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Ashley and Rebecca from The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians talk about all things IBD-related. In this episode Ashley and Rebecca talk about the question of: Who am I? So often we identify with our job, our diagnosis and other titles and labels. We talk about how this can limit your perspective of yourself and it can be beneficial to be curious about our authentic selves.  

Rebecca talks about how she has been putting herself out there more and trying to be friendly and connect with strangers and neighbors. She acknowledges that she can't control their reaction and talks about a time that someone wasn't  responsive to her attempt to connect and she tried not to take it personally. We ask each other: Who are you, outside of your IBD and your roles? Rebecca said that she is focused on her relationships with others, views herself as an advocate and that she is passionate about speaking up for herself and others. Ashley talks about how she has always enjoyed the simple things in life, such as cooking, enjoying nature, and spending time with her family, who all have a great sense of humor. Ashley also mentions that while she is an introvert, she is very focused on her purpose of supporting those with IBD, so she steps out of her comfort zone often in order to connect with others. Ashley talks about how sharing her own personal struggles, though difficult,  can help others feel more supported and not alone. 

Being in tune with our authentic selves can allow us to have better connections with others. We have found that investigating the question of who we are, finding what works for ourselves and being ok with the fact that other people may operate differently, have all been helpful.

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Ashley and Rebecca from The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians talk about all things IBD-related. In this episode we talk about moving through the discomfort of changes in our treatment, such as new medication. We also share what we value in friendships and how IBD can make socializing challenging. We discuss how sometimes we can face judgment, insensitivity and a lack of understanding from others when we tell them about our IBD. 

Rebecca and Ashley talk about the challenge of going out to eat and talking to friends about our challenges with IBD and how sometimes they may not understand or empathize with what we're going through. Ashley tells a story about how she felt discriminated against by someone because she has Ulcerative Colitis and how by voicing her concerns about it, she feels she is speaking up for everyone with IBD. 

We discuss how the best way to provide support to someone with IBD, as a friend or family member, is to be openminded, curious and ask questions. Sometimes well-meaning family and friends give us advice, such as what we should be eating, and it may not be helpful. 

Rebecca talks about how dealing with the challenges of IBD has made her more determined and has made her value her relationships even more, especially those that are supportive. Ashley discusses how after so many hard days with IBD she has more appreciation for the good days and when she is feeling well. Disadvantages can help us understand the depth of others' struggles as well. 

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Ashley and Rebecca from The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians talk about all things IBD-related. In this episode we dive into a lot of different topics: what it means to truly be heard, being in denial about what is going on with our body and creating a community of connection and safety. 

Rebecca starts off the episode talking about the fact that her GI doctor will be changing her medication and how those type of changes can be difficult. We also talk about how we can evaluate if new treatments are working. We bring up what it means to truly be heard vs. just someone listening to you. Sometimes patients don't feel like they are really listened to or seen, especially when appointments can be over so quickly. Being heard is important because we feel more supported, respected and that what we are going through matters. 

Rebecca talks about what her favorite topic is: understanding how people connect and relationships. Ashley and Rebecca talk about how they strive to create a friendly community here that is accepting of our difficulties and where everyone feels comfortable to connect. It is important to normalize conversations about things that we may at first feel shame about, such as our IBD symptoms and poop. Sometimes it is easier as patients to ignore reality and just push through and not really look at what is going on with our bodies because we may feel embarrassed or may be scared of what certain symptoms mean.  There can be a disconnection from the body with a lot of different experiences, such as trauma, disordered eating and illness. We talk about finding a safe place where we are not judged, we feel comfort, and a sense of community and inclusion. 

We talk about how we can find peace and alignment with ourselves and our bodies when we don't live in denial. Facing taboo topics or challenging symptoms can be hard but they can point us in the direction of how we're really doing. 

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What is a flare and how does it pertain to us?  Ashley and Rebecca from The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians take a deep dive into understanding what the literature says according to The Manitoba Living with IBD study in the IBD Journal from Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. This study followed people for one year and evaluated their self reported symptoms and their fecal calprotectin, which indicates if there is active inflammation in the bowel. This study looks at a question we get a lot in our practice: how do we know if it's a flare/inflammation and how do we know if it's a symptom?  Interestingly, the study showed half of the patients who felt like they were in a flare did not have inflammation and some people who had no symptoms had inflammation. 
 
We discuss how this can provide some relief because although our symptoms and how we feel is valid, they may not always be a complete measure of how we're actually doing. If patients are feeling symptoms, such as urgency or cramping, this doesn't always indicate that we should panic and think we are going into a flare. Even though symptoms can be valuable indicators and we want to listen to our bodies, we have found that when we aren't hyperfocusing on symptoms, it is easier to take action and have a clear mind about what step to take next. 

We also discuss the four types of remission in this episode and discuss how everyone is different and there is no clear cut answer as to how symptoms relate to IBD. We hope this study gives patients a little permission to ease up and remember we're doing the best we can.

A big takeaway is that there are so many variables in assessing IBD and mucosal healing is the goal, so we need to be proactive about our health and get the labs and the scopes done because only looking at symptoms does not give us the complete picture of how we are doing. 

This also highlights that healing takes time and improving our nutrition has a longer term outcome. 

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Ashley and Rebecca from The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians get honest and real about living with IBD and today we talk about colonoscopies. 

Ashley discusses her recent colonoscopy in which inflammation was found even though she has been feeling good. She talks about how it's important to keep up with colonoscopies even if we're symