Many of us don't really know the differences between the symptoms of the common cold and the flu. It's enough for us to know that we are ill for a few days, should probably stay home from work and school to avoid infecting others, and are typically back to normal in a week or so. But this cold and flu season is a little different, with the addition of the H1N1 to the mix of usual cold and flu viruses. While H1N1 is a form of flu, the symptoms are slightly different than those of the seasonal flu variety, and you may want to know the difference before anyone in your house gets the sniffles this year. Kristina Duda, R.N., About.com Guide to Cold and Flu, has a handy table outlining cold and flu symptoms that you'll want to check out and probably bookmark to refer to later.

An international team has found five genes that play a roll in the development of childhood IBD. Much of the research into the genetic causes of IBD has focused on adult patients, even though pediatric IBD tends to be more severe. The study compared 3,400 children and adolescents with IBD and 11,963 genetically matched control subjects to find the gene regions that are active in IBD. The authors stress that their results need to be confirmed through more study and that finding the genetic basis for IBD can help develop personalized medicine. The research is both ground breaking in its results, but also a triumph of collaboration between at least six leading pediatric IBD centers across the Americas and Europe.

Source:
Imielinski M, Baldassano RN, Griffiths A, et al. "Common variants at five new loci associated with early-onset inflammatory bowel disease." Nature Genetics Published online 15 Nov 2009. 17 Nov 2009.

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is running a contest, and if you register for one of their Take Steps walks before November 30, you'll be entered to win a $50 gift card to P.F. Chang's China Bistro. P.F. Chang's now has a gluten-free menu (I've tried a few items on it -- good stuff!). Every walk site is giving away one gift card, which increases your chances of winning!

Everyone with IBD wonders what they can possibly eat that won't worsen their symptoms. The truth is that diet is extremely individual, and it may even change from year to year. A lot of people with IBD stay away from difficult-to-digest foods such as nuts and popcorn, but other people find that seemingly innocuous foods like chicken can cause problems. There are a variety of cookbooks that you can try to help yourself cook for your condition, and I've found one such book that you can get for free!

Brenda Roscher, who has Crohn's disease, has developed a cookbook of foods that she found to be both tasty and Crohn's-friendly. You can get this book for free by signing up for a newsletter at Crohn's Online, and providing some basic information such as email address, postal address, and year of diagnosis. Crohn's Online is run by Abbott Laboratories, makers of Humira.

More about IBD and Diet:

• Is There a Special Diet for IBD?
• Recipes That Go Easy on Your IBD
• Holiday Eating With IBD