156 episodes

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease) are about more than diarrhea: they affect the whole person. About IBD focuses on health and lifestyle issues important to people living with Crohn's or colitis. IBD patients, doctors, therapists, and care partners give their tips and advice on topics including diet, nutrition, treatments, mental health, family dynamics, and sexuality as it relates to living with IBD.

About IBD Amber J Tresca

    • Health & Fitness
    • 5.0 • 25 Ratings

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease) are about more than diarrhea: they affect the whole person. About IBD focuses on health and lifestyle issues important to people living with Crohn's or colitis. IBD patients, doctors, therapists, and care partners give their tips and advice on topics including diet, nutrition, treatments, mental health, family dynamics, and sexuality as it relates to living with IBD.

    Positivity Beats IBD With Josef Miller

    Positivity Beats IBD With Josef Miller

    What is it like to be a teen living with Crohn’s disease? If you’re like Josef Miller, you channel the challenges of the diagnosis and management of IBD into action. Josef has written a book about his experiences, entitled "The Purple Rose," and created an initiative called "Positivity Beats IBD," which creates inspirational cards for people living with IBD and other conditions. Learn about Josef's journey with Crohn's, his multicultural background, and how and why he decided to write a book.
    Find Josef Miller at:
    Instagram — Positivity Beats IBD: @positivity_beats_ibd Instagram — Josef Miller: @josefjm13 Book: The Purple Rose Book: The Axolotl That Lost Himself Connecting to Cure Find Amber J Tresca at:
    AboutIBD.com: About IBD Verywell: Verywell Health Facebook: @aboutIBD Twitter: @aboutIBD Pinterest: @aboutibd Instagram: @about_IBD Find Mac Cooney (mix, sound design, and theme music) at:
    Facebook: @maccooneycomposer Instagram: @maccooneycomposer Web: Cooney Studio Theme music, IBD Dance Party, is from ©Cooney Studio. Episode transcript and more information at: https://bit.ly/AIBD143
    These show notes contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, Mal and Tal Enterprises, LLC may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

    • 39 min
    Designer $hit: A Microbiome Love Story With Saffron Cassaday

    Designer $hit: A Microbiome Love Story With Saffron Cassaday

    What options are you wiling to try to manage your ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease? How about putting someone else’s stool into your own colon? Fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) — using stool from a donor to repopulate bacteria in the colon — are being studied for use in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Filmmaker Saffron Cassady decided to try do-it-yourself FMT to treat her ulcerative colitis, using stool from the healthiest person she could find: her husband. The journey is captured in her film, Designer $hit, which explores both the science and potential behind FMT. Learn about why she decided to take a chance on FMT, how it has impacted her life, and where you can see Designer $hit.
     
    Learn where you can attend a screening: https://designershit.eventive.org/schedule
     
    Episode transcript and more information at: https://bit.ly/AIBD142
     
    Find Saffron Cassaday and Designer $hit at:
    Web: Designer $hit Twitter: @Designer_Shit_ TikTok:  @designershitdocumentary YouTube: Designer $hit Facebook: @Designer Shit Instagram: @designershtdocumentary

    Find Amber J Tresca at:
    AboutIBD.com: About IBD
    Verywell: Verywell Health
    Facebook: @aboutIBD
    Twitter: @aboutIBD
    Pinterest: @aboutibd
    Instagram: @about_IBD

     
    Find Mac Cooney (mix, sound design, and theme music) at:
    Facebook: @maccooneycomposer
    Instagram: @maccooneycomposer
    Web: Cooney Studio
    LinkedIn: @macooney
    Theme music, IBD Dance Party, is from ©Cooney Studio.

     
    These show notes may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, Mal and Tal Enterprises, LLC may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

    • 27 min
    Coping With IBD While in Military Service With Dr Anish Patel

    Coping With IBD While in Military Service With Dr Anish Patel

    What do all the new oral drugs available for treating IBD have to do with military service? Being diagnosed with IBD might mean leaving the military for some service members. Part of the reason is that it’s not possible to be deployed while receiving a drug that’s an injection or an infusion. But when a medication works well and happens to be in pill form: that’s a game-changer. Dr Anish Patel, the Medical Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Brooke Army Medical Center gives an update on how IBD is treated in the military, what he sees on the horizon for IBD, and his best advice for every patient living with a chronic illness.
     
