Although irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists, it’s also one of the most misunderstood. That’s why updated guidelines addressing the management of the condition are being released by the American College of Gastroenterology.

After a diagnosis of tongue cancer Lisa, a new mother, was faced with the loss of part of her tongue to save her life. She knew that she could lose her ability to talk and that her young son might never hear her voice again. But surgeons at the University of Michigan built her a new tongue.

Music is known to “soothe the savage beast” but can it soothe those mired in the grief, confusion and pain of cancer diagnosis and treatment? The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center is utilizing music therapy to help heal patients’ spirits as well as their bodies.

A bottle of cologne, a new pair of pajamas or a video game are all quick and easy gifts to buy and wrap for the upcoming holiday season. But this year, why not give something more healthy and beneficial to a loved one? Why not give the gift of health?

Suggested lead: Spinal scoliosis is a fairly common condition among both children and adults. For a small group, the condition can progress to create severe pain and balance issues which require surgery. That is why surgeons at the University of Michigan are experimenting with a new minimal access spinal surgery that may revolutionize this surgical repair.

About one in every 100 people each year will experience a serious bloodstream infection, and often times, antibiotics aren’t enough. So to combat these rampant infections, University of Michigan researchers are working to find ways to better diagnose and treat them.

About 10 million people in the United States alone-from troops returning from war to students with music blasting through headphones-are suffering from impairing noise-induced hearing loss. The rising trend is something that researchers and physicians at the University of Michigan Kresge Hearing Research Institute are hoping to reverse, with a cocktail of vitamins and the mineral magnesium that has shown promise as a possible way to prevent hearing loss caused by loud noises. .

More than half of all lower limb amputations done in the U.S. each year are related to complications from diabetes. That’s why experts with the University of Michigan Health System recommend regular foot self-checks for those with diabetes.

Michigan voters soon will decide whether to change a Michigan law that currently restricts research using embryonic stem cells. And U-M scientists want to make sure voters are well-informed on this issue before heading to the polls on Nov. 4.

According to a report released today by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, the majority of likely voters polled selected Obama as their top presidential pick to handle the country’s biggest health care issues, including the high cost of health insurance, and the millions of U.S. adults and children without insurance. .

Despite recent examples of young and middle-aged celebrities being diagnosed with breast cancer, more than half of breast cancers happen in women over age 65. That’s why experts at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center recommend women continue to receive yearly breast screenings through their 70s.

A new study led by a University of Michigan emergency physician may help ambulance crews nationwide figure out the best way to handle one of the most common and deadly heart-related emergencies: cardiac arrest.

What’s the connection between a new mother’s mood and the way her new baby sleeps? University of Michigan researchers who study sleep and depression are trying to find out. U-M sleep researcher advises parents of newborns – especially moms with depression – about the importance of getting baby’s sleep patterns set.

Many college students with food allergies aren’t taking the threat of a reaction seriously enough, or are regularly in environments where they could not be properly treated during an emergency, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System. In addition, grade-school students are often in school environments where there is no food allergy policy, and where instructors are not trained how to treat an emergency food allergy reaction.

A new U-M study hints that people who have both alcohol problems and sleep problems - which often occur together -- might be helped by an epilepsy drug. The study, which is small but was placebo-controlled, opens the door for further research on how to help alcohol-dependent people escape the Catch-22 of insomnia and drinking that often stands in the way of their recovery.

Food does more than satisfy hunger; it provides fuel for the body and mind, too. So as you make a list of school supplies to buy for the upcoming school year, a U-M dietitian says to consider the items at your local supermarket that can also help prepare your child for the classroom too.

Do the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics have you inspired to get fit? University of Michigan Health System fitness experts say there are many ways you can get off the couch and get moving without hurting yourself — even during commercial breaks.

Nearly half of women treated for breast cancer did not know that their odds of being alive after five years are roughly the same whether they undergo mastectomy or breast conserving surgery. Minority women were even less likely to be aware of this important factor of their treatment decision, according to a study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A new vision screening device, already shown to give an early warning of eye disease, could give doctors and patients a head start on treating diabetes and its vision complications, a new study shows. The instrument, invented at the U-M Kellogg Eye Center, captures images of the eye to detect metabolic stress and tissue damage that occur before the first symptoms of disease are evident.

Nearly one-third of women reported pronounced asymmetry between their breasts after breast cancer surgery, and that perceived disfigurement greatly affects a woman’s quality of life after treatment, according to a new study.

Loss of concentration, difficulty remembering, difficulty thinking clearly – all are signs of a phenomenon cancer patients call "chemo brain." Now researchers are looking at the cognitive changes that occur in the brain during chemotherapy to determine what causes chemo brain and how patients can compensate for these challenges.

Lasers have been effective tools used in eye surgeries for decades. But now a super-fast and high-tech laser developed for use in eye surgery at the U-M Kellogg Eye Center is changing the face of corneal eye transplant surgery. The Femtosecond Laser is being widely used to create more accurate cuts for corneal transplants, allowing patient to have better vision and a faster recovery.

Are you having a hard time stretching your grocery dollars during the current economic downturn? You’re not alone. But before you stop buying fresh fruit, meat, vegetables and other items often perceived as costing a lot, check out these tips from a University of Michigan Health System dietitian. Make your own coffee, buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, occasionally replace meat with protein sources like eggs and beans, and, no matter how tempting it is, skip the fast-food drive-thru window.

Activated vitamin D protects the heart against avoid overwork and enlargement, two of the hallmarks of heart failure, U-M studies in animals show. The results, the first to show vitamin D can prevent the damaging effects of heart failure, add heart health to the growing list of vitamin D’s benefits.

Millions of tweens will be left home alone this summer, despite their parents’ concerns that they may not have the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe at home. According to the U-M C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, many parents worry about weather, home appliance, gun and Internet safety when leaving kids home alone.

Heart transplants save the lives of more than 2,100 Americans every year. But many more patients are still waiting for a new heart to become available, and hundreds will die without ever getting a second chance at life. Could technology be the solution – whether temporary, or permanent – for many of these people? Could heart transplants ever become a thing of the past? The answers are yes — and perhaps, says a U-M heart surgeon.

The number of baby boomers who are opting for knee replacement surgery earlier in life is growing at an exponential rate - in just 10 years, experts estimate there could be as many as 3.2 million annual knee replacement surgeries. While knee replacements do have a positive impact on a patient’s quality of life, U-M orthopaedic surgeons worry that the demand for new knees will far outpace the availability of surgeons trained to perform the procedure.

A study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center is offering new insight into one of the reasons why African Americans with rectal cancer have a much higher mortality rates than white Americans who suffer from this disease.

Researchers estimate that about 20 percent of all strokes are caused by atrial fibrillation, a chaotic electrical heart rhythm that occurs in as many as 2.2 million Americans. Fortunately, there are many treatment options available for people with AF, including a new device under investigation at the U-M Cardiovascular Center.

Laughter yoga - part of a growing trend in parts of the United States, India and other countries – can really make a difference in your overall health. While it shouldn’t replace other types of exercise, laughter yoga is fun and it can help to reduce stress, enhance the immune system, and even tone muscles, say U-M experts.