Patient Access to Health Data Technological progress vastly influences many aspects of our lives, and health care is among the forefront of many of these developments. With new tests, genetic screening, electronic filing, telehealth, remote monitoring tools, and many more advancements over the past decades, the health landscape is evolving rapidly. Currently, there is discussion [...]
COVID-19 Prevention The prime way to prevent an infection with the respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 is vaccination, as directed by your local health authority. There is also one prevention therapy for use in those who are immunocompromised and unlikely to mount an adequate immune response to COVID‐19 vaccination, or in [...]
Biologics and Biosimilars Available in Canada Background on Biologics and Biosimilars Biologics are large, complex medicines that are made in living cells.1 In comparison to small molecule drugs, such as Aspirin®, which have simple molecular structures and can be ingested in pill form, biologic medicines must be injected or infused into patients to [...]
Publications The Gastrointestinal Society provides general information about digestive diseases and disorders but cannot provide answers to specific medical questions, give personal medical advice, or offer consultation. We advise seeking a physician or other medical professional whenever a health problem arises that requires specific care. Our patient information pamphlets are provided free of charge [...]
IBD & Pregnancy: Meeting the Challenge Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and ulcerative proctitis, is a complex condition that presents unique sets of problems because the disease behaves differently from person to person. Although IBD is chronic, it is not consistent; for many Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients, symptom [...]
Track Your Digestive Health Read the article to learn more, then download our free printable templates to get started! Available in full-page or half-page sizes. Do you maintain a journal for digestive health? By recording your experiences on a particular day – such as what you ate, how much water you drank, or the state [...]
Cheaters Never Prosper on a Gluten-Free Diet Celiac Disease is a condition where the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged when gluten is ingested. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. There is still controversy over whether or not people with celiac tolerate oats; Canadian associations do not recommend the [...]
Scoping Your doctor may have explained that you require a special examination with a scope. This examination gives the doctor a close-up view of the inside of your digestive tract. If necessary, biopsies are easily taken during the procedure. The scope has a flexible tube that contains special fibres that carry a picture image from [...]
Beans We Drink Coffee, Cocoa, and the Gut An enticing cup of freshly brewed java to start the day; a warm, creamy mug of hot chocolate on a cold night – we can’t get enough of these ubiquitous drinks. But what are they doing to our bodies? Does coffee contain antioxidants that protect against diseases? [...]
Celiac Disease: Looking ForwardAt the 2018 Canadian Digestive Diseases Week (CDDW) in Toronto, gastroenterologists spoke about some of the challenges – and the exciting new possibilities – of treating celiac disease. In this article, we’ll focus on the current state of celiac disease treatment, and potential medications that we might see in the future.What [...]
Genetically Modified Food Note: Choosing a diet of GM foods or non-GM foods (or a combination of both), should be a personal choice, determined by an individual, with guidance from health care providers. The Gastrointestinal Society encourages readers to research which foods are the best fit for their health needs and lifestyle so they can [...]
Fecal Calprotectin Test A non-invasive laboratory test, called Fecal Calprotectin, is readily available as a helpful diagnostic tool to monitor individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, indeterminate colitis) and to distinguish from irritable bowel syndrome. Calprotectin is a protein found in human blood, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine when some part of the [...]
The Facts behind the Buzz over BPA Whether we are storing, transporting, or heating it up, our food routinely contacts plastic. Are all plastics the same? Absolutely not! Some plastic products may look the same – hard or flexible, soft or brittle – but they could contain very different chemicals and have varying levels of [...]
Gut↔Brain Axis Does the Microbiota Affect Brain Health? Have you ever experienced that moment where your gut feels uneasy before a final exam, a date, or an important job interview? This physiological response is not entirely random and suggests that the brain and gut are connected. There is constant bidirectional communication between the gut and [...]
Medical Cannabis and IBD Note: This is an older article about Medical Cannabis, originally published in the Inside Tract® in 2013. To read our updated article from 2018, and to watch our video on Medical Cannabis, click here. At a BadGut® Lecture in Vancouver a few years ago, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient asked [...]
IBD Patient Journey Read the PDF Report Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily involves the digestive tract. There are two main subtypes – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – which differ in the area and extent of inflammation. In Crohn’s disease, inflammation can occur in any [...]
Probiotics for Targeting Specific Illness A new article in the Toronto Star by Dr. Elena M. Comelli (read it here) discusses the importance of using specific strains of probiotics to target specific diseases and conditions. She recommends that everyone consume a yogurt containing probiotics every day to maintain good health, but notes that if you [...]
Headline Foods Do They Deserve the Spotlight? In today’s world, with an overabundance of information in the media, and especially on the internet, it can be challenging to decipher truth from fiction. Over the past decade, a growing interest has developed around food, especially how certain foods have wonderful properties to increase our health and [...]
COVID-19 Treatments in Canada Did you know that there are several treatments for COVID-19? There are now treatments for COVID-19 that can help prevent hospitalizations and death, especially in those who are at greater risk for severe complications. They are most beneficial taken within 5 to 7 days of the onset of mild or [...]
Blood-Based Biomarkers for Diagnosing IBS-D When patients present with symptoms of chronic diarrhea, physicians often determine it to be either irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D), inflammatory bowel disease (primarily Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), and/or celiac disease. While highly accurate testing for celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is available, screening for IBS [...]
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