Musician Casey Abrams was practically forced to talk about his ulcerative colitis when he was hospitalized midway through the tenth season of American Idol, but he doesn't regret it. If anything, he's glad people are talking about his disease: "It's toilet stuff, so people tend not to talk about it. But it should be, even though there's a lot to do with poop in it."

Abrams, who released his eponymous debut album this week, now regards his very public hospitalization as a blessing in disguise. "I teamed up with the CCFA, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America to spread the word about it, and I did a little music video to kind of spread the word as well, because you know, people watch music videos, so why not make the subject matter about inflammatory bowel disease," Abrams explained via phone. "If you sign up for the fan club and watch the video, then a dollar is donated to the CCFA for research and education."

Abrams is planning to take his show on the road to support the album in the coming months, although he acknowledges that touring is rather tricky when you have ulcerative colitis. "There's so much unhealthy but great-tasting food out there. I'm a really picky eater and I like my candy bars, so you really have to watch out for that stuff. It's kind of a challenge."

Visit IBD Icons' official site to check out Casey's music video for "Chip on Your Shoulder," an original song he wrote in honor of IBD patients everywhere, and check out his new album via iTunes.