#inflammatory bowel disease symptoms

[harmeet-saggi]

What Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Welcome to a comprehensive exploration of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a condition that significantly impacts the lives of many. In our fast-paced world, health concerns are becoming increasingly prevalent, making it crucial to delve into the intricacies of conditions like IBD. From the intricacies of its causes and symptoms to the methods of diagnosis and various treatment options, this journey aims to equip you with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of IBD.

[drkiranpeddi]

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and its Treatment in Hyderabad - Dr. Kiran Peddi

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a serious condition that affects the digestive system, causing inflammation and damage to the intestinal walls. It is a chronic condition that can cause severe discomfort, pain, and diarrhea. IBD includes two types of diseases, Crohn's disease, and Ulcerative Colitis. While there is no known cure for IBD, the condition can be managed through proper treatment and medication. In Hyderabad, there are several experienced gastroenterologists and IBD specialists who offer advanced treatment options for patients suffering from this condition.

Finding the Right IBD Specialist in Hyderabad - Dr. Kiran Peddi

If you are experiencing symptoms of IBD, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. In Hyderabad, Dr. Kiran Peddi is an experienced Gastroenterologist and IBD specialist who offer advanced treatment options for patients with IBD. When choosing a specialist, it is important to consider factors such as their experience, reputation, and the services they offer

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of disorders that cause inflammation in the digestive tract. The inflammation can affect different parts of the digestive system, including the small intestine, large intestine, and rectum. The exact cause of IBD is unknown, but researchers believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of the condition. IBD is a chronic condition, meaning it persists for a long time and may require ongoing medical treatment to manage symptoms.

Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

The symptoms of IBD vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe. Common symptoms of IBD include:

Abdominal pain and cramping

Diarrhea

Blood in stool

Weight loss

Fatigue

Loss of appetite

It is important to seek medical attention if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, as early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent the progression of the condition and reduce the risk of complications.

Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Diagnosing IBD involves a thorough evaluation of a patient's medical history, physical examination, and a series of tests, including:

Stool sample analysis

Blood tests

Imaging tests, such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRI

Endoscopic procedures, such as colonoscopy and upper endoscopy

Based on the results of these tests, a gastroenterologist can diagnose IBD and determine the appropriate treatment plan.

Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Hyderabad

There is no cure for IBD, but the condition can be managed through a combination of medication, lifestyle changes, and other treatments. In Hyderabad, experienced gastroenterologists and IBD specialists offer several advanced treatment options for patients with IBD, including:

Medications: There are several types of medications that can be used to manage IBD, including anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressive drugs, and biologic agents.

Dietary Changes: Patients with IBD may need to make changes to their diet, including avoiding certain foods that can worsen symptoms and increasing their intake of fiber and other nutrients.

Surgery: In severe cases, surgery may be necessary to remove damaged sections of the intestine or to treat other complications of IBD.

It is important to work closely with a gastroenterologist and IBD specialist to determine the best treatment plan for your individual needs and to manage the symptoms of IBD effectively.

Contact info:

+91 9390150150 / 9581000505

Yashoda Hospitals - Somajiguda, Raj Bhavan Rd, Matha Nagar, Somajiguda, Hyderabad, Telangana 500082

Gastro Care Clinics, Unit 201, Surya Arcade, behind Labonel Fine Baking, Cyber Hills Colony, P Janardhan Reddy Nagar, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana 500032

[gastroenterologist]

Explore the comprehensive guide on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), covering symptoms, causes, and effective treatments. Discover valuable insights from Dr. Vatsal Mehta at Alfa Gastro and Liver Care, Ahmedabad.

[medantahospital606]

Ways to Help Yourself During a Flare-Up of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

[healthvise]

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

What is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)? Discover the types, causes, treatments, and symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

[wheelie-sick]

Nervous System Effects of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

AKA I spent hours suffering trying to find all this information and I want you to not have to do that!

Cerebrovascular

1. Stroke

"...studies have shown that stroke occurs more frequently in people with SLE than in the general population, with ischemic stroke developing in up to 20% of lupus patients..." link

2. Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

"CSVD is an umbrella term for a variety of conditions resulting from damage to small blood vessels in the brain. In most cases, CSVD is caused by the narrowing or obstruction of small blood vessels in the brain due to inflammation and/or a buildup of misfolded proteins called plaques. This chronic damage can starve brain cells of oxygen and cause internal bleeding, which in turn can damage other nearby brain cells." link

Diagnosed via a brain MRI to look for bleeding of the small blood vessels, damage to white matter, and small strokes - link

Occasionally is confused for Multiple Sclerosis - link

"Quantified MRI brain studies of individuals with lupus show significantly accelerated cerebral SVD, suggesting that this is the most frequently observed radiological–pathological brain abnormality in lupus...." link

