What Does Support Look Like to You? No matter how many healthcare professionals are involved in patient care, the primary responsibility for managing a chronic medical condition still rests with the patient (or caregiver). It’s difficult to be successful in this daunting responsibility without a strong support system. Some patients find it worthwhile to meet [...]
Click here to download a PDF of this information. Diverticular Disease Diverticular disease and diverticulosis are interchangeable terms meaning the presence of diverticula in the large intestine (colon). Diverticula are small sac-like out-pouchings of the colon lining that balloon through the outer colon wall, occurring most frequently in the lower section of the colon (sigmoid), [...]
Click here to download a PDF of this information. Ulcer Disease A peptic ulcer is a sore or break in the lining of any part within the digestive tract that contains concentrated gastric juice. The main components of gastric juice are water, mucus, hydrochloric acid, enzymes, and electrolytes. Ulcers most commonly occur in the first [...]
Research into Living with IBD Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which mainly includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is more prevalent in Canada than in any other country in the world. Research into the development of IBD and into how to best treat and support people who live with the disease is vigorous and ongoing. Here [...]
Current BadGut® Lectures Got a BadGut®? The GI Society offers a series of free, public lectures on a variety of topics related to digestive diseases and disorders in locations across Canada. Healthcare professionals present on a topic and then answer questions from those in attendance. Understanding the Link Between IBD [...]
Many Benefits of Turmeric Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is the active compound (phytochemical) in the common, bright yellow curry spice, turmeric. Indian, Chinese, and Western herbal medicines traditionally use turmeric, of the ginger family, for conditions such as poor digestion, abdominal pain, and distension. In 1999, the World Health Organization recommended it for treatment of acid reflux, [...]
Click here to download a PDF of this information. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Intestinal Anatomy To understand IBD, a review of gastrointestinal (GI) tract anatomy is helpful. This explanation is not complete, but it covers the basics. The digestive system consists of a long tube (alimentary canal) that varies in shape and purpose as it [...]
Click here to download a PDF of this information. Gastroparesis The term ‘gastro’ refers to the stomach, and ‘paresis’ means partial paralysis; therefore, gastroparesis means partial paralysis of the stomach. To understand what goes wrong in gastroparesis, it is important to know how a healthy digestive tract functions. When we eat, we start by chewing [...]
IBS or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth? Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal diagnosis, where prevalence in some populations is reported to be as high as 30%. It is estimated to affect 20% of Canadians. Functional bowel complaints, including IBS, account for 50% of all visits to gastroenterologists. Symptoms of IBS include abdominal [...]
Product Review Proferrin®: Iron for Good Health Iron is a mineral essential for good health. Your body uses iron to manufacture hemoglobin, which is the protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Without an adequate quantity of iron, you may be at risk for iron deficiency anemia, with its accompanying [...]
Talking to Your Physician about IBS and Constipation In a review published recently in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology,1 researchers identified reasons why patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or chronic constipation might have difficulty communicating with their physicians. IBS is a chronic, often debilitating, functional gastrointestinal disorder with symptoms that include abdominal pain, bloating, [...]
Pancreatitis: What’s fibre got to do with it? Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. There are two main types of pancreatitis: acute (abrupt onset) and chronic (long-standing disease). The inflammation can damage pancreatic tissue and cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, weight loss, diabetes, and malabsorption. You may have already heard about the role [...]
Biomarkers Developments in research have paved the way to unlocking messages coded in our genes, gut microbiome, and other biological processes. Although researchers have been studying biomarkers for decades, recognizing the many advancements in care they provide, it is still a complex field of study for many reasons. One of the main barriers is that [...]
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Information Centre We have hundreds of medically-sound articles on digestive health and gastrointestinal and liver diseases and disorders. If you prefer printed information, we offer our core digestive and liver subjects for free in Canada. You can find links to other sections of our website below, including videos, infographs, and other resources. [...]
Link Between Changing Gut Flora and Obesity Marc Bomhof would like to amend the old saying, You Are What You Eat, to be more accurate. Perhaps something like: You Are What You and Your Gut Microbiota Eat. “It’s estimated that there’s about 100 trillion bacteria living in our digestive tract,” explains Bomhof. “We have about [...]
Milk Alternatives There are many reasons why an individual might choose to consume an alternative beverage to milk. These can include lactose intolerance, ethical objections to consuming milk, a milk allergy, or simply a preference for the taste of these innovative beverages. Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk [...]
30-Second IBS Test PSA View our new public service announcement on the 30-second irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) test. Take the 30-Second IBS Test and learn more about the symptoms and treatments of IBS. Watch more of our PSAs, which will be running on television and radio stations [...]
Nutrition and COVID-19 Nutrition is important at the best of times and essential at the worst of times. There are evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle strategies that already exist to promote a healthy immune system, but not when it comes specifically to preventing and alleviating symptoms of COVID-19. This article will summarize the research that has [...]
Is Your Gut Friend or Foe? “All disease begins in the gut.” Hippocrates made this statement more than 2,000 years ago. Since then, much has changed in medicine. However, this theory remains of great interest in the medical community, especially when considering the terrain of the individual, how robust their immune system may or may [...]
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