becoming a new-fangled peace movement.No, I don't make this stuff up. I'm not thi...
More About: Peace , Toilet Paper , Today , Roll

If bread and pasta make your insides mad: Is it celiac disease?
2007-04-10 17:50:00
Do you evenr wonder whether your misery after eating bread or pasta means you have celiac disease.  I do. Some days I wonder if it's IBS.  Other days, I do as many of us do, ignore my abdominal pain, grinning and bearing it, vowing to never eat pasta or bread again. What's a half-Italian and half-French Gastro Girl to do?  I'm no different than you, especially if you're asking yourself these same questions. As women, I think we grow accustomed to accepting certain things, brushing off recurring symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation and bouts with diarrhea as somehow normal and a part of life. We commiserate with our girlfriends or pretend nothing is wrong when our insides are screaming for relief. For what? Unless we're aspiring gastro-intestinal martyrs-the Joans of Arc for squirrelly digestive systems, ignoring our bodies' signals is never a good thing. Come on my friends, we need to start listening to what our bodies are telling us. ...
More About: Pasta , Celiac , Disease , Bread , Make

Mind over movement: Proven relief for chronic constipation
2007-04-09 22:19:00
 Let's face it constipation is not fun. And while we may be embarrassed to admit it, most of us have experienced this common digestive woe from time to time--yes, even Gastro Girl (blush, blush).  But about 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from chronic constipation, and of those people nearly one-third of them have muscles that don't work so well in moving their bowels very much at all. Ouch! (So not, Gastro Girl, thank goodness!)  I just learned this serious gastro "predicament," is called dyssynergic defecation. The name alone sounds scary doesn't it?  Scary but serious folks. See, many people with dyssynergic defecation have life-long constipation and experience "significant difficulty" with passing stools but are unaware that they have this particular type of chronic constipation, said Satish Rao, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa.  In case you're wondering, I read about...
More About: Mind , Relief , Const , Constipation , Patio

Ignorance isn?t bliss: Why we need IBS Awareness
2007-04-04 18:24:00
The Cherry Blossom festival is in full swing in our nation's capital. And this past Sunday thousands participated in the annual Cherry Blossom 10 miler, including this guy who was inspired to post this little gem on Craigslist. "Did anyone see the lady who had [excrement] all over her spandex and piled on her shoe? I was finishing around 1:36, she was running near to me, and it was all I could smell! I haven't stopped talking about it since. I am having a hard time believing I am the only one who witnessed this. I hate to be mean, but it was only 10 miles, and there were plenty of porta-potties/wooded areas to take care of business." --posted on Craigslist, D.C., April 2, 2007. Now, I admit, Craigslist isn't exactly what I'd call a reliable or credible source for digestive health information. But this posting couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. See, April is IBS Aware ness Month, when increased focus is placed on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)...
More About: Ignorance , Waren , Rene

Rhythm for our nation: Constipation drug goes OTC
2007-03-29 16:32:00
Good news for all who lost the smooth in their move. Prescription strength MiraLax (R) (polyethylene glycol 3350) is now available over-the-counter for those days when, well, you know, things aren’t moving as well as they should through our bodies (read occasional constipation.)Apparently, a lot of folks in the good ole’ USA suffer from plumbing problems every now and then. Yea, like 65 million of us, according to the drug maker, Schering-Plough Corporation. Man, that’s a lot of cranky people. But that explains the distant gazes that scowl through me on the streets, instead of returning my “hellos” I get snarls. Const ipation. That explains the not-so-hospitable host at the Daily Grill the other day who grumbled, “how many,” before snatching the menus and stomping us to our seats. Constipation . And of course, that explains the people who cut me off in traffic, plow their way inside Starbucks before letting me leave, why everything in life is ...
More About: Nation , Rhythm , Drug

