Crohn’s disease isn’t something that usually comes up in cocktail party conversations.  It isn’t featured prominently in television shows or radio spots. Ask your average person what Crohn’s is, and they likely will be hard-pressed to give you the right answer.

But this chronic inflammatory bowel disease is featured on the Web site of the New York Times, putting a face – or faces, in this case – to this rarely discussed disorder. In this interactive feature, seven people ranging in age from 19 to 61 share their experiences with the condition that has been diagnosed in more than 300,000 Americans.

“It takes forever to get diagnosed with Crohn’s,” recounts Ryan Walsh Horowitz, 19, of Brooklyn. “They thought I was anemic. They thought I had leukemia – and a bunch of other things.”

That is not surprising, nor an isolated problem.

Crohn’s has long been overlooked or misdiagnosed in the general public. The most common symptoms are, well, common: diarrhea, constipation, gas, abdominal pain, bloating and loss of weight. So it’s easy to see why many other health conditions are often suspected first.

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Last month, a new study of a seemingly more user-friendly approach to colon cancer screening generated quite a buzz.

“Scans provide alternative to colonoscopies in spotting cancer,” read one headline. “Virtual colonoscopies ready for prime time” said another.

For anyone who could think of a thousand things they’d rather be doing than undergoing a traditional colonoscopy, it sounded like wonderful news. A federal study of CT colonography or “virtual colonoscopy” determined that the X-ray procedure was effective at detecting large cancers and precancerous growths in people with an average risk of colon cancer.

No general anesthesia? No need to take a day off from work? No problem! Those were no doubt the thoughts of many patients who are skittish about traditional colonoscopies – and the bowel preparation that accompanies them. Some experts expressed hopes that this vote of confidence in an alternative screening method which is less invasive and cumbersome would encourage more people to be checked for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Now, I am all for appropriate colon screening. But as a practicing physician for more than 30 years, I have strong feelings against this procedure, and here’s why:

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As far as vitamins go, the popular belief has been that B – or B12, specifically – is for brain. Memory, cognition and brain size have all appeared to benefit from the dietary supplement.

A new study suggests, however, that vitamin B12 doesn’t slow cognitive decline in patients already diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms did not improve in 202 patients put on high doses of the vitamin.

But don’t throw away your bottle of B vitamins just yet.

While the new study raises questions about the vitamin’s ability to treat Alzheimer’s disease, there is still a growing body of evidence indicating that it may be useful in preventing it. A number of clinical trials have determined that sufficient levels of vitamin B12 may be needed to keep the brain from shrinking and mental cognition from declining. So, it is more important than ever to make sure you’re getting enough of this nutrient.

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If you’ve received your Navigenics genetic test results, it may be time for “the talk.”

Time to have a candid conversation with your physician about your DNA and what you can do to improve the future direction of your health.

This summer, I blogged about some of the barriers patients might face in sitting down with a physician to go over the results. Fear of discrimination and too-short appointments are foremost on some people’s list.

Yet your doctor can be your greatest ally in your quest to make informed decisions about your health.

And, as one of our satisfied customers relates, having that conversation can be one of the most important steps you can take along the path toward optimal wellness.

In Patrick’s case, it meant early detection and early treatment of a health condition that might otherwise have gone undetected for some time.

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You might expect to read the “Eight Secrets to Weight Loss!” in a popular women’s magazine. But in a top medical journal? And based on a long-term scientific study of thousands of people who lost weight and kept it off for more than a year?

Both a scientific journal and a health conference held earlier this year highlighted the key characteristics of successful weight loss in the National Weight Control Registry, an ongoing study of more than 5,000 successful dieters. Brown University researcher Suzanne Phelan, who is involved in the study, noted that the people who lost at least 30 pounds – and kept them off for more than a year – tended to share certain success strategies. Anyone with some unwanted pounds to shed, she said, would be wise to learn from the “successful losers” in the research project.

“There is a general perception that almost no one succeeds in long-term maintenance of weight loss,” Phelan and a colleague wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “However, research has shown that [roughly] 20 percent of overweight individuals are successful at long-term weight loss when defined as losing at least 10 percent of initial body weight and maintaining the loss for at least one” year.

So how do they do it?

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Today, Navigenics is pleased to announce our participation in a major study that will examine how people respond to personal genetic testing. Here are some details of this research endeavor, as described in a news release:

A consortium of health care, technology and research leaders have joined forces in a first-of-its-kind research study to assess the behavioral impact of personal genetic testing on people who choose to receive such screenings to identify their potential risk for developing certain diseases.

Sponsored by Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI), the study aims to find out if participating in personal genomic testing will improve health by motivating people to make positive lifestyle changes, such as exercising, eating healthy and quitting smoking, as well as decisions to seek further medical evaluation and preventive strategies.  The study will offer genetic scans to up to 10,000 employees, family members and friends of the nonprofit Scripps Health system in San Diego and will assess changes in participants’ behaviors over a 20-year period.

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Psoriasis is a dermatological condition that is more than skin deep.

This chronic skin disease, known for its silvery scales and itchy red patches, has been linked to a whole host of other health problems.

These include heart attack, type 2 diabetes, obesity and Crohn’s disease. Scientific evidence continues to mount that psoriasis is associated with other diseases, as well.

In some cases, the association is quite significant.

One study found that 20- to 30-year-olds with severe psoriasis had a 310 percent increased risk of having a heart attack compared with peers who didn’t have the skin disorder.

And the risks don’t stop there.

In a review this spring of recent research on the association between psoriasis and other ailments, the National Psoriasis Foundation warned that psoriasis patients are at heightened risk for many serious health conditions. The organization urged psoriasis patients to work with their physicians to come up with an appropriate prevention program, and to ensure they are continually monitored for the “potential onset of any health issues related to psoriasis.”

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“Feel the burn!” Jane Fonda used to exclaim to her aerobics disciples. “No pain, no gain.”

These were popular exercise mantras, embraced by many American fitness buffs. Yet these days, you won’t hear many health experts repeating them.

Exercise, obviously, is a good thing. But even if you aren’t a triathlete in training, you still have options.

Intense, painful exercise dragging on for hours at a time isn’t necessarily “better” than a more temperate approach.  In fact, engaging in just 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day has been associated with many significant health benefits, even when the 30 minutes are divided into several shorter workouts.

Given that many people are more likely to squeeze in exercise when it seems easier or less painful, “intermittent” exercise may be the best option for some folks.

What exactly is intermittent exercise?

Fitness experts have used the term somewhat loosely to describe several types of physical activity, namely interval workouts and short, separated bouts of exercise. The premise behind both is simple: Follow a brief period of exercise with a varying level or amount of rest.  And many researchers are beginning to sing its praises.

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