Health Tip: Prevent Constipation

(HealthDay News) -- It's not true that to be considered regular, you have to produce a bowel movement at least once daily, the American Academy of Family Physicians says.

The "normal" range varies widely -- between three times a day and three times a week, the academy says.

Here are its recommendations to help prevent constipation:

When you need to have a bowel movement, try not to ignore it.
Make time to have a regular bowel movement, such as after a meal.

Top One Stupid Thing Said to IBS Sufferers by other IBS sufferers, and the Reason Why It's So Dumb

By sophie on July 16, 2008

OK, so that title's not gonna win me any headline-writing competitions, but those of you who have read my Top 10 Stupid Things Said to IBS Sufferers may have got the reference.

This post is about the one stupid thing that we as IBS sufferers say to each other. I could only think of one as opposed to 10 because we IBS people are obviously more intelligent than that other lot. So - onto the stupid. And the stupid goes something like this...

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Infants who are predominantly breast-fed for the first six months of life are less likely to have gastrointestinal problems. But, they're more likely to be deficient in iron, and therefore at risk of anemia, according to a study that looked at 154 mothers and their babies in Guadalajara, Mexico.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- An unusual case involving a sudden remission of lung cancer highlights the carcinogenic potential of certain drugs used to treat Crohn's disease, experts say.

The patient, a 69-year-old female ex-smoker, developed lung cancer while being treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) medications for her Crohn's disease.

However, the malignancy vanished after doctors stopped giving her the medications, British researchers report in the July 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Crohn's Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Psoriasis & Psoriatic Disorders Clinical Trials Update: July 8, 2008

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

If you are aged 18 to 70 and have diarrhea-predominant IBS, you may qualify for this study.

The research site is in DeLand, Fla.

More information

Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studi....

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Psoriasis and Psoriatic Disorders

By Amanda Gardner
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- The widely prescribed class of antidepressants known as SSRIs may be associated with bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, especially when taken with painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a new study says.

Although reports of this effect from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors family of antidepressants -- which includes Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft -- have been noted before, some outside experts said the evidence is still far from conclusive.

I was searching for the text of a BBC America World News Report that aired tonight, when I came across this story about the Oregon healthcare lottery (BBC News, March, 2008). There were no search results on empowHer.com, so I'm sharing this interesting news with you.

This is a very sensitive subject because it's such a private issue. Because my grandfather had colon cancer, and I have had gastrointestinal issues all my life, I'm easily freaked out by changes or blood in my bowel. So, you can only imagine my reaction to my newest event: black stools.

Soy issues…
I had wanted to wean my self off eating red meat for a long time. My replacement food of choice was the Boca Burger. A meatless product made chiefly from soy protein and wheat gluten. I began eating 2-3 Boca Burgers a week. This along with Edamame and the occasional chick pea were the only soy products I consumed.