Article: There are several types of medications that are used to help control IBD.  Aminosalicylates target colon inflammation, but are less effective at treating the small intestine. These drugs are usually used to treat mild to moderate colitis. Sulfasalazine is effective, but side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heartburn, and headache. Corticosteroids fight inflammation, but suppress all immune response instead of focusing on the colon. These drugs (prednisone, methylprednisolone) are used for moderate to severe colitis. Side effects include weight gain, excessive facial hair growth, mood swings, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, bone fractures, cataracts, glaucoma, and an increased risk of infection. Azathioprine and mercaptopurine act slowly, so they're usually prescribed alongside a corticosteroid. Immunomodulators, like corticosteroids, suppress immune response to calm inflammation. They're usually used only when aminosalicylates and corticosteroids have failed. Cyclosporine is a very strong medication that begins to work within one or two weeks. Since it is so strong and comes with a range of severe side effects, it is generally only prescribed until less toxic medications can take effect. Infliximab and adalimumab fight intestinal inflammation specifically.  Infliximab can cause problems in people with cancer or a history of heart disease. Antibiotics don't treat the colitis itself. If intestinal ulcers cause infection though, antibiotics will prevent further complications.  Antibiotics can treat abscesses of fistulas (abnormal connections between organs or vessels) seen in Crohn's Disease and usually occurring in the small intestine.  Tell your doctor if you develop a fever, which could indicate infection. Though it may sound "natural" or "herbal," biologic therapies take their name from the fact that they're developed from biological material — usually protein. This treatment targets the chemicals responsible for inflammation. These fairly new medications are used for moderate to severe colitis if other treatments have failed.  They're also known as anti-TNF agents. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a naturally produced chemical responsible for inflammation. Biologic therapies produce antibodies that attach themselves to the TNF, so that it can be destroyed by the body. Your doctor must test you for tuberculosis before you can begin TNF. If your colitis is so severe that no medication, home cure, or alternative treatment can keep it in check, you might need to have a colectomy. During this surgery, part or all of your colon will be removed. Removal of your colon will lead to lifestyle changes. Although most people will be able to do most of the routine activities they did before, you have to live with a stoma (a hole in your abdomen from which waste is expelled).  The only way to cure colitis completely is to have a total colectomy performed. Since a total colectomy can come with adverse side effects (like small bowel obstruction), though, a partial colectomy is sometimes done instead. The surgeon may also opt to perform a procedure that links the small intestine to the anus, thereby producing more normal bowel function.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Consult your healthcare provider about medicinal treatments. Consider antibiotic use. Talk to your doctor about biologic therapies. Be prepared for surgery if necessary.
Article: If you live in a rural or suburban area with a yard, host a weekend campout! Invite neighbor children over, pitch a tent, and provide some fun games and activities such as sing-alongs, stargazing, and story time. The National Wildlife Federation sponsors an annual "Great American Backyard Campout" that includes public campout events. If you live in an urban area or don't have a backyard, joining one of these events could be a good option. Get your children involved in planting and maintaining the plants as they grow. There are many websites that offer suggestions for kid-friendly gardens. You can even build fun projects such as a "bean teepee" (bean vines grown up long poles tied together) that your kids can use as an outdoor play space. If you don't have a lot of outdoor space, you can still have a garden area! Try making a fairy garden, or planting a planter box with herbs such as rosemary and thyme that are easy to grow (and you can use them in meals!). If you have a little more space, you can grow a container garden. You can make a bean fort or bean teepee, or you can give your kids the raw materials to make their own forts. All you need are some old sheets, some long branches, and maybe some cardboard. Let your kids use their imagination to build a fun play space! " There are many places online to find scavenger hunt lists, or you can make your own. Having a challenge will keep your kids occupied and give them a sense of accomplishment when they've finished the quest. This will work for kids who live in the city as well as those in rural or suburban areas! If your children like collecting stuff, send them outside with a bucket or basket to find items for fun craft projects. Seeds, pine cones, rocks, flowers, and leaves can all be made into fun crafts and gifts. In the summer time, turn on the garden hose, add some buckets and squirt toys, and let your kids go wild! Squirting some soapy water on a tarp will give your kids a homemade slip 'n slide for hours of fun. Give your child an inexpensive camera (either film or digital) and encourage them to explore the outdoors and take pictures of what they see. This will help them get more involved with and curious about their environment, and there are many kid-friendly cameras available for under $100. Toys like jump ropes, soccer and basketballs, and sidewalk chalk simply don't work indoors. They may tempt even reluctant children into heading outside. Chores such as raking leaves and shoveling snow may not immediately appeal to kids, but teaching them to see the chore as producing a reward -- like a big pile of leaves to jump in or the makings of a great snowman -- will encourage them to be active and responsible.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Host a backyard campout. Plant a garden. Build a fort. Institute a "nature scavenger hunt. Get crafty. Create a waterpark. Buy a cheap camera. Provide toys that have to be used outdoors. Convert chores to fun.