Mouth Ulcers and Celiac Disease In a recent study published in the journal, BMC Gastroenterology1, Iranian researchers found that recurrent mouth sores (recurrent aphthous stomatitis, or RAS) can be the only symptom of celiac disease. Also known as canker sores, RAS are small ulcers with a red base and a yellow layer that usually appear [...]
Children with Reflux (GERD) Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, they will occasionally suffer from diarrhea, upset tummy, excessive burping, abdominal pain, or heartburn. Sometimes stress from a big event in a child’s life – such as the first day of school, exams, or a sporting event – triggers a digestive upset. [...]
Worms and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Have we become too clean? The prevalence of helminths – harmless minute parasitic worms – in our population has been drastically decreasing since the middle of the 20th century. Historically, humans co-existed with these creatures in what researchers are now coming to believe to be an essential immune regulatory relationship. [...]
Biopsychosocial Aspects of Functional GI Disorders “It’s all in your head!”, “There’s nothing wrong with you.”, “All tests are negative.”...these phrases may be familiar to those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or functional dyspepsia (FD). Yet these individuals – with functional gastrointestinal disorders – are suffering from very real, frustrating, and sometimes debilitating symptoms. For [...]
So You Think You Know Hepatitis? Many people assume hepatitis is a disease that only affects alcoholics, drug users, and those who are unvaccinated. Actually, the word hepatitis is broken down this way: hepat originates from the Greek word for liver and the suffix -itis is Greek for inflammation. Therefore, hepatitis refers to any process [...]
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Hormone Replacement Therapy Please don’t hate us because we’re men. As a young male, I have formed the opinion that in many respects, the female gender has drawn the shorter end of the evolutionary stick. Here are a few points that illustrate how I came to this conclusion. As I [...]
Could Your Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Really be Ovarian Cancer? When ovarian cancer is diagnosed early, the survival rates are as high as 90%. Ovarian cancer is the fifth highest cause of cancer-related death among women. If treated early, the survival rate is very good, but noticeable symptoms often do not appear until the cancer [...]
Best Before and Expiry Dates for Food and Drugs Most of us with gastrointestinal maladies such as IBD (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), reflux disease (GERD), IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), or one of the myriad others, know from first-hand experience the price paid for ignoring warnings about taboo foods or inappropriate drug regimes. We may [...]
Biosimilars - 2013 Note: This is an old article on biosimilars. Click here to view the most up-to-date info on biosimilars in Canada. In issue 184 of the Inside Tract® newsletter, in the article entitled Understanding Research, I promised to expand on the topic of biosimilars (subsequent entry biologics). There are a number of concerns [...]
Counterfeit Medicine Where Do You Get Your Medication? If you are purchasing your medication from anywhere but a Canadian pharmacy, then you could be at risk. Counterfeit medicines are a serious worldwide health threat. Fake medications can give patients a false sense of security, (particularly in the case of counterfeit vaccines, birth control pills, [...]
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 [...]
Be Kind to Yourself We sometimes experience difficult feelings such as anger, fear, panic, or powerlessness as dangerous, unsettling, embarrassing, inconvenient, untrustworthy, and confusing. However, we often don’t understand these feelings or know what to do with them. We often say negative things to ourselves, such as I hate feeling this way; I don’t have [...]
Dealing with Chronic Pain “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” These wise words from the Buddha remind us that life will inevitably offer difficulties, challenges, and struggles, but each one of us is responsible for our own happiness. How we view these situations, the meaning we attach to them, and our attitude toward them, [...]
Less Stress In Your Gut Most people think of stress as something that results from circumstances and events occurring in and around them. Having a digestive disease or disorder can often trigger feelings of helplessness, fear, and self-blame. However, believing that circumstance causes our distress means that circumstances (or events or people around you) must [...]
Mindfulness A Cornerstone of Wellbeing Every moment there is a continuously changing stream of thoughts, feelings, and reactions happening within each of us. The practice of seeing that stream of activity more objectively, without being carried away, is called mindfulness. Essentially, mindfulness is the ability to be aware of what we are doing while we [...]
Relaxing Makes Me Nervous We all want relaxation and peace, but the fact is we can’t stand it! Stillness and silence, which are the means of finding inner peace, are often far too scary. The thought of not talking, sitting still, and listening to the silence feels unnerving and seems purposeless to many. Our craving [...]
Support Groups Click here for current dates and locations. Our support groups are regular gatherings for individuals who have a gastrointestinal disease or disorder. The purpose of these meetings is to provide and exchange information related to the group focus, to offer one another support, and to share experiences and proven coping strategies. Participants are [...]
3000 Year Old Thoughts on Digestion Traditional Chinese Medicine “What foods should I eat?” For my patients both with and without digestive health issues, this is a common question. My answer is not that simple. Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) principles have me change my recommendations from person to person as well as from season to season. [...]
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 [...]
Diet and the Development of Stomach Cancer With media coverage and public awareness campaigns bombarding us from every direction these days, most people know a lot about the debilitating effects of many forms of cancer, such as those that affect the lungs, colon, breasts, and prostate. This knowledge leads people to taking preventative actions, such [...]
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