Running Clinic Have you been diagnosed with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis? Do you want to get into running but don’t want to train alone? Would you like a reason to get outside and become healthier and more physically active? If so, the Gastrointestinal Society’s brand-new running clinic for people with active Crohn's disease or [...]
Food & Microbes: A Lifetime Commitment An analysis of what the proposed Canada’s Food Guide changes mean for our bacterial inhabitants. We are as much bacteria as we are human; current estimates suggest that we harbour an equivalent number of bacterial cells as we do human cells.1 Our resident bacterial cells – in addition to [...]
Digestive System for Kids About This Page The Gastrointestinal Society, a Canadian registered charity, made this page to help kids aged 8 to 12 years old learn about the digestive system. We worked with doctors that specialize in the digestive system (gastroenterologists) to make sure that the information is accurate. We hope you have fun [...]
Artificial Sweeteners Could Harm Gut Microbiota Previously, we have mentioned the possibility that sucralose disrupts the gut mucosa, which could be a factor in the development of Crohn’s disease in susceptible individuals. Now, artificial sweeteners are once again under fire. This time, researchers believe that artificial sweeteners could be altering our gut microbiota, resulting in [...]
Gallbladder and Gallstones The gallbladder is a small sac-like organ located below the liver. Its primary function is to store and concentrate bile, an important digestive fluid made by the liver. When fat enters the upper portion of the small intestine (duodenum), bile flows from the liver through bile ducts to the duodenum. When the [...]
Neuroendocrine Tumours A rare disease with symptoms worth knowing Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare, small, slow-growing tumours most often originating in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. They can also develop in the pancreas, ovaries, testes, and other areas of the neuroendocrine system. When left undetected or untreated, NETs can eventually spread (metastasize) to numerous other [...]
Acupuncture Regulation and Coverage Acupuncture is one of the treatment modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the oldest professional, continuously practiced medicine in the world. It uses very slender needles inserted into specific points in the body in order to relieve pain, improve function, and speed healing. The World Health Organization has listed several gastrointestinal [...]
Product Review Larabar® Nature’s Candy is the main ingredient in this widely available gut-friendly energy bar Who said candy isn’t good for you? Cultivated for more than 6,000 years, people have called dates nature’s candy, but these fine fruits provide goodness as well as flavour. High in fibre, low on the glycemic index (35.5-47.2%),1 and [...]
Diverticular Disease Video Watch our diverticular disease video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube. Diverticular Disease Video Transcript Diverticular disease, also known as diverticulosis, is the presence of small sac-like out-pouchings of the colon lining that balloon through the outer colon wall, called diverticula. Diverticulosis can be present without noticeable symptoms, but [...]
Scotiabank Charity Challenge The Gastrointestinal Society is thrilled to announce that it will be participating in the 2017 Scotiabank Charity Challenge! The Vancouver races will be happening on June 25, 2017, and the GI Society needs YOUR help to raise funds and awareness for those living with gastrointestinal and liver conditions across Canada. Runners can [...]
Natural and Over-the-Counter Heartburn Treatments Do They Work? Heartburn is a common problem that affects many Canadians at one time or another. It is that familiar burning sensation behind the breastbone resulting from acidic stomach contents rising into the esophagus (acid reflux). Occasional heartburn might result after a large holiday meal, or a night out [...]
5 Ways to Cope with a GI Disease or Disorder During the Holidays For many individuals with digestive diseases and disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), functional dyspepsia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the stress and changes to routine often experienced during the holidays can make symptoms much worse than [...]
Thank You for donating to the GI Society! If you are eligible for a Canadian tax receipt, it should arrive within 1-2 weeks. We provide tax receipts for monthly donations at the end of the calendar year. Please direct questions to: [email protected] or 1-866-600-4875 (toll free in Canada). Learn more about what we do and [...]
Questions about mental health? MIRA can help. Living with gastrointestinal and liver diseases and disorders, and/or obesity, can be a challenging journey, often accompanied with confusion, uncertainty, and isolation. Beyond the physical symptoms, many individuals also grapple with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Some face shame and stigma resulting [...]
Elements Gala After months of hard work and the tremendous dedication of staff and volunteers, the big night finally arrived on Saturday, November 8, 2008! We are happy to report that our inaugural fundraising Gala was a great success; we raised almost $95,000 and made many new friends! The night began at the entrance to [...]
Could a GI Condition Be Causing Your Chronic Cough? Coughs are common. Most of us have experienced viral or bacterial infections, or other acute forms of cough, typically lasting from a few days to a few weeks. However, some individuals experience a cough that doesn’t go away. Chronic cough is defined as a cough that [...]
10 Myths about Food Allergies Food allergies occur when the body’s immune system reacts to a component of a food, usually a protein. This causes a range of symptoms, including skin irritations, facial tissue swelling, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiousness/distress, decreased blood pressure, fainting, trouble breathing, and shock. These symptoms can be mild to severe, and can [...]
Review of the Canadian Pain Task Force Report Background Pain, according to the International Association for the Study of Pain, is “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” As covered in our Science of Pain article, pain serves a vital purpose for [...]
Are the Coats on Your Pills the Right Fit for Your Gut? Scientific breakthroughs lead to the creation of medicines, which are valuable tools for physicians in patient care. Medicines can make people well, ward off disease, and relieve pain, just to name a few things, but they may come in formulations that are not [...]
The Unassuming Wonders of the Esophagus Located behind the mighty lungs and heart, the esophagus works hard for us but its function is something many of us take for granted. It seems simple enough – you swallow, food and liquids go down your throat and, shortly after, land in your stomach. End of story. In [...]
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