CSVD is a large cause of dementia in the general population but the significance of these findings in SLE patients is unknown - link

Central Nervous System

1. Transverse Myelitis

"Transverse myelitis is a neurological condition that happens when both sides of the same section of the spinal cord become inflamed. This inflammation can damage myelin, the fatty substance that covers your nerves. Loss of myelin often leads to spinal cord scarring that blocks nerve impulses and results in physical problems." link

Symptoms can develop quickly or over the span of several weeks. Symptoms include back pain, neck pain, paresthesia, loss of bowel and/or bladder control, and heightened sensitivity to touch - link

Diagnosed via CT, MRI, or myelography - link

Differential diagnosis of comorbid Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder - link

Transverse myelitis occurs in approximately 1% of lupus patients - link

2. Autoimmune Aseptic Meningitis

"...an inflammatory condition affecting the meninges, the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord..." - link

"Given that many individuals with lupus are immunosuppressed, a critical differential diagnosis is one of infectious meningitis caused by typical or opportunistic pathogens." - link

May cause nausea, fever, and neck stiffness among other symptoms - link

Diagnosed with a lumbar puncture and/or CT in part to rule out other causes of symptoms - link

3. Chorea

Chorea is a movement disorder causing involuntary, irregular, and unpredictable muscle movements. It affects arms, legs, and facial muscles - link

4. Parkinsonism

Causes slowed movements, tremor, and stiffness - link

Not the same as Parkinson's Disease!

A rare effect of lupus - link

Diagnosed based on brain MRI, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and response to treatment - link

5. Myoclonus

"Myoclonus is an uncontrollable muscle movement that’s sudden and brief. " link

6. Demyelinating Syndrome

"An association between lupus and MS-like brain changes have been suggested, and sometimes termed “lupoid sclerosis”" link

3.7% of patients have a demyelinating syndrome (though not all have primary SLE demyelination) - link

Demyelinating syndrome may cause vision loss, muscle weakness, muscle stiffness and spasms, loss of coordination, change in sensation, walking problems, and changes in bladder and bowel function - link

7. Lupus headache

"Headache is a highly prevalent disorder in people with SLE, but there is no convincing evidence that this incidence is higher than that seen in the general population. Thus the entity of “lupus headache” is controversial." link

One of the main characteristics of lupus headaches is that they are not remedied by pain medication. lupus headaches require treatment with steroids or immunosuppressants to resolve -- "severe, persistent headache; may be migrainous, but must be nonresponsive to narcotic analgesia" link

8. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES)

"Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a neurologic disorder in which a person presents with visual disturbance, seizure, headaches, and altered mentation" - source

"Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been increasingly identified in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)" - source

8. Seizures

"prevalence of explicit episodes of seizures among SLE patients, varies from 2 to 8%." - link

"SLE patients with recurrent seizures usually have abnormal findings on EEG, consistent with focal aware events, epilepsy with impaired awareness and focal to bilateral tonic-clonic epilepsy, as demonstrated by Appenzeller and colleagues who found that 9.7 % of patients with single epileptic seizure had abnormal EEG findings, compared to 100 % abnormal EEG findings, commonly on temporal lobe, in patients with recurrent seizures" - link

Peripheral Nervous System

1. Cranial Nerve Disorder

"Cranial nerve disorder refers to an impairment of one of the twelve cranial nerves that emerge from the underside of the brain, pass through openings in the skull, and lead to parts of the head, neck, and trunk. These disorders can cause pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face including the eyes." - source

"Cranial nerve involvement is also relatively uncommon and usually transient, occurring in 10% of patients with SLE." - source

2. Peripheral Neuropathy

"Peripheral neuropathy happens when the nerves that are located outside of the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves) are damaged. This condition often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in the hands and feet. It also can affect other areas and body functions including digestion and urination." - source

"Peripheral neuropathy occurs in as many as 18% of patients with SLE" - source

Ocular

1. Optic Neuritis

"The optic nerve itself can sometimes be inflamed in lupus, or it can be affected when the blood vessels supplying the nerve are themselves inflamed (that is, ischemic optic neuropathy). This can lead to a change in vision, or even vision loss." - source

"Optic neuritis is an uncommon neurologic manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and can be seen in about 1% of lupus patients" - source

"Optic neuritis usually affects one eye. Symptoms might include: Pain, vision loss in one eye, visual field loss, loss of color vision, and flashing lights." - source

Autonomic Nervous System

1. Autonomic Neuropathy

"Autonomic neuropathy occurs when there is damage to the nerves that control automatic body functions. It can affect blood pressure, temperature control, digestion, bladder function and even sexual function." - source

"Autonomic nervous system dysfunction is highly prevalent in SLE patients (up to 54%)" - source

Psychiatric

1. Lupus psychosis

" Psychosis is a serious mental disorder featuring defective thought processes, frequently with delusions or hallucinations." - link

Psychosis is one of the diagnostic criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus

"Differentiation of steroid-induced psychosis from lupus-associated psychosis is particularly challenging" - link

[theantarwitch]

About medicine in witchcraft: Health spells, Professional Healers and Unprofessional scammers (And two healing spells from me)

Lately I have been seeing a dangerous amount of medical dangerous videos in our usual witchy spaces (specially in Instagram, since I refuse to use TikTok) and that bring me here in one of my long rants who nobody really cares. But, as a healer with lot of medical background, I have to.

