2017

What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is the name given to a group of rare disorders that affects the connective tissues. Connective tissues in the body are vital as they provide support for the skin, bone, internal…

What is a stoma? A stoma is an opening on the abdomen that can be connected to either your digestive or urinary system to allow waste (urine or faeces) to be diverted out of your body. It looks like a small, pinkish, circular piece of…

Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome where the blood sugar levels become higher than normal, which can cause a range of symptoms. It occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough or any insulin to move glucose into the cells in our body.…

The Bladder and Bowel Community team will be taking to their cycles again on Saturday 1st July to tackle the tough 112 miles Ring of Kerry Challenge after successfully completing the stunning cycle route last year. This year around…

There are many stages of life which pose new challenges and it’s easy to overlook our health even if we don’t have any symptoms. However, there may be times in our lives when we could benefit from a having a health check, whether to provide…

Published on 20/6/17 Being a family carer is a demanding role and one which entails lots of different responsibilities. Carers often bear considerable physical, emotional, and financial burdens - it's true that carers are unsung heroes.…

It is usual for anyone who is about to undergo an operation to have given their consent to treatment. Consenting for surgery needs the input of both the surgeon and the patient and should be based on openness, trust and good communication.…

AD This article contains links Published on 20/6/17 The impact of urinary incontinence on people’s lives is “atrocious” says Dr. Ruth Maher, an associate professor at the Department of Physical Therapy, Creighton University in Omaha.…

Published on 20/6/17 Did you know that you can visit a continence clinic without needing a referral from your GP? This means that you can gain access to the right care and treatment for your bladder or bowel condition quickly and without…

Through our partnership with Bullen Healthcare, we are able to offer our members a service that takes care of all of your appliance and prescription requirements and delivers them directly and discreetly to your front door. The Home…

Published on 20/6/17 Incontinence impacts more than 200 million people worldwide and between three and six million people in the UK! That’s a lot of people – so here at Sealy, we’ve invested in a new range to help you sleep easy. We…

Designed by chartered physiotherapists specialising in Pelvic Health working in the NHS, Squeezy is suitable for all women who want to do pelvic floor muscle exercises (or Kegel exercises). The app is particularly aimed at women who are…

The treatment for a bowel obstruction will depend on what is causing it. For a total mechanical blockage, surgery will most likely be required. Most bowel obstructions will need some form of hospital intervention to relieve the problem. If…

What Is A Bowel Obstruction? A bowel obstruction can be a serious condition, which can occur in the large or small bowel. A small bowel obstruction commonly occurs where loops of intestine can easily get blocked or twisted. A…

INNOVO® is working in association with the World Federation of Incontinent Patients (WFIP) for World Continence Week (19-25 June), for a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ attempt and they need your help! Innovo want to try to break the World Record…

Short Bowel Syndrome is a rare and complex disease which usually develops after a significant portion of small bowel and /or colon is removed surgically. This condition can also occasionally happen as a result of a portion of the bowel…

There is no cure for short bowel syndrome at present and treatment involves alleviating the symptoms suffered by the patient and working to balance the right level of nutrition needed by the body. Treatment may be coordinated across a team…

“Desperate for the loo? They’re closed now but they’ll be open for the summer season.” “You need the loo? Sorry, mate! They’ve been closed down – vandalism and all that. The council says they’re too costly to keep open.” “How dare…

Diarrhoea can cause frequent and urgent desires to go to the toilet. Learn about what causes this diarrhoea, the symptoms and how to treat it effectively.

Post Prostate Cancer surgery? Suffering with leaks? A revolutionary, new incontinence treatment has got everyone talking... Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer found in men in the UK with over 41,000 cases…

AD This article contains links Dr. Ruth Maher is one of the original four inventors of Innovotherapy, the only non-invasive therapy clinically proven to restore the pelvic floor. Innovotherapy directly targets pelvic floor weakness - the…

Medical Negligence Claims – Client Stories Irwin Mitchell is proud to support The Bowel & Bladder Community. As a national law firm which offers legal advice and support to those affected by bowel and bladder conditions, we often see…

The Bladder and Bowel Foundation has been serving the Bladder and Bowel Community since 1989 offering help and support to thousands of people across the UK. Earlier this year the Bladder and Bowel Foundation went into receivership due to…

Morrisons install accessible toilet signs in 492 stores. The Bladder and Bowel Community is delighted to share some fantastic news from the Crohn’s and Colitis UK charity. They have successfully managed to recruit Morrisons supermarkets to…

