Crohn's Disease Relief

What to Do If You Can't Afford Crohn's Medication

The NeedyMeds.org web site helps people who cannot afford the medication they need.  They have recently created a specific page on their site dedicated to those with Crohn's Disease.   So if you need assistance paying for medications for Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis, visit the NeedyMeds.org new web page.

The folks at NeedyMeds have collaborated with the CCFA to provide this information.  I salute this work.  With so many people suffering from layoffs and business slowdowns right now, this information is so important.  I know that the Balsalazide (Colazal) I take runs in the hundreds of dollars each month - and that is the generic version.

Press Release Link

Setting the Record Straight on Health Care Reform

The president has a page refuting some of the claims against the US plans for health care reform. 

If you are looking for something more objective in nature here is the FactCheck.org page on the health care debate falsehoods.

Demystifying Healthcare Debate Jargon

Here is a good CNN.com list of some of the terms being used in the U.S. Healthcare reform ruckus debate.  I am a college educated person, well familiar with the healthcare system due to having a chronic illness (Crohn's Disease) and moderately politically informed.  If I have a hard time defining "public option" vs. "single payer" then I bet a lot of other people do too.  Quotes from the CNN definitions:

Public option: A public option is a government-funded, government-run health care option, similar to Medicare. Under the plan, people would pay premiums 10 to 20 percent less than private insurance. Some Democrats have said it will be impossible to pass a bill without a public option, but some Republicans have called the idea a deal-breaker.

Single-payer: Under a single-payer system, the financing system relies on one "payer" -- which could be a government-run agency -- to fund all health care costs billed by doctors, hospitals and other health professionals.

I think I like the public option, personally.  I think there should be a baseline coverage available to everyone, but I think its important for employers to continue to offer the benefits they do now.  I would not like to see a government plan kill competition.  And I do not think it would, as described by Mr. Obama companies would be incentivised to provide private health plans for their employees.  I personally think that companies who hire largely part time workers and do not offer benefits to part timers are a big part of our current problem.  Walmart, for example.  I would like to see a tax break for companies that offer health insurance to all workers.  Let's reward American companies like Starbucks, Home Depot, and Best Buy. 

Whole Foods?  Well, I am of two minds.  I think their CEO is a real scary idiot.  I knew that when he got caught posting anonymously on Yahoo Finance a few years ago, talking trash about another competing health food chain that he was actually trying to buy.  That's snaky, and illegal behavior.  It's called insider trading and market manipulation.  Why did Martha Stewart go to jail and he is still running Whole Foods and bad mouthing the idea of the government providing health care to people who can't afford it?  Their store, by the way does offer health insurance to part time workers, but only after they work for 800 hours.  At 30 hours a week that will take 6 months.

Whole Foods is a publicly held company. I don't own any Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFMI) stock, but if I did I think I would want them to fire that jerk.  I think he is bad for business.

Huge List of Resources about Crohn's

I've been searching this afternoon and found some of handy sites and lists.  Cheers!

Coping With Crohn’s Disease: 100 Helpful Resources and Communities - from Nursing Assistant Central

No More Crohns - Yummy Looking Food Blog for Specific Carb Diet.

List of Crohn's Webcasts from Abbot

List of Even More Crohn's Webcasts from EveryDayHealth.com

Relief for Canker Sores

One of the extra fun symptoms you may get with a Crohn's flare is mouth sores.  I get both cold sores and canker sores. 

Today I read about a home remedy for canker sores that sounds interesting.  It's a parents' favorite, sometimes called "magic mouthwash." 

Mix equal parts children's benadryl liquid and mylanta antacid.  Swab on cold sores with a q-tip or use it to gargle.  Some doctors will have a pharmacy compound a version of this along with RX viscous lidocaine.

Of course my own home remedy is to gargle with hot salt water.  Cures them up very well.  And for cold sores RX zovirax is the stuff.  For my 3 year old what I did was put salt on a wet q-tip and stick it on the mouth sore since he didn't know how to gargle yet.

I also have had good results with Colgate Peroxyl, a peroxide mouth rinse.  It seems to kill the canker sores and doesn't sting, but it does get foamy.

Questions about Medical Marijuana for Crohn's Disease

Medical marijuana has been legalized (from a State's point of view, the Federal government is another story) in a number of US states, and Crohn's disease is listed among the illnesses that are treatable with this prescription.

I have a few questions about this treatment option.  The main question is this: I understand that smoking exacerbates Crohn's disease.  Is this specifically smoking tobacco, or any type of smoking?  If smoking is bad for Crohn's why would smoking medical marijuana be good? 