Acid-reflux drugs ?safe? for long-term use in children?
2007-03-27 22:08:00
If your child has acid-reflux you may be relieved to know that the long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)--drugs such as Prilosec (omeprazole) and Prevacid (lansoprazole) that help stop stomach acid from "refluxing" into the esophagus--appears to be safe and effective in children, according to a report in The Journal of Pediatrics. What's GERD? Here are the most common signs that your infant or young child may have GERD:pain, irritability, or constant or sudden crying (signs that may be mistaken for colic) after eating frequent spitting up or vomiting after eating vomiting more than 1 hour after eating regular spitting up that continues after the first year, the age when most children grow out of it inability to sleep soundly "wet burp" or "wet hiccup" sounds poor weight gain or weight loss Other, less common signs include:constant eating and drinking inability to eat certain foods refusing food or accepting only a few bites despite hunger s...
More About: Children , Drugs , Acid , Long , Safe

Cognitive Behavioral Model of IBS: Anxious, driven, stressed? You?re at gre
2007-03-27 00:40:00
Anxious? Driven? Stressed out? It's no surprise that these factors may often trigger IBS symptoms, which include painful abdominal cramping, constipation and/or diarrhea. But a new study finds that the super-stressed who don't know when to slow their rolls are more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) after a bout of bacterial gastroenteritis. This study is the first to prospectively investigate a combination of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral risk factors relevant to a person who develops IBS after a bout with gastroenteritis. I think the findings area pretty interesting giving the whole mind-gut relationship in general. And it's also a big deal because IBS affects between 10 percent and 15 percent of adults living in Western industrialized nations.I mean it makes sense that we look at how cognitive behavior impacts our digestive system-and overall health and well-being. So why do researchers call this the "cognitive-behavioral" model of IBS? ...
More About: Model , Tres , Oral

Digest this: A ?lady? phone that tells us we?re fat
2007-03-23 14:52:00
Will this phone rock our girly-womanly world? Will it make us healthier? Walk more? Talk less? More importantly is this new Phillips 598 a true ladies phone?  Now I haven’t actually seen this phone in person. But after reading the reviews I can’t help but think this phone was designed by a man or men who think they know what women want. Some of the features that are supposed to make this a girly-girl phone:   For us weight-obsessed: a body mass index, a basal metabolic rate, a shopping list, a digital diary and date book, discount manager (is this a GPS –like thing that tells me where I can find the latest Jimmy Choos under a 100 bucks? Now, that would be a FIND!) I agree with the Mobile Magazine review suggested the phone tell us when we can expect our time of the month. Better yet, I think a phone for “men” should tell them when our time of the month is—so they can stay clear. Now, that’s strategic thinking for the tar...
More About: Phone , Lady , Digest , Tells

Gray?s Anatomy fan? Watch how abdominal cancer is detected?live!
2007-03-22 15:55:00
You could say I'm a little obsessed with surgery shows. Not the emergency ones where a life is on the line (those shows upset me and I start feeling like it's my body on the table. Don't ask why I live vicariously here.)  But I do find plastic surgery, heart transplants, and all those neat high-tech procedures pretty darn fascinating. So you can imagine how excited I was when I stumbled upon a live surgery site on the internet--OR Live . Boy does this site ROCK.  It's Gray's Anatomy (the textbook, not the show) gone multi-media mad. You can watch live webcasts of actual surgeries and other procedures which are done in leading hospitals across the United States. Besides watching them live, you can search for previous broadcasts on a surgery or procedure related to a variety of health specialties including cardiology, OBGYN, Orthopedics, etc., and by institution. We all know that fear of the unknown is a great cause of anxiety and worry-especially when it ...
More About: Watch , Cancer , Domina