First, for the love of your deity, don’t take these damn vids seriously. I’m not a doctor but I know enough that a huge ton of what they put there is medical misinformation dressed as mystical powers.

I’m not asking you to become a doctor, but at least remember: Physical symptoms are NEVER caused by one single illness, and you HAVE to rule out all the possible physical illness before even consider it a symptom of your superpowers.

Yes, some minor things like a random ear ringing or a random tingle on your hand doesn’t need you to run to ER, but at least THINK about mundane causes to it.

Your ear ring? Are you using headphones a lot? Loud music? You shower and water entered on your ear? You are taking meds? Stress? Your neck is stiff and affecting your inner ear? You are neurodivergent?

Your hand tingle? Is the same hand in what you use your phone 20 hours at day? You sleep over that arm? Your shoulder is stiff? You use a mousse a lot? You practice a sport and the nerves are tired? Did you drink coffee or Red Bulls?

And I’m not even mention REAL illnesses, this is just a bunch of mundane causes! So how you dare to believe in more deeper topics of spiritual stuffs, if you have zero critical thinking in something so mundane and basic as your own body? How you plan to be an efficient witch if you don’t even doubt about these things? How you even dare to talk about your deity if you believe anything as a sign?  

An advanced witch bases their path in three big needs:

Need of study (Books or google, spend months or YEARS reading and learning)

Need of critical thinking (Think, think and ask, be curious and compare data, question it)

Need of wise skepticism (Don’t fall into the “The government want me to believe this but I’m smarter” or “Vaccines do harm, people don’t need calcium, there is brick’s dust on ketchup” kind of mindset (Yes, these are things I heard). That’s not skepticism, that’s being a Facebook Boomer Mom. Skepticism is question everything and to always be suspicious, but is neither “don’t believe in anything because I’m so smart that I can see the lies”.

And healers, my beloved healers. As one, I have to say it on the most real way: LEARN SOME MEDICINE. Specially before to do public claiming that can really hurt others.

Why learn medicine? Because as happened once… A lovely lady did a spell to lose weight. She got gastroenteritis and spent a week on the bathroom. She lost weight? Yes. In a dangerous unhealthy way? Yes. She recovers her weight back after go to the doc? Absolutely.

The body is a fine machine, a ton of process, hormones, parts, that you will always ignore and omit.

Another big mistake: “Spell to Boost my Metabolism”. Do you even know what a metabolism is? What it does? Do you even know that it has three main functions of metabolism? (Conversion of the energy to run cellular processes; conversion to building block of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates; and the elimination of metabolic wastes). When you “boost your metabolism”, what you are aiming to do? You even know what your body need of these three…

“Spell to boost my Immune System”… Again, what part? Do you even know that your immune system is “slow” or it is just working against an illness as it should? (Reaction is not the same than an immunodeficiency) Are you aware that your body can be doing great and you will be pushing to get an overactive immune system? (And getting Asthma, Eczema, Hay fever, Food allergy and any other kind of allergy, Lupus, Type 1 Diabetes, Inflammatory bowel disease, Celiac, etc.).

Please, if you use “detox spell” in any way, just stop. Period.

If you are not willing to spend a couple of weeks at least in the damn Wikipedia, or you are in a rush, at least aim big and general, do a classic “Health/Healing spell”, that is focused on that, bring health where is needed. “My body gets healthier. My body gets health where is needed” It can’t go wrong, since you purposely don’t specify where or which part, you just do a “Somewhere I need it, and since I can’t know it, the Cosmos may know it and aid me”. If you need spells to focus a healing in a body part, maybe you need a doc, not a spell…. (Get a doc. If is so simple to not need a doc, then your body will do it without need a spell anyway)

You can also do the same with Physical Strength Spells (again aiming to boost what you don’t know what it needs to be boosted and avoiding to boost something that it DOESN’T NEED IT).

And if you are a Healer who really want to have a 90% of effectiveness on focalized and specialized healing spells, then time to study. You will need to know about hormones, chemicals, physical process, all the systems, nerves, bones, nutrition, meds… And pretty much being able to discuss with you client (to put in a way) about literally all their medical history.