I have heard of methods for vaporizing the herb so that the patient doesn't have to burn anything.  Is this safer for the lungs?  You wouldn't want to end up with lung cancer from smoking or inhaling, right?

According to this interesting  Science Daily article on Vaporizers for Marijuana

"Using CO as an indicator, there was virtually no exposure to harmful combustion products using the vaporizing device. Since it replicates smoking's efficiency at producing the desired THC effect using smaller amounts of the active ingredient as opposed to pill forms, this device has great potential for improving the therapeutic utility of THC," said study co-author Neal L. Benowitz, MD, UCSF professor of medicine, psychiatry and biopharmaceutical sciences. He added that pills tend to provide patients with more THC than they need for optimal therapeutic effect and increase side effects.

This is definitely food for thought.  I do not think medical marijuana will be a viable treatment option for most Crohn's patients until such time as the Federal government allows the use.  What good is it having your State grant you a right that the Feds can arrest you for?

Which states allow medical marijuana

Page listing some studies and findings regarding marijuana and Crohn's

More info re: medical marijuana vaporizers

Little Known Signs of Crohn's Disease

I found a really cool blog called Life After Crohn's.  I can't believe I never saw this site before - it has a ton of good information and informative essays/posts.

This post lists some of the (many) odd, unheralded, symptoms of Crohn's.

Some of the weird Crohn's symptoms I have had include mouth sores, iritis (inflammation of the iris), and anemia.  Blech.

10 iPhone Apps for Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis

It seems like there is an iPhone app for everything.  I have come across a few different iPhone applications that can be specifically useful for people with IBD: Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

1.  Close Call is an "emergency contact" screen for your locked iPhone.  It overlays your wallpaper with an ICE (In case of emergency) contact and has space to add medical information.  Close Call iTunes Store Link

2.  GI Monitor, from Wellaps is an iPone application designed specifically for people with IBD.  It tracks your CDAI index of symptoms as well as whatever medications you are taking.  $4.99 Apple App Store Link.

3.  The Crohn's Toolkit is a free iPhone app from WeAreCrohns. com.  It has features all the way frm  yoga and meditation tips, to inspirational quotes, and links to podcasts.

4.  The Whole Foods iPhone aplication looks interesting.  You can set it to filter for special dietary needs like  gluten free, etc. and it will suggest recipes from what you have on hand and well as listing some favorite recipes. Market Recipes iPhone app - Free

5. Sit or Squat is a free application for not only iPhone but also Blackberry, iPhone, Web or Text message.  This piece of geniousness allows you to find a well rated public bathroom based on your location. Free Click here to find Public Bathrooms with Sit or Squat.

6.  MyHealth Lite is a health and personal stat tracking program selling for $1.99. It allows you to track symptoms on a concise medical log.  App Store Link

7.  Make Steps turns your iPhone into a pedometer.  Walking is a great low impact excercise that is perfect for almost anyone, including those with IBD. Steps uses the device motion sensors to calculate your body movements.

8.  Pillboxer keeps track of all your medications, vitamins, supplements in one central location.  There is a lite version which is free and the full version is just .99. Full database of over 11,000 FDA-approved medications.

9. Designed for health and weight loss, MyNetDiary could be useful for a Crohn's patient as it will allow you to track diet, exercice, weight, and water consumption.  Free apps for iPhone and Blackberry, but the site also offers a paid membership. Download from the iPhone App Store.

10. aSleep is a White Noise generator designed to help you fall asleep.  Since my Crohn's pain is always worst at night and keeps me from sleeping, this seems like it could be useful.  Just 99 cents, the application has nature sounds such as beach, forest, wind, and rain.  Has an easily programmable timer so it will turn itself off.

Time Tackles Turmeric as a Pain Reliever

Here is an interesting article written by an MD who is trying Turmeric supplements to see if they really can help pain and inflammation.

I am on the fence with this one.  I take a lot of pills already so the thought of adding more pills to my daily routine is not really attractive to me.  On the other hand, I also have quite of a bit of pain and obviously inflammation in 2 spots in my colon, so perhaps it may be worth a try.  I have definitely not heard any risks or problems taking this spice or its effective ingredient Curcumin as a dietary supplement.

Weather Aches and Pains Index

Here's something cool a friend of mine showed me today - Weather.com now has an aches and pains index that rates from 1-10 the aches you might experience from the weather.

Those of us who feel like walking barometers and wake up in the morning saying that your trick knee tells you that it is going to rain today will love this feature.  My sinuses and migraines tell me when there is a weather pressure change coming, and my aches and pains (knees, hips, backs) tell me when it's damp.  It's going to be interesting to follow the aches and pains index and see if they hold true.