Avoid the belly bloat blues on your next vacation
2007-03-21 16:46:00
I used to wonder what it was about traveling and my tummy woes.  Mostly everything just seemed a little slow, if you know what I mean. Don't snicker...ladies especially. You know what I'm talking about-don't pretend you've never battled the bloated feeling on that beach vacation, praying your stomach would deflate soon so your bikini would actually look the way it did before you arrived oceanfront. Don't you remember the night before a trip just strutting around your house in that two-piece...and smiling at yourself in the mirror, touching your flat stomach and taking a deep breath that you could feel all the way to your belly button? You must remember that feeling...light, airy, unbloated. That blissful end result of practically starving yourself for a month to fit in that new bikini-exercising every morning. But here you are-ready to hit the beach and feeling fat, gross, bloated.  Why, why, WHY does this bikini suddenly feel like its two sizes two sma...
More About: Blues , Vacation , Belly , Avoid

Osama Bin Laden get your toilet paper?start pooping for peace
2007-03-17 19:17:00
Ah, if our world leaders could laugh. If they could find the common thread that weaves us all together since they don't get the obvious stuff like the fact that we're all human, all bleeding blood, all needing food to sustain life and all needing to yes, poop.  Unfortunately, I have to admit that Osama and I share a commonality. And you my friend like it or not, do too. Yep, no getting around the fact that Everyone Poops. Stay with me here.Given the state of world affairs and even in our own communities---it's a mess. I mean really, hatred, bloodshed, violence, self-absorption, greed...somewhat dramatic, ok, but you get the point. Can't we all just get along? Yes, I think we can-especially once we embrace what is fast becoming a new-fangled peace movement.No, I don't make this stuff up. I'm not this clever. But apparently the folks behind the Poop Report (yes, there is such a thing) are that clever. And they're working hard to spread the word...that ...
More About: Peace , Toilet Paper , Osama Bin Laden , Start , Toilet

Life in a Bathroom Stinks?don?t judge!
2007-03-09 23:35:00
She’s young, she’s gorgeous and she’s got IBS.  But instead of wrapping herself in toilet paper and well, never leaving the house, Nicole is living life with IBS and bringing us along for the sometimes fast, sometimes slow and umm, sometimes blocked road. She’s sharing her life with this pretty common but not so conversational condition in the latest IBS blog to hit cyberspace, Life in a Bathroom .  I spent some time on her site and I’m moved by the comments she’s received from men and woman (of all ages) and from all over the world—bravo, Nicole you have already touched the lives of other with IBS—and that’s just in a very short time!I found out about Nicole’s blog from Tim Phelan, another good looking guy who happens to have IBS, too. He wrote Romance, Riches Restrooms, a humorous ode to how his refusal to tell others he had IBS cost him jobs and girlfriends.  Tim also has a blog with the same name. So what&...
More About: Judge

Beyonce still liverlicious after Hepatitis A Threat
2007-03-03 00:22:00
Who dares eats at a Sports Illustrated party to celebrate the Swimsuit Issue? Apparently not the bootlylicious cover babe (former Destiny's Child and now solo pop star) Beyonce Knowles. But Beyonce's choice (for whatever reason) to diss the sushi and salad at the Valentine's day Hollywood soirée, may have saved her from becoming infected with  Hepatitis A. Yea, girl, I'm with you here--and you're HOT. I mean REALLY. Food would be the last thing on my mind if I, too, was a busty bikini babe surrounded by other babes, all of us watching one another to see who is eating and who isn't (isn't that what luscious women do?)...and food sure as heck would be even more taboo if I wasn't a busty bikini babe at this party celebrating the end result of successful swimsuit shopping--something I have aspired to achieve since I was twelve-with minimal success. Ok, I can accept the fact that I will never fill out a suit like Beyonce, but it's not becau...
More About: Once , Liver , Threat

A ballplayer, a colonoscopy, a big deal!
2007-03-01 19:12:00
Today marks the start of National Colorectal Awareness Month. And with all due respect and concern for your health Xavier Nady, your intestinal woes couldn't have come at a better time. Nady, the 28-year-old stud who plays right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates is undergoing tests for serious intestinal inflammation that had forced him to leave spring training. While published reports have hinted at Crohn's disease as a possible cause of Nady's distress, nothing has been ruled out yet. Nady has already undergone a series of tests since Sunday. Yesterday he had a colonoscopy. The timing of Nady's colonoscopy puts a public face on a procedure that is vital to detecting colorectal cancer at its earliest stage. So Nady's colonoscopy is big deal-and not just for him. It's a big deal for all of us. Now I'm not insinuating in any way that Nady has colorectal cancer. But I will say that his getting a colonoscopy brings attention to a procedure that could potentia...
More About: Deal , Copy , Ball , Layer