And a gently offer to anyone who actually read all this shit, I give a couple of “simple” ideas for you all:

Regeneration Spell: Just a Healing spell, aimed to “attack” where is needed, but it focusses in a cellular level. General Healing spells usually are so general that include things like disposal of waste, mineral absorption, water absorption, digestion, hair growing, skin growing, muscle develop, and pretty much EVERYTHING that’s happening on your body right now, even including the gut bacteria. A Regeneration Spell will focus in each single cell of your body, from skin to bone, to neurons, to T Cells from your immune system. All. Something that your body do (except with the neurons) but that get slower with the age. This spell focus on restores damaged or missing cells to full function (you can help it to happen better with a good balanced diet, some basic exercise, proper sleep, and trying to reduce stress)

Big warning. BE SPECIFIC “My cells will get regenerated where my body need it to be healthy and in full function” or something like that. Why SO specific if the healing spells are general? Because Cancer.

Yes. Cancer. A cancerous tumor is failed cell of your own body. Our beloved bodies kill around six infected or cancer cells each DAY. Eventually (if you live enough or if your immune system gets weak) one of them will grow your body be on troubles. If you do a regeneration spell without that proper aim, you will also help to any cancer cell to regenerate, hence you can cause you a HUGE DEAL in a future. Will not happen 100% of the cases, many of these tumors can be not cancerous (benign) yet give you problems.

How do the spell? Just as any healing spell. Do your way.

Homeostasis Spell: What’s is homeostasis? Is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism, a state of steady internal physical and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. Is a stable self-regulated process of equilibrium between interdependent elements. In simple words, is the perfect state of full pure health of your body. Is a healing spell without the “but”.  

What it affects? ALL in the most basic small internal way. Body temperature, fluid balance, the pH of extracellular fluid, the concentrations of ions, blood sugar, oxygen, hormones, etc. If the body do it properly, then is balanced, in an optimal functioning, hence healing itself without big issues.

This spell helps specially (or BOOST) the body on regulate itself despite the many changes in the environment, diet, or level of activity. In this case, you don’t need to be specific, since homeostasis seek for health naturally. Do your regular healing spell but like “My body reach homeostasis”.

So. Rant and all made, I think is time for me to shut up. See you around, and check if you need drink water, sleep, rest, stretch, food, meds or hygiene!

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Is autism and bowel/digestive problems a popular thing? Does anyone know what causes it or what can help? I have been to doctors and hospitals so many times over the years and never get any results or help.

Hi there,

Unfortunately people with ASD have some difficulty with the gastrointestinal tract. I’ll leave some excerpts from articles below. Warning: they are very long:

Of the many medical comorbidities associated with ASD, GI distress has gained significant attention because of its reported prevalence and association with symptom severity. In fact, out of the children that Leo Kanner described in his landmark article defining “infantile autism” are described as having eating/feeding or dietary problems, supporting an early association of ASD with GI issues. Of the GI problems reported in subsets of autistic individuals, the most common are chronic constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Gastroesophageal reflux, bloody stools, vomiting, and gaseousness are also elevated in some autistic individuals, as are signs of GI inflammation, such as lymphoid nodular hyperplasia, complement activation, and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and intestinal pathologies, such as enterocolitis, gastritis, and esophagitis. Increased intestinal permeability is linked to autism and hypothesized to have detrimental effects not only on intestinal barrier integrity but also on the systemic metabolome, with potential for translocation of intestinal metabolites or bacteria and consequent immune activation. Furthermore, food allergies, altered dietary nutrient intake, and metabolic disruptions have been associated with ASD.10–12 Autistic individuals with comorbid GI abnormalities exhibit altered carbohydrate digestion. Taken together, the variety of GI conditions, dietary issues, and enteric immune abnormalities reported in ASD individuals suggests that GI dysfunction can contribute to the manifestation of core symptoms of autism.

Characterized by difficulties with socializing, and often accompanied by repetitive behaviors, this neurodevelopmental disorder harbors many mysteries.

Despite its prevalence and a glut of research, the causes behind ASD are still not fully understood.

Although ASD primarily impacts the brain, over recent years, links with other systems have become clear — in particular, gastrointestinal (GI) issues seem to occur more often in individuals with ASD than in the rest of the population.

In one study, compared with typically developing (TD) children, those with ASD were six to eight times more likely to report GI symptoms such as bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

Other studies have shown that children with ASD who experience GI problems are more likely to have more severe symptoms of ASD. Also, treating the GI symptoms can sometimes relieve the behavioral and social symptoms of ASD.

Interestingly, behavioral issues are found alongside other conditions that impact the gut. For instance, people with celiac disease are more likely to have autism-like traits and other psychological symptoms. The gut and behavior seem tied together in some way.

