Ostomies This series of ostomy care articles is authored by Jo Hoeflok, RN, BSN, MA, CETN(C), CGN(C), who is a Registered Nurse specializing in enterostomal therapy care. She currently is an Advanced Practice Nurse for the Gastroenterology and General Surgery Unit at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. If you have any questions about ostomies or [...]
Digestive Disease & Disorder Symptom Chart With the overwhelming quantity of patient information available online, through various printed sources, on television and radio, and in our public libraries, patients are now, more than ever, able to educate themselves on their ailments before ever meeting with a healthcare professional. Digestive disorders can be difficult to diagnose. [...]
When to Begin Toilet Training Toilet training can be challenging for parents and caregivers as they struggle to decipher the appropriate time and method for teaching a child this universally essential skill. Interestingly, a review of toilet training literature published in the journal, Ambulatory Pediatrics, shows that the average age to complete toilet training [...]
Depression and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) ๏ปฟ It can be challenging and stressful to live with a chronic disease such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but does this mean one is more likely to have serious problems with anxiety and depression as well? Yes, according to a recent study1 published in the American [...]
Isolation and How to Counteract It A chronic condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), can affect a person in many ways. Some are physical, such as over-all health, physical growth, and daily mobility. Some are psychological and social, such as increased stress and isolation. Some are economic, such as reduced opportunities for education or [...]
GERD and Heartburn Tips If you suffer from frequent heartburn, the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), then even the most basic day-to-day life activities can affect your condition. What were once regular habits; such as eating, sleeping, and exercise, can be either aggravators or alleviators. The best approach for alleviating symptoms is [...]
Therapeutic Substitution: Does one size really fit all? Your Health Could Be At Risk Just Because You Are Different! Medicine rationing has crept into the fabric of Canadian life. As various administrations take a nip at our rights here and trim our access there, we need to pay close attention. Some of the new policies [...]
Beware Your Painkiller According to recent research, the majority of Americans who use over-the-counter and prescription painkillers are unaware of their potentially adverse side effects and often use these medications inappropriately, sometimes leading to serious medical complications. NSAIDS The study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Rheumatology, was the first to look [...]
Family Dynamics during Holidays Ever asked Santa for a valium before going home for Christmas? I had a good laugh once, when a police officer was noted in the newspaper saying that every year at Christmas, when family membersย who don't usually see each other during the year get together and have lots to drink, they [...]
Waking to GERD In a small study published in the journal, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology,1 researchers in Arizona tracked the sleeping patterns and esophageal pH levels of 39 individuals with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), all of whom had stopped taking any GERD medications (three weeks previously for PPIs, and three days previously for H2RAs), and [...]
Probiotics for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Sulfa Drugs? NSAIDS? Who needs โem? Iโve got yoghurt for my IBD! For those of you amused by the absurdity of such a notion, there may be more to this statement than you might think. With the rapidly growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, medical researchers have been directing their attention [...]
Dietary Fibre Q & A Fibre, in a nutshell (pardon the pun), is generally any plant material that the body cannot digest and use. Although our gastrointestinal secretions and enzymes cannot break down the fibre, given the right colonic microflora (bacteria, yeasts), our body can still derive some nutritive benefit from it. For example, some [...]
Probiotics May Provide Relief for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Symptoms Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal condition in the world, yet it remains one of the most difficult for patients to find relief from. The chronic and often debilitating symptoms of IBS include abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and/or diarrhea. Treating IBS can [...]
Inside Facts Smoking cessation and reaching/maintaining a healthy body weight may help to reduce GERD symptoms. Learn more about gastroesophageal reflux disease. ย Hemorrhoids affect up to 38% of women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Learn more about hemorrhoids. ย Contrary to old beliefs, neither eating spicy food nor living a stressful life cause [...]
PRECISION: Preventing Complications from Inflammatory Skin, Joint, and Bowel Conditions In the Fall of 2012, the Gastrointestinal Society joined three other consumer/patient organizations โ representing arthritis and skin diseases โ along with more than 30 research scientists, to shape a research network studying the complications of inflammatory diseases, including those of the bowel (IBD). We [...]
Yoga vs Low-FODMAP Diet: Which is better for Treating IBS? Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common functional gastrointestinal disorder. It affects 13-20% of Canadians, causing symptoms that include abdominal pain, bloating, and constipation and/or diarrhea. Treatment for IBS is complex, because we arenโt quite sure what causes IBS, so most patients require a [...]
Virtual Care from a Healthcare Provider Getting the Most Out of Your Experience Despite many conceptual advantages, combined with technologies that have been available for several decades, healthcare in Canada has been slow to include the use of virtual care, including telemedicine. The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, created unprecedented changes across numerous domains of life, [...]
Clinical Trials Survey Clinical trials are a key aspect of the development process for new medications, devices, or procedures. Researchers test these on volunteers to determine whether a specific treatment is safe and effective for a disease or disorder. Clinical trial design can take different approaches that are complex. Weโre checking in to see [...]
Fibromyalgia and the Microbiome In 2019, researchers in Montreal were the first to demonstrate a link between alteration of the gut microbiome and fibromyalgia.1 Background Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that causes pain all over the body, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and altered cognition, which significantly impair the lives of approximately 2-4% of the Canadian adult [...]
Colic Helped by Probiotics Colic is quite common among babies, affecting approximately 3-28% of newborns. Colic is defined by excessive crying for no apparent reason, for at least three hours a day, on a minimum of three days per week, over a period of three or more weeks. Recent studies show that certain bad bacteria, [...]
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