     
    Episode transcript and more information at: https://bit.ly/AIBD141
     
     
    Find Anish Patel, DO, LTC, FACG, FAGA at:
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anish.patel.31392/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089635157883 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anishpa81/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FocusGI2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishpa-armyibd/ Web: https://www.focusgi.org/
    Resources:
    Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Veterans with IBD: https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/veterans Facebook Support Group for Veterans with IBD: https://www.facebook.com/groups/525843515658644 VA Podcast Network: https://news.va.gov/va-podcast-network/ My HealtheVet: https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/home Veterans Crisis Line: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ Research:
    Fragmented care and IBD: Outcomes in U.S. veterans: https://ihpi.umich.edu/news/fragmented-care-and-ibd-outcomes-us-veterans Irritable Bowel Syndrome in U.S. Veterans: https://www.verywellhealth.com/ibs-in-veterans-1944720 Kent KG. Prevalence of gastrointestinal disease in US Military Veterans under outpatient care at the Veterans Health Administration. SAGE Open Med. 2021;9:20503121211049112.  doi:10.1177/20503121211049112 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34646564/ Bookwalter DB, Roenfeldt KA, LeardMann CA, Kong SY, Riddle MS, Rull RP. Posttraumatic stress disorder and risk of selected autoimmune diseases among US military personnel. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):23. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-2432-9 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31941473/ Find Amber J Tresca at:
    Verywell: https://www.verywell.com/ibd-crohns-colitis-4014703 Blog: http://aboutibd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aboutIBD/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/aboutIBD Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aboutibd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/about_IBD/
     
    Credits:
    Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney:
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maccooneycomposer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maccooneycomposer/ "IBD Dance Party" Single: https://maccooney.bandcamp.com/track/ibd-dance-party-single ©Cooney Studio: http://cooneystudio.com/

    • 44 min
    Learning to Accept IBD

    Learning to Accept IBD

    Being diagnosed with a chronic condition is a major adjustment. Digestive conditions like IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) wind up affecting every part of our lives. Learning to accept the ways in which the disease affects life can be helpful. But it’s important to make the distinction between acceptance and complacency. Maalvika Bhuvansunder, a young adult patient living with Crohn’s disease, uses her experiences to help bring the concept of acceptance into focus for other people who are living with a chronic condition.
     

    Concepts discussed on this episode:
    What Is a Bowel Obstruction?: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-bowel-obstruction-1943010 Bowel Obstruction Surgery: Everything You Need to Know: https://www.verywellhealth.com/surgery-for-a-bowel-obstruction-796815 6 Types of Colectomy Surgery: https://www.verywellhealth.com/types-of-colectomy-surgery-1943059 Parasites - Amebiasis - Entamoeba histolytica Infection: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/amebiasis/general-info.html Gargallo-Puyuelo CJ, Alfambra E, García-Erce JA, Gomollon F. Iron Treatment May Be Difficult in Inflammatory Diseases: Inflammatory Bowel Disease as a Paradigm. Nutrients. 2018;10(12):1959. Published 2018 Dec 11. doi:10.3390/nu10121959 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6316243/
     
    Episode transcript and more information at: https://bit.ly/AIBD140
     
    Find Maalvika Bhuvansunder at:
    Adventure and Travel with Chronic Illness: https://youtu.be/yw1KNhSyVLg LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/maalvika-bhuvansunder Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maalvika_bhuvansunder Web: https://www.ccyanetwork.org/fellow-projects
    Find Amber J Tresca:
    Verywell: https://www.verywell.com/ibd-crohns-colitis-4014703 Blog: http://aboutibd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aboutIBD/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/aboutIBD Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aboutibd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/about_IBD/
     
    Credits:
    Sound engineering courtesy Mac Cooney: https://www.facebook.com/maccooneycomposer "IBD Dance Party" Single: https://maccooney.bandcamp.com/track/ibd-dance-party-single ©Cooney Studio: http://cooneystudio.com/
     
    These show notes contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, Mal and Tal Enterprises, LLC may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

    • 28 min
    IBD and Menopause

    IBD and Menopause

    Menopause is a topic that's not well understood in general and there's even less information when it comes to menopause and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis). October is World menopause Awareness Month. World Menopause Day is on October 18 every year. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of menopause and the support options available for improving health and well being. Learn more about how IBD may affect perimenopause and menopause, as well as the reverse.
     
    Concepts discussed on this episode:

    World Menopause Day: https://www.imsociety.org/education/world-menopause-day/ The North American Menopause Society: https://www.menopause.org/home Menopause and IBD: What a Gastroenterologist Wants You to Know: https://gastrogirl.com/menopause-and-ibd/ Living Well with IBD: Women's Health and IBD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWcQsiQDvKk Can You Treat Menopause Symptoms With Over-the-Counter Medications: https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/menopause/over-the-counter-relief-options Maya Minding Menopause: A 4-Part Series: https://mayafellernutrition.com/maya-minding-menopause/
    Find Amber J Tresca at:
    AboutIBD.com: About IBD
    Verywell: Verywell Health
    Facebook: @aboutIBD
    Twitter: @aboutIBD
    Pinterest: @aboutibd
    Instagram: @about_IBD
    Find Mac Cooney (mix, sound design, and theme music) at:
    Facebook: @maccooneycomposer
    Instagram: @maccooneycomposer
    Web: Cooney Studio
    LinkedIn: @macooney
    Theme music, IBD Dance Party, is from ©Cooney Studio.
    Episode transcript and more information at: https://bit.ly/AIBD139

