Posts tagged ‘uc’
IBD & Social Security Disability
We all know IBD can be disabling- the chronic pain, fatigue, surgery and complications.
But did you know that IBD could qualify you for Social Security Disability benefits?
New Study Shows Depressive Symptoms Tied to Doubled Risk of Crohn’s in Women
A recent study published in the January issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology shows a link between depressive symptoms and the incidence of Crohn’s disease and UC. The following information was taken from a write up on MedicalXPress.com:
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School collected data from 152,461 women who participated in either the Nurses’ Health Study I or II. From the data collected, a total of 170 cases of Crohn’s and 203 cases of UC were reported from this population.
“We observed that depressive symptoms are associated with a two-fold increase in risk of CD but not UC. Although both recent (within four years) and remote (baseline) assessments of depression appear to influence disease risk, the association with recent depressive symptoms appeared more prominent,” the authors write. “Our findings support the potential importance of a biopsychosocial model in the pathogenesis of CD and suggest the need for further studies on the effect of depression and stress on immune function and regulation.”
The researchers found that women with depressive symptoms within the past four years, were more than two times more likely to be diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. However, no similar link between depressive symptoms and increased risk of UC was identified.
This is an extremely interesting development. As we all know, depression and IBD can go hand-in-hand due to the physical and mental toll the diseases take on your body. However, now there is scientific evidence that actually shows that psychological factors can contribute to developing Crohn’s disease.
You can read the full study here.
Final Installment of the ABC’s of Crohn’s & UC: “T,” “U,” “V,” “X,” & “Z”
It’s hard to believe that we’ve come to the end of the alphabet and thus the end of my ABC’s of Crohn’s & UC series. After this post, I will compiled all of the previous ones into a page on the blog so you can easily access this glossary I’ve compiled about IBD. Additionally, if I’ve missed anything important for any letter, please let me know!!! I would love to keep adding to this list and eventually turn it into something to help explain these diseases to those who are unfamiliar.
That being said, here is the final installment: T, U, V, X & Z.
Caring for Crohn’s Affordable Care Act Primer Part 3:
In the third installment of the Caring for Crohn’s Affordable Care Act Primer, I explore the aspects of the law that affect those 65 and older.
The Affordable Care Act is designed to strengthen Medicare, make preventive services affordable, and close the “donut hole” (discounts on medications that fall in the coverage gap.
Attention NYC-area IBDers: Awesome Vintage Clothing Fundraiser Feb. 18-20
I cannot tell you how excited I am to tell you about this AWESOME fundraiser next month.
My brother-in-law’s girlfriend and her twin sister have their own awesome vintage clothing line called The Vintage Twin. They rework vintage pieces. But what’s even cooler is that each piece is unique – there is only one of everything.
Well, The Vintage Twin holds pop-up shops in NYC throughout the year and gives 10 percent of the proceeds to a charity. In the past, they’ve donated to Hurricane Sandy Relief and to Autism Speaks. Well, from February 18-20, The Vintage Twin is holding their next pop-up shop and donating 10 percent of the proceeds to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (through my annual fundraising efforts for them). This is a special event for The Vintage Twin as well because their uncle has Crohn’s Disease.
How awesome is that!
So if you live in NYC, CT, or NJ, or want an excuse to road trip out to the east coast to buy some awesome reworked pieces and give to CCFA, here are the details:
WHEN: February 18 (President’s Day) – February 20 from 12 – 9PM all three days
NOTE: I will be at it on the 18th and would love to meet all you Tri-State IBDers!
WHERE: 45 East 34th Street, 3rd floor, Between Park and Madison, NYC
Hope to see and meet a lot of you there!
The ABC’s of Crohn’s & UC: “R” & “S”
I can’t believe we are almost at the end of the alphabet! There will be one or two more posts after this one and then my glossary of Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis will be completed. But before we get to that point, we have a few more letters to get through.
Tonight, we tackle R & S.
Caring for Crohn’s Interviews Oak Park Behavioral Medicine
I recently had the opportunity to ask Dr. Tiffany Taft and Stephanie Horgan of Oak Park Behavioral Medicine some questions for Caring for Crohn’s and I am very excited to share the interview with everyone.
From L to R, Dr. Tiffany Taft & Stephanie Horgan
Oak Park Behavioral Medicine, located in Oak Park, Illinois, specializes in working with adults and children living with chronic medical illnesses. Dr. Taft and Stephanie are experts in the psychology of digestive illnesses, including IBS, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Eosinophilic GI diseases, but also treat patients with other chronic illnesses.
What’s even more unique about this practice aside from the focus on treating patients with chronic illness is that both Dr. Taft and Stephanie are fellow Crohnies!
Read on to hear about their practice and how they help improve the psychological health of IBDers.
Caring for Crohn’s Affordable Care Act Primer Part 2: Insurance Choices & Costs
In this second installment of the Caring for Crohn’s Affordable Care Act Primer, I explain the provisions of the law designed to increase affordability and accessibility to health insurance.
Caring for Crohn’s Affordable Care Act Primer Part 1: Consumer Rights & Protections
The more I write and talk about the Affordable Care Act, the more I realize people actually are not that familiar with the specific details of the law. I will do my best to summarize the important parts and provide you with the implementation dates. However, for real specific questions, you should visit www.healthcare.gov– it’s an invaluable source providing all the information you could ever want on the law. It’s also where I got all of the information below from.
Because the law is so massive, I will be breaking this down into several posts by category: consumer rights and protections, insurance choices and cost, senior services, and employers. Today’s post will address provisions related to consumer rights and protections.
The ABC’s of Crohn’s & UC: “O” & “P”
We are over halfway done with the ABC’s of Crohn’s and Colitis series! I hope it’s been informative thus far for those who have been following along.
Next up in the ABC’s of Crohn’s and Colitis series: O and P.
Caring for Crohn's & UC 