According to many researchers, the GI issues that come with ASD might be due to two factors: firstly, inappropriate immune activation causing inflammation of the tract; and, secondly, differences in the types of gut bacteria that are present.

However, the picture is still incredibly murky, and studies produce differing results, finding different types of inflammation and various changes in gut bacteria.

Children with autism experience more gastrointestinal symptoms

Gastrointestinal concerns are frequently reported by parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers from the UC Davis MIND Institute evaluated the presence of GI symptoms in preschool-aged children with and without autism.

The study included 255 (184 males/71 females) children with ASD between two and 3-5 years of age and 129 (75 males/54 females) typically developing children in the same age group. Pediatricians specializing in autism interviewed caregivers during the children’s medical evaluation. They asked the parents how often their children experienced GI symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, painful stooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, blood in stool and blood in vomit.

The researchers grouped children in two categories: those who experienced one or more GI symptom and those who never or rarely had GI symptoms in the last three months. They compared the children in the two groups on measures of developmental, behavioral and adaptive functioning.

The study found that preschool-aged children with ASD were 2-7 times more likely to experience GI symptoms than their typically developing peers. In fact, almost 50% of children with ASD reported frequent GI symptoms - compared to 18% of children with typical development. Around 30% of the children with ASD experienced multiple GI symptoms.

I hope these sources can help. I have GI issues too and have to resort to stool softener

…

Anyway, thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️

[covid-safer-hotties]

I loved my teaching career. COVID normalization stole it from me - Published Aug 23, 2024

It might not have been the most favourable, but one of the most memorable comments I ever received on a student evaluation was that I could be “a bit hard to follow, but that was more an example of [my] passion for this subject over anything.” That subject was creative writing. And yes, sometimes, I had difficulty tempering my excitement throughout a teaching career that has now been cut short.

I have – or had – been teaching as a contract or “sessional” creative-writing instructor. Given the competitiveness of the academic job market and my age (I was nearly 40 when I earned the requisite degree, though I had already published four books), I had come to accept that it was unlikely that I would ever have a faculty position. But I could live with that because I still had the rare privilege of making a (barely) livable wage doing something I was very passionate about.

The COVID-19 pandemic took that from me. Actually, that’s not quite right. It was the perceived “end” of the pandemic that really ruined my teaching career.

I am immunocompromised and rely on medication to manage an autoimmune disease. This means vaccine protection from the virus is probably less effective for me than for most people. Also, my particular illness – Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease – has been shown to put me at significantly greater risk than most for long COVID: a potentially chronic condition that can be very debilitating. And despite how it may seem, COVID circulates widely much of the year: We are still in a pandemic.

When universities returned to in-person learning in early 2022, a brief letter from my specialist was all I needed – because of my medical condition – to continue teaching online. But all that changed about a year ago.

Ironically, it is now harder for me to receive accommodation to teach online even though there is less protection in the classroom against COVID. I cannot require masking, which is perhaps our best tool against transmission (particularly respirator-style masks such as N95s), in the classroom. Nor does one-way masking offer as much protection as universal masking. Also, current air filtration in classrooms is generally insufficient. In other words, classrooms are not safe and accessible workplaces for medically vulnerable people. But that’s certainly not how university administrators, and even those who were supposed to represent employees’ interests, perceive things these days.

Last year, trying to discourage me from requesting to teach online, a union rep told me that he “believed in in-person learning.” The most frustrating thing about this comment, and the widely held opinion it represents, is that I too very much miss teaching in person and would, if it were safe to do so. (That said, I believe I am every bit as effective a teacher online.)

On another occasion, a university administrator, after I had submitted my medical documentation, thought “the solution” was for me to co-teach the class so it could include an in-person component and, consequently, less pay for me. After a struggle that went on for months, I taught the class entirely online, but the accommodation agreement I had to sign stated I had “a medical condition that needs limited exposure to as many people as possible.” I nearly refused to put my name to this bizarre description of what is a prevalent disease, but it was too late to apply elsewhere.

It is clear it will only become increasingly difficult for me to teach online as time goes on. The back-and-forth with administrators, department heads and union reps, waiting to find out if I will or won’t be accommodated, and/or what new obstacles will be thrown at me – it has all caused me significant anxiety, which in turn has made it more difficult, ironically, to manage the symptoms of my illness.

I know that the people I have been sparring with are, for the most part, decent folks: They are just ill informed. But I can’t keep trying to do the job of a public-health official to ensure my own health. It’s quite literally making me sick. I’m done. I quit. I have to.

Disability activists have fought long and hard for workplace accessibility to be a right. But the culture has not caught up to understanding the particular accessibility needs of the immunocompromised.