     
    Sources:
    1. Rolston VS, Boroujerdi L, Long MD, et al. The influence of hormonal fluctuation on inflammatory bowel disease symptom severity—a cross-sectional cohort study. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2018;24:387–393. doi:10.1093/ibd/izx004
    2. Lichtarowicz A, Norman C, Calcraft B, Morris JS, Rhodes J, Mayberry J. A study of the menopause, smoking, and contraception in women with Crohn's disease. Quarterly Journal of Medicine. 1989;72:623–631.
    3. Kane SV, Reddy D. Hormonal replacement therapy after menopause is protective of disease activity in women with inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2008;103:1193–1196. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2007.01700.x
    4. “The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society” Advisory Panel. The 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2022;29(7):767-794. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000002028
    5. Lungaro L, Costanzini A, Manza F, et al. Impact of Female Gender in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Narrative Review. J Pers Med. 2023;13(2):165. Published 2023 Jan 17. doi:10.3390/jpm13020165
    6. Lewandowski K, Kaniewska M, Więcek M, et al. Risk Factors for Osteoporosis among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Do We Already Know Everything?. Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1151. Published 2023 Feb 24. doi:10.3390/nu15051151
    7. Schüle S, Rossel JB, Frey D, et al. Widely differing screening and treatment practice for osteoporosis in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases in the Swiss IBD cohort study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(22):e6788. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000006788
    8. Hidalgo DF, Boonpheng B, Phemister J, Hidalgo J, Young M. Inflammatory bowel disease and risk of osteoporotic fractures: A meta-analysis. Cureus. 2019;11:e5810. doi:10.7759/cureus.5810
    9. Palomba S, Manguso F, Orio F Jr, et al. Effectiveness of risedronate in osteoporotic postmenopausal women with inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective, parallel, open-label, two-year extension study. Menopause. 2008;15(4 Pt 1):730-736. doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e318159f190
    Additional Sources:
    Gold EB. The timing of the age at which natural menopause occurs. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2011;38:425–440. doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2011.05.002 Sheth T, Pitchumoni CS, Das KM. Musculoskeletal manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease: a revisit in search of immun

    • 14 min
    Having a Screening Colonoscopy

    Having a Screening Colonoscopy

    Colon cancer is being diagnosed more frequently in younger people. It’s now recommended that most people get a screening colonoscopy at the age of 45. For people who  have a family history of colon cancer, the first screening should be when they are 10 years younger than the family member was when they were diagnosed.
     
    My guest is my husband, Michael Tresca, who recently had a screening colonoscopy after turning 50. He details his experiences in using a newer prep and how he managed the process. 
     
    If there is a person in your life that is due for their screening, I hope you’ll share this with them. And if you’re someone who is involved in administering screening colonoscopies, I hope you’ll listen to get an unfiltered perspective.
     
    Find Michael Tresca at World of Welstar:
    Twitter: @WorldofWelstar
    Instagram: @world_of_welstar
    Facebook: @worldofwelstar
    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/talien
     
    Find Amber J Tresca at:
    AboutIBD.com: About IBD
    Verywell: Verywell Health
    Facebook: @aboutIBD
    Twitter: @aboutIBD
    Pinterest: @aboutibd
    Instagram: @about_IBD
    Find Mac Cooney (mix, sound design, and theme music) at:
    Facebook: @maccooneycomposer
    Instagram: @maccooneycomposer
    Web: Cooney Studio
    LinkedIn: @macooney
    Theme music, IBD Dance Party, is from ©Cooney Studio.
    Episode transcript and more information at: https://bit.ly/AIBD138
     
    These show notes contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, Mal and Tal Enterprises, LLC may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

    • 39 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
25 Ratings

25 Ratings

zylafone ,

Learn from the Expert

Amber is so well versed in IBD. She is an expert brings such wonderful information and knowledge to every episode. What a supportive community she has created and a wonderful resource for IBD.

Littleluna9 ,

Great information!

It was wonderful to meet you Amber, at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center College Night. Thank you for sharing your experience and insight. I enjoyed the latest episodes here and look forward to listening to many more. Very personal and meaningful 😊

A_spareparts ,

Relatable and informative

Amber always has relevant topics and guests talking about important things for IBD patients. She’s always relatable and makes great content FOR patients not about them.

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