ADVERTISEMENT MARCH 2024 | HEALTHINSIGHT.CA
@MediaplanetCA
Please recycle
A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET
Chronic Conditions PHOTO CREDIT: CHRISTINA COX PHOTOGRAPHY
Inspirational Women Living with Chronic Conditions Taylor Efford shares her journey with Type 1 Diabetes, addressing misconceptions, lifestyle changes, mental health, and advocacy. How do you prioritize your mental health whilst dealing with Type 1 Diabetes? How do you use your platform to help others who may be struggling?
Q&A
Sasha Exeter shares insights on managing FSGS and fibromyalgia holistically, prioritizing mental wellbeing, and advocating for comprehensive health strategies.
PHOTO CREDIT: DAVID A. PIKE
Making content that simply normalizes the disease and the medical equipment one may choose to wear to navigate it is important. I use humour to make the conversation welcoming because I don’t want to scare people away from asking questions. Those first three years after my diagnosis were mainly just survival mode, and I only now feel I’m ready to start healing from the initial traumas of life being flipped upside down. Slowly bringing things back into my life from before I got this full-time job of being my own WITH TAYLOR EFFORD pancreas. I used to really mourn the girl I was before, but as time passes, I see that I can maybe find her again, just in slightly different ways.
How do you balance managing chronic illnesses like Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and Fibromyalgia alongside your busy schedule of professional and parenting responsibilities? There has been a lot of trial and error over the years, but I think what’s helped me manage my chronic illnesses is looking at things holistically. I understand the importance of movement and exercise, eating the right food, sleep, and finding ways to lower my stress levels; especially when dealing with autoimmune issues that cause chronic pain. To stay on track, I ensure that my workouts are treated like meetings and are entered into my calendar, so I don’t miss them. I track my food intake, so it’s easier to WITH SASHA EXETER identify what may have caused a flare-up and what I should remove during a reset period when I want to bring down inflammation.
PHOTO CREDIT: JEFF VOGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Q&A
Canadian Olympic swimmer Maggie Mac Neil shares insights on excelling in sports whilst living with asthma, addressing misconceptions, and promoting lung health education. How has living with asthma influenced your training regimen as an Olympic swimmer, and what strategies have you found effective in managing your symptoms while performance?
It was asthma that forced me to focus on sprint events, as I struggled to physically finish the longer races, which is ironic since this is what I have had the most success with internationally. As far as how my training for the Olympics has been impacted by my lung conditions, some days are better than others. As I currently live and train in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the only building on campus without air conditioning, the heat and humidity can be extremely challenging. I just try to take it day by day and know that if I give it my all regardless of how I’m feeling, I’ll Read the full interviews with benefit from it in the future. I also must stay extremely diligent about taking WITH MAGGIE MAC NEIL Taylor, Sasha, and Maggie at my puffers and medication. healthinsight.ca.
Q&A
Do You Have Inflammatory Bowel Disease? Participate in the Gastrointestinal Society's survey on the unmet needs of IBD and become eligible for a free one-year subscription to the Inside Tract® PDF newsletter. Gastrointestinal Society
What is inflammatory bowel disease? Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition that involves inflammation in the digestive tract. There are two primary types of IBD: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In ulcerative colitis, inflammation only affects the mucosa of the large intestine. In Crohn’s disease, inflammation can affect any part of the digestive tract and penetrate through all layers of the bowel wall. Symptoms can be mild to severe and include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, weight loss, constipation, fever, and anemia. There is no cure for IBD, so treatment focuses on achieving remission through medications and, sometimes, surgery.
Understanding IBD: Survey Invitation We invite you to take part in this survey so we can learn about the unmet needs of people living with inflammatory bowel disease (primarily Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis). All information collected will be anonymized and used
DIGESTIVE
in aggregate to shape future programming and to inform community members, healthcare professionals, and health policy decision-makers. Participants who complete the survey are eligible for a free one-year subscription to our quarterly Inside Tract® PDF newsletter.
About the GI Society The Gastrointestinal Society is committed to improving the lives of individuals with gastrointestinal and liver conditions, supporting research, advocating for appropriate patient access to healthcare, and promoting gastrointestinal and liver health. Canadian Registered Charity Number 817065352RR0001. To take part in the survey, visit badgut.org/ibd-survey-2024 or scan the QR code.
This article was sponsored by Gastrointestinal Society.
Publishers: Aliah Janoudy & Nick Paladino Business Development Manager: Maddie MacNeil Stategic Account Manager: Meredith Burt Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Production & Delivery Manager: Michael Taylor Creative Director: Kylie Armishaw Graphic & Web Designer: Christina Morgan Digital & Social Media Strategist: Kristen Neals Digital Traffic Strategist: Karm Rathod All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve The Toronto Star or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.
HEALTH HEALTH DIGESTIVE sure can be be asure tall can order a talltime order this this time of year. of year.
Summer BBQs. Ballpark hotdogs. Camping and S’mores. It’s time to indulge a
Summer BBQs. Ballpark hotdogs. But, sometimes it can catch up to you. Camping and S’mores. It’s time to indulge a little.
control of your But, Take sometimes it can catchdigestive up to you.health
with our herbal blend we call Canadian Bitte
Take control of your digestive health with our herbal we call Canadian Bitters®. Scanblend this code to learn more
Scan this the code about benefits to learn more of our bitters. about the benefits of our bitters. stfrancisherbfarm.com stfrancisherbfarm.com
Proudly manufactured in Canada since 1988!
Proudly manufactured in Canada since 1988!