We are delighted to announce that Blake Beckford has been shortlisted for Business Person of the Year at the 2017 Pride of Stratford Awards. The nomination is jointly held with fellow Bladder and Bowel Community Director, Ian…

Amongst other things, April marks IBS Awareness Month. So we thought it would be a good idea to put something together on what this oft-misunderstood condition is really like, and what’s involved in the day-to-day management of it. It’s…

Millions of people in England experience problems with continence but many are not getting the support they need, health officials are warning. In guidance published by NHS England, experts have suggested people "suffer in silence" because…

Scientists claim method is potentially more accurate than PSA and could minimize predicament of over-diagnosis at screening. Scientists in Ireland have developed a technique they hoped would be a more reliable and accurate method to…

A newly-launched Cancer Research UK study could be the first step towards exercise training being introduced as a new NHS treatment for prostate cancer. The PANTERA study, led by Sheffield Hallam University, will focus on 50 men who have…

Benjamin King, star of Disney Channel's hit TV series Liv and Maddie, helps others, especially kids, learn to live well with Crohn's disease. He spoke with NIH MedlinePlus magazine about his own long journey with this condition. To read…

New evidence published highlights benefits and harms of using artificial mesh when compared with tissue repair in the surgical treatment of vaginal prolapse. Slightly better repair with mesh needs to be weighed carefully against increased…

A report into the financial and emotional  costs of constipation has been launched on 1st March 2016. Called, The Cost of Constipation, the report has worked out that the cost to the NHS last year from hospital admissions due to…

On Tuesday 16 February, Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) hosted its very first patient engagement event at The Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The event was a valuable opportunity for ensuring that programme…

Up to half of samples of urinary tract infections in children are resistant to common antibiotics, new research has shown. The analysis found high levels of antibiotic resistance in infections caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli).…

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a novel implantable material which could reduce the number of debilitating side-effects that occur as a result of using a material that is too rigid for surgical treatment of…

NICE has issued final guidance recommending abiraterone (marketed as Zytiga by Janssen) for some prostate cancer patients. This is a change from the appraisal committee's previous draft guidance decision. It is estimated that 5,900…

New early warning system to prevent life-threatening urinary infections in catheter users. A new infection alert system in catheters could prevent serious infections in millions of hospital patients worldwide. The system, detailed in a…

Ahead of Continence Awareness Week to be staged in June, the Chief Nurse for NHS England in the South explains the need for commissioners to listen to patients: I recently attended the National Continence Care Awards organised by the…

On July 2nd this year, Mike Quinn (Miromedia) is riding with 14 like minded gents around the gruelling Ring of Kerry Cycle Challenge, in Ireland. B&BF are delighted and grateful to Mike and all of the riders for supporting the charity…

Elaine Miller is a physiotherapist based in Edinburgh. She wrote a comedy show about pelvic floors called "Gusset Grippers" in an attempt to break down the taboos which surround continence, pelvic pain and sexual dysfunctions - all of which…

Dr. Adrian Wagg, from the University of Alberta, is conducting a survey exploring women's sources of information, knowledge and use of continence pads.  If you are a woman over the age of 30 who uses some sort of containment products for…

Continence Self-Assessment Framework (2014) Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) About this document The purpose of the NHS England self-assessment framework for continence is to: Establish baseline data on continence commissioning…

Bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis, causes distress in children and young adults, as well as for their parents or caregivers. The causes are not fully understood and there may be both physiological and psychological components to the…

Thousands more people would take part in bowel cancer screening if the kit included extras, such as gloves and "poo catchers", according to a Cancer Research UK study published in Biomed Research International*. The London study looked…

Dynamic pelvic floor magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive test that uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to produce detailed pictures of the pelvic floor, a network of muscles that stretches between the…

Current therapies for children with Crohn's disease don't fully restore healthy bacteria and fungi populations in their digestive systems, a new study shows. These findings suggest that treatments don't have to bring bacteria and other…

NICE has developed medical technology guidance on the UroLift system. NICE medical technologies guidance addresses specific technologies notified to NICE by companies. The ‘case for adoption’ recommendations are based on the claimed…

A new understanding of inflammatory bowel diseases has been prompted by the analysis of genetic and clinical data from more than 30,000 patients. This study reveals that genetic factors affect the location of the inflammation in the gut,…

One of the most common, but rarely discussed issues that female athletes face is urinary incontinence during exercise. This phenomenon is also known as stress urinary incontinence and is defined as the involuntary leaking of urine during…

Training in meditation and other mindfulness-based techniques brings lasting improvements in mental health and quality of life for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), according to a study in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases,…