I do not know how to go forward from here. Online courses, especially creative writing, are few and far between. I am looking for online work that utilizes my skills and education and/or that pays more than minimum wage. I have yet to find even an opening for anything like that. For now, I’m grieving: In many ways, it’s a full-time job.

The last time I taught in person was the year I graduated from my MFA program – just months before the pandemic began. After the semester had ended, a student asked if we could have a coffee together so that I could offer further guidance on revising a piece of writing that I had told him was of near-publishable quality. And I only say that to students when it’s true. He also, to my surprise, wanted to share a bit of his own constructive criticism for me – about how I could facilitate workshop discussion a little better. I chuckled at his audacity, though later, upon reflection, took his suggestion. But mostly we focused on his creative work.

As we were getting ready to go our separate ways, he mentioned, in passing, that he had a long drive home: 2½ hours. It has always stayed with me that a student was willing to spend five hours driving for a relatively brief chat over a coffee. Clearly, he thought I was a good teacher, but with more practice and experience, I could become – like a talented, but novice, student writer – an excellent one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I will get that chance.

[delta-hexagon]

hey y'all a lil health update!

my pain has been getting really bad again and last night it had gotten to a point where i took myself to the ER AGAIN. thankfully this time i got an ER doc who actually knew how serious crohns could get and he got me a script for prednisone and painkillers, as well as took an xray and SURPRISE!

THE XRAY SHOWED LOTS OF INFLAMMATION. wild how that works! my inflammatory bowel disease makes my bowels inflammed!

i started the prednisone today and wowie them painkillers are Potent. i have a ct scan tomorrow and the ER doc also sent an urgent referral to my specialist who hasnt returned any of my countless phonecalls or emails

in his defence, hes the only GI specialist in this city and surrounding cities and theres a massive doctor shortage in canada, so im mad but i know its also a symptom of how poor our medical is treated and not my specialists direct fault

im hoping the prednisone works quick and the ct scan tomorrow answers some questions!

apologies for being so quiet, its just hard when your guts are actively rebelling against existence, you know? i had to go back on unemployment because i can barely walk most days but im surviving!

[angelacademy]

Clear skin is more than just skincare: Gut Health

(A science based read)

What you eat is shown through your skin and on body. If your constantly shoving junk down your throat, junk is what will be shown on you. Essentially what you eat is what you are.

Eat bad -> bad skin

Eat good -> good skin

If your constantly breaking out and you feel icky. You need to figure out what is up with your gut health.

Research suggests many skin disorders are linked to an altered or unbalanced gut microbiome.

“When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases.”

“13 Several dermatologic conditions, such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and rosacea are linked with intestinal dysbiosis. 223 Many studies have associated gastrointestinal health with skin homeostasis and allostasis, and there is evidence of a bidirectional interaction between the gut and the skin.”

Diet, drugs and other consumed substances affect skin through gut microbiome:

“Several studies have related the diversity and pathogenicity of the gut microbiome to skin disorders, which can be significantly altered by long-term dietary patterns. 43,105–107 Diet can affect the skin condition both positively and negatively through alteration of the gut microbiome, indicating that there is a relationship between the skin and the gut. 16 Not only diet, but also many synthetic and natural products consumed by humans as drugs can provide direct and indirect evidence on the connection between gut microbiome and skin.”

High and low fat diet:

“In the gut, a diet high in industrial trans-fatty acids increases the number of harmful microbes (such as Desulfovibrionaceae and Proteobacteria) while suppressing populations of advantageous microorganisms (e.g. members of Bacteroidetes, Lachnospiraceae, and Bacteroidales). 121 Refined and hydrogenated oils (e.g., soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola, corn, and vegetable oils) can cause inflammation in the gut, which then manifests on the skin.”

Industrially produced trans fat can be found in margarine, vegetable shortening, Vanaspati ghee, fried foods, and baked goods such as crackers, biscuits and pies. Baked and fried street and restaurant foods often contain industrially produced trans fat.

Prebiotics:

“133,134 Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, inulin, polydextrose, lactulose, sorbitol, and xylitol are a promising group of compounds that modulate the gut microbiome and can also provide skin benefits.”

“The effect of prebiotics on the skin condition is also obvious. For example, a Lactobacillus extract helps to reduce the size of acne lesions as well as inflammation by reducing skin erythema, improving skin barrier function and lowering the microbial counts on skin.”

types of prebiotics include:

Chicory root

Garlic

Onion

Dandelion greens

Apples

Bananas

Jerusalem artichoke

Asparagus

Probiotics:

“Probiotics can prevent gut colonization by pathogens and support anti-inflammatory responses by producing metabolites with anti-inflammatory properties. The most common probiotic microbes currently in use belong to the genera Bacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces, and Streptococcus. 143,144 Several beneficial effects of probiotic consumption have been demonstrated on many dermatological conditions, thus proving the existence of the gut-skin axis.”

Common types of probiotics include:

Lactobacillus: This is a common probiotic found in fermented foods, such as yogurt.

Bifidobacterium: This probiotic is found in some dairy products and helps with the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Saccharomyces boulardii: This is a type of yeast found in many probiotics. You can find these probiotics and more in supplements and select foods.

Yogurt

Buttermilk

Cottage cheese

Miso soup

Sauerkraut

Kefir

Kimchi

Tempeh

Protein:

“The proteins from animal-based food sources may have better effects on gut microbiota compared to plant-based food sources due to the higher protein digestibility of animal proteins and the fact that the digestion of plant proteins may be limited by the presence of antinutritional factors found in plants [67]. Animal proteins have more balanced essential amino acids than plant proteins [68,69] and are thus considered higher quality protein.”

“Dairy and meat protein intake at a recommended level increased the abundance of the genus Lactobacillus and maintained a more balanced composition of gut microbiota compared to soy protein, which is beneficial to the host [25,26,28].”

“Your body makes lots of different peptides, each of which has a different role. Scientists can also make synthetic peptides in the lab. Companies have been adding peptides to skin care products for decades.”

High protein foods:

Salmon

Chicken breast

Tuna

Red split lentils

Tofu

Greek yogurt

Fibre:

“Dietary fibre is comprised of plant-based carbohydrates that cannot be metabolised by digestive enzymes encoded in the human genome, such as amylase. Instead, fibre can only be metabolized by certain species of gut microbiota through anaerobic fermentation, with the main product of this reaction being SCFAs.”

“Dietary fibre is a carbohydrate in plant foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes, which have been dominant in human diets for millions of years. From the Paleolithic era, when the hunter-gatherers mainly ate fruit and wild grains, to the agricultural era, when crops began to be cultivated, the ancients consumed more than 100 g of various digestible and indigestible dietary fibre from plants per day [1,2].”

Fibre rich foods:

Chia seeds

Lentils

Broccoli

Avacado

Carrots

Red kidney beans

Raspberries

XOXO

[anarchotahdigism]

"Your body is inflamed. If you haven’t felt it yet, you or someone close to you soon will. Symptoms to look for include uncontrolled weight gain or unexpected weight loss, skin rashes, difficulty with memory, fever, trouble breathing, and chest pain. Inflammation accompanies almost every disease in the modern world: heart disease, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, Alzheimer’s, depression, obesity, diabetes, and more. The difference between a mild course and a fatal case of Covid-19 is the presence or absence of systemic inflammation.

Your body is part of a society inflamed. Covid has exposed the combustible injustices of systemic racism and global capitalism. Demagogues around the world kindle distrust and hatred. Governments send in the police to impose order, monitor lockdowns, enforce a return to work for those who comply and incarceration for those who do not.” ~ Rupa Marya and Raj Patel - Inflamed COVID damages your body with every infection. At some point, that cumulative damage is too much for your body and you begin the long slide into permanent and possibly progressive disability of Long COVID, if you survive--or as long as you survive.

[mad-hare]

@arabellameyer

immunology is so cool because it's like, endlessly complicated, and i romanticized this A LOT because it's really easy to romanticize things from afar, so I decided to get into it... and now my life is like an up and down of "i figured it out!" *reads new sentence* "i don't know anything!" and it's like good then awful

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is sooo cool and complicated because the combination of your immune cells + microbiome influence makes it so like... you could almost say every person with IBD has their own unique disease as there's exceptions to like everything we know about it...

right now I'm writing a research proposal regarding a drug that has been used for about 25 years to treat IBD patients with a lot of success, and a lot of success means about 60% of people respond to it positively and we have no way of knowing if someone is going to respond to it or if they won't, we just haven't figured it out after a quarter of a century (you could even argue we don't know exactly what pathway in the body it's affecting that reduces IBD symptoms because it affects a huge component of your immune system).

and i think the power of machine learning, or ai or whatever, might be vital in analyzing these complex things because like, I see so many graphs that look like this

where the red line is the average, each dot is a person (this is just a sketch i made in paint) and the conclusion is like through the power of statistics we've determined that IBD patients have higher ___ than control. but the RANGE of differences in these patients is so big, it just seems like this classical type of statistics is too reductionist to understand this disease

so we can start to split disease a bit more, we can split IBD into the main subtypes of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and that can help sometimes but not always. studying human populations is incredibly difficult because people have a lot of complexity to them (ie once you start dealing with older patients you have things like diabetes, heart disease, that are altering your population so you can't say for sure X is caused by IBD and not by heart disease + IBD skewing your data)... the fact that once you've treated IBD once (successfully or unsuccesfully) you've potentially permanently altered the immune system of that person (so some papers like to focus on "treatment naive" patients who have been freshly diagnosed which is good but also people with IBD have it forever and often have to go through multiple drug changes and surgery so that is also important to study)

what I'm interested in is finding a way to create new populations of IBD patients that are sorted in a useful way (ie being able to predict what drugs will work on them) and this involves potentially looking beyond the traditional classification system of "ulcerative colitis" or "crohn's disease" and using factors like treatment history, blood test results, endoscopic scores, populations of immune cells... and somehow plugging all that into a computer and telling the computer to sort them into little groups that make sense in a way people haven't figured out yet

so like.... idk

[superdermcomplex]

The Role of Collagen in Maintaining Gut Health and Digestion.

Collagen, a protein primarily found in connective tissues throughout the body, plays a vital role in various bodily functions. While it's often associated with skin health and aging, collagen also plays a crucial role in maintaining gut health and digestion.

The Gut-Skin Connection

The gut and skin are closely linked, forming the largest organ systems in the body. The gut microbiome, a complex community of microorganisms, plays a significant role in both skin health and digestion.

Collagen, as a component of the intestinal lining, helps to maintain the integrity of the gut barrier, preventing harmful substances from entering the bloodstream.

How Collagen Supports Gut Health

Intestinal Barrier Integrity: Collagen is a key component of the intestinal lining, forming a protective barrier that helps to prevent harmful bacteria and toxins from entering the bloodstream. A compromised gut barrier can lead to digestive issues like leaky gut syndrome and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Nutrient Absorption: A healthy intestinal lining is essential for proper nutrient absorption. Collagen helps to maintain the structure and function of the intestinal lining, ensuring that nutrients are efficiently absorbed from the digestive tract.

Mucosal Lining: Collagen is also a component of the mucosal lining, a protective layer that covers the digestive tract. A healthy mucosal lining helps to prevent inflammation and irritation.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties: Collagen peptides have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to reduce inflammation in the gut. Chronic inflammation is linked to various digestive disorders, including IBS and IBD.

Benefits of Collagen for Gut Health

Improved Digestion: Collagen can help to improve digestion by supporting the integrity of the intestinal lining and reducing inflammation.

Reduced Digestive Symptoms: Collagen may help to alleviate symptoms of digestive disorders, such as bloating, gas, and constipation.

Enhanced Nutrient Absorption: A healthy gut barrier is essential for proper nutrient absorption. Collagen can help to improve nutrient absorption, leading to better overall health.

Reduced Risk of Digestive Diseases: Collagen may help to reduce the risk of digestive diseases, including leaky gut syndrome and inflammatory bowel diseases.

How to Incorporate Collagen into Your Diet

There are several ways to incorporate collagen into your diet:

Bone Broth: Bone broth is a rich source of collagen. It can be consumed on its own or used as a base for soups, stews, and sauces.

Collagen Supplements: Collagen supplements are available in powder or capsule form. They can be added to smoothies, juices, or water.

Collagen-Rich Foods: Certain foods, such as chicken skin, fish skin, and eggshells, are natural sources of collagen.

Final Thoughts

Collagen plays a vital role in maintaining gut health and digestion. By supporting the integrity of the intestinal lining, reducing inflammation, and improving nutrient absorption, collagen can help to optimize digestive function and overall health.

Incorporating collagen into your diet through bone broth, supplements, or collagen-rich foods can be a beneficial strategy for improving gut health.

[snowy-wife]

Atropa Belladonna is also known as Poisonous Nightshade/Deadly Nightshade and Belladonna. It's a toxic perennial herbaceous plant in the Nightshade family. It's native to Europe and western Asia including Turkey. Despite it's violent nature it is a beautiful luring plant, has flowers and berries, and used to be used as a pain reliever and sedative for surgery in Ancient Rome, on top of being used as a hallucigeon, like how people use the Dutera plant now days, during the same time period. Italians use it to dialate their eyes to make them look bigger and eye doctors use atropine for their eye exams for the same reason as the Italians use for it.

There are tons of symptoms of nightshade poisoning and they are, dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, tachycardia, loss of balance, staggering, headache, rash, flushing, severely dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, convulsions, death and a couple of other things. But despite being deadly and toxic it also has been used for good, such as, a sedative, to stop bronchial spasms in asthma and whooping cough, and as a cold and hay fever remedy. It is also used for Parkinson's disease, colic, inflammatory bowel disease, motion sickness, and as a painkiller.

Belladonna is also put into foods and some other foods that are in the nightshade family are potatoes and tomatoes. Mainly spicy food like the one chip challenges, it inhances spice. You can take small doses and amounts without it being deadly but you'll still get a couple of the symptoms. All parts of the plant are poisonous but the worst part are the berries that are sweet. In the United States it is legal to sell the plant, grow it and use it.