Blog
Why spending time around other living things positively affects your health
By Markham Heid. How our environments rub off on us, sometimes literally Since 1989, when an American immunologist named David Strachan first introduced it, the “hygiene hypothesis” has gained attention and momentum. In its original form, the hypothesis held that early childhood exposure to germs — meaning infection- or illness-causing microbes — could protect people from […]
News
How online support groups can help during an IBD flare-up
Meeting my best friend Not only did I get support for living with IBD, but I met two of my best friends through online support groups. I’d spotted my now best friend, Danielle, posting frequently on the group for under 30s. She was just a year older than me and seemed very similar to me […]
News
Sleep & IBD disease activity
By Leslie Ann Berg, MSPH We’ve found that in order to make actionable, lasting behavioral change, knowing the scientific explanation for how and why something is occurring can be a potent stimulus for action. So, let’s dig into the research. Following strong anecdotal evidence in IBD patients, scientists began conducting research to see if there was […]
Personal Story
Hannah Witton: ulcerative colitis podcast
In this debut episode of Chronic, Lucy Pasha-Robinson is joined by sex educator and YouTube star Hannah Witton, who lives with ulcerative colitis. We dive head first into that enduring question that drives so many of us living with chronic illness round the bend – why are people so keen to offer up unsolicited advice […]
News
What is brain fog and what causes it?
Having difficulty concentrating. Feeling confused or forgetful. An inability to focus. Slow thinking or not thinking clearly. A kind of haziness or mental fatigue. Any one of these symptoms can be described as brain fog, says clinical neuropsychologist Caroline Gurvich of Monash University, whose research focuses on cognition and women’s mental health. But although it’s […]
News
‘I couldn’t go on the way I was’
She’s the ABC radio host who is adept at drawing out others’ stories, but in a new memoir, Jacinta Parsons details her own, often harrowing, struggle with Crohn’s disease. Although she’s long been in the public eye, Parsons says that initially she felt sick about airing such personal matters in the book, called Unseen: The Secret […]
News
Jacinta Parsons on living with chronic illness ‘I couldn’t feel my body properly’
Like many chronically ill people, Jacinta Parsons was terrified of appearing to be sick. She could date it back to being a three-year-old, when her appendix ruptured. Already her fear of hospitals loomed as large: as doctors pressed down on her pelvis she convinced them there was no pain. Then, at five, the vulnerability of […]
Blog
Top 5 wellbeing tips with Flic
Make a few small changes in your everyday life and see big differences. Corethentic founder and Live Fearless Challenge Ambassador, Flic Manning shares with us a few ways to treat yourself well and be mindful of your body and mind. Tip 1 Having IBD means that wellbeing needs to be your first priority. You not […]
Research
The psychosocial burden of inflammatory bowel disease in adolescents and young adults
Methods Young people with IBD provided demographic information and psychosocial data via a cross‐sectional self‐report survey. Psychosocial data included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K‐10), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS‐10), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ), World Health Organisation Wellbeing Index (WHO‐5), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Short Quality of Life Questionnaire for IBD (SIBDQ), […]
News
“I don’t want my friends to know”
Read ‘I don’t want my friends to know’ – young people on growing up with Crohn’s or colitis by Bernie Carter, Alison Rouncefield-Swales and Pamela Qualter. Young people with chronic health conditions cope with all of the usual challenges of growing up – making friends, changing schools, adapting to new situations, developing a sense of self, and dealing with interpersonal conflict. […]