Pittsburgh Pirates Nady: Throws one home for Crohn?s
2007-02-28 17:14:00
No one is immune from digestive distress. Not even hunky 6'2 Pirates   right fielder Xavier Nady, who is undergoing tests to determine if he has Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract. Like ulcerative colitis, another common IBD, Crohn's disease can be both painful and debilitating and sometimes may lead to life-threatening complications. Signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease can range from mild to severe and may develop gradually or come on suddenly, without warning.  They include: abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, bloody stools and weight loss. Those with a family history of Crohn's disease are at higher risk. Nady recently found out he has cousin with Crohn's disease. (Source: MayoClininc.com) Nady was hospitalized last week for "intestinal inflammation."  According to published reports, he said he first felt pain in his abdomen Sunday night. He kept it...
More About: Pittsburgh , Home , Pittsburgh Pirates , Pitt

Surprise! Women are germiest gender
2007-02-26 22:25:00
Men you finally have a valid reason to keep your distance especially from the hot buxom blonde at the office-no fabrication or lame excuses needed. Best part? You'll never feel pressured or guilty again. The catch?  You just need to know about the latest "Germ s in the Workplace" study (yes, women love and will often believe a man loaded with facts- better yet, we all respect a man who cares about his health.) This study found women are the germ magnets at work, with bacteria levels around their offices nearly three times higher than in men's offices. Think about all the people in your office who got sick this season. Think about all the accompanying digestive distress.  Why should we care about these finding? Germs are easily spread in the workplace and lead to a host of illness, including gastrointestinal illness.Let's hear it for us germy girlsWith all those germs on the loose, we women are to blame.  Who would have guessed!  But the ...
More About: Women , Gender , Rise , Ender

Chili and the workplace: Do beans and openess mix?
2007-02-05 22:44:00
I work in an open newsroom-type environment (love it by the way--makes for quick collaboration, and offers me instant answers to the questions I randomly ask myself out loud). When two of my co-workers decided a few weeks ago to have a post -superbowl chili-cook-off complete with chocolate cupcakes and pickles (don't ask), I had mixed-emotions. The creative cook in me couldn't wait to spend a icy cold weekend in inside concocting a mean and very large pot of of my secret-recipe chili that is known to make even the toughest of men sweat like a body baking on a beach somewhere tropical. Alas, as a gastro-logical girl, I was a bit concerned with the ramifications of so many of us downing bean-filled bowls of beef, veggie or turkey chili, topping them off with cheese, sour cream and then soaking homemade squares of cornbread into the mixture. Yikes. Not to mention the array of nacho chips, salsa, doritos (the spicy ones) and pickles (I still don't understand the connection b...
More About: Beans , Workplace , Chili , Lace , Pene

Irritated and Single? You can find love!
2007-01-29 20:45:00
Dating is hard enough when you aren't bloated, constipated or suffering from abdominal pain or cramping, or God forbid (as my grandmother would say)--diarrhea. Imagine if you are one of the 58 million who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)--and also happen to be single. I do recognize that unless we know first hand what IBS is-we have no idea what it is like to be single with a serious digestive condition and truly have no control of when or where the urge to go strikes. It must be difficult enough having IBS-but dating in digestive distress (or more accurately worried about suddenly being in digestive distress-must be extra-hard.  I have girlfriends (and guy friends) who are irritated with single life and online dating-and unless they aren't revealing all-none of them suffer from IBS. But we know first hand the travails of dating-and let me tell you it's not all drama-and-stalker-free romance. Instant love connections (at least the one's that are mutual...
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