News and Features Related to Digestive Disorders

1. FDA OKs Constipation Drug for IBS
   

   April 30, 2008 -- The FDA has approved the use of the constipation drug Amitiza to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in women aged 18 and older. Amitiza is the first FDA-approved prescription drug therapy for IBS-C. But it isn't a new drug. The FDA approved Amitiza in 2006 to

   Read Full Article
2. Ulcerative Colitis: Symptoms and Treatment
   

   Whenever Serena Ehrlich goes someplace new, she scouts out the location of the bathroom. That's because Ehrlich, 38, a Los Angeles-based salesperson for a commercial wire service, has ulcerative colitis. She developed the disease 12 years ago and has been in remission for the past three. Still, the

   Read Full Article
3. FDA OKs New Crohn's Disease Drug Cimzia
   

   April 23, 2008 -- The FDA has approved a new prescription drug called Cimzia to treat Crohn's disease in adults who haven't responded to other conventional therapies. Cimzia, given by injection, targets an inflammatory chemical called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha. Patients would get a shot of t

   Read Full Article
4. Fish Oil May Not Prevent Crohn’s Relapse
   

   April 8, 2008 - Taking omega-3 fatty acids can be helpful for many things, but maybe not for preventing a relapse of Crohn's disease. Two related studies show that omega-3s are not effective in preventing inflammation associated with Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease

   Read Full Article
5. Living with GERD and Food Intolerances: Trudy McCulloch's Story
   

   I didn't know I had food intolerances until I was in my 30s. I'd had trouble with my digestion since birth. As a baby I had a lot of gas and would often get diarrhea. My mother thought it was because I was a preemie. Those stomach problems eased by the time I was 6 months old, and I was relatively h

   Read Full Article
6. FDA OKs Prilosec for Kids as Young as 1
   

   March 21, 2008 -- The FDA today announced its approval of the use of Prilosec in children as young as 1 year old. The FDA yesterday approved Prilosec delayed-release oral suspension (liquid) for the short-term treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the healing of erosive esophagitis

   Read Full Article
7. 9 Surprising Facts About Your Stomach
   

   From those burning, churning feelings that erupt whenever we eat our favorite foods, to the bloating that keeps us from zipping up our jeans, to the gas that can make us the most unpopular person in the elevator, our stomach can be the cause of some major inconveniences, if not some outright health

   Read Full Article
8. New Celiac Disease Clues
   

   March 3, 2008 -- New information about a possible genetic cause of celiac disease could soon lead to better treatments for the immune disorder. Researchers have identified a group of seven gene regions that appear to predispose people to celiac disease. People with celiac disease cannot tolerate glu

   Read Full Article
9. Crohn's Disease: Immune Therapy First?
   

   Feb. 21, 2008 -- Remission from Crohn's disease may be more likely if patients get immune-suppressing drugs, not steroids, first. That news, published in the Feb. 23 edition of The Lancet, comes from a study of Crohn's disease patients in Europe. The study shows better remission rates when patients

   Read Full Article
10. Yogurt Maker Sued Over Health Claims
    

    Jan. 25, 2008 -- A class action lawsuit has been filed against the yogurt company Dannon over its marketing for yogurt products Activia and DanActive. Activia is a yogurt marketed as being "clinically proven to help regulate the digestive system when eaten daily for two weeks," according to Activia'

    Read Full Article