Okay, what follows will not work for everyone. But, nevertheless, the story I am about to tell is one of hope and inspiration. It shows how just an off-hand comment, if you are listening and take action, can have a huge impact on your health.
54-year-old Barbara Woodman of Mt. Prospect, IL spent ten years living [...]

I don’t mean to be short with people but I try to be very efficient with my time. Too often I do not get to smell the roses or just have an idle chat with a friend because there’s so much to do and so little time. Part of it is having three young children, [...]

I have previously written about Dr. Dan Present and his spouse, Jane Present. Jane is a powerful positive force for Crohn’s and IBD in her own right.
Recently they launched a web site called My IBD associated with their organization, the Foundation for Clinical Research in IBD. HealthTalk helped develop the site, which is a wonderful [...]

I have told you previously about my daughter Ruth, age 12½, and her chronic stomach inflammation problem. We’ve been on a three-year odyssey trying to get the right diagnosis and treatment. It has taken us to many doctors and even from Seattle to Ohio to see a specialist.
In the meantime, Ruth missed a lot of [...]

When you were a kid, did you ever take a dance class? I did, at Todd Elementary School in Briarcliff Manor, NY on Saturday afternoons when I was in the fourth grade.
The boys sported blazers, and the girls wore dresses and white gloves. We formed a circle around the multipurpose room, and ol’ silver-maned Mr. [...]

Some really interesting letters this time:
“I have been receiving your letters and I enjoy the ease by which you communicate. I was diagnosed with CLL in 1997. I do believe that stress and genes have everything to do with CLL, with emphasis on the stress input.
“We lost a son in 1989, and six months later [...]

Wow, the e-mails and posted comments have been coming faster than I can answer them, and there have been some great questions asked and suggestions shared. If you don’t find your story or question addressed here, I’m probably still working on the response. Don’t worry, I’ll post another mailbag very soon.
“You were kind enough to [...]

My 12-year-old daughter, Ruthie, has a chronic stomach inflammation problem. So far, it has not blossomed into Crohn’s disease and maybe never will. And it’s not celiac disease, where you can calm the inflammation by eliminating gluten (wheat and other grains) from your diet. And it doesn’t appear to be any identifiable food allergy.
For three [...]

Wow, I’ve been overwhelmed by all of the supportive mails I’ve received since launching this blog last month. I can’t reply to every single mail, but I’ll do my best to respond here periodically and call out some of your helpful suggestions and fascinating stories.
We received a number of requests for more information about an [...]

The phone rang the other night. It was not a surprise. Earlier in the day, I had received an e-mail from the parent of an ailing 10-year-old boy back East. The father gets the newsletter from my old high school, and they had noted what I do for a living. The dad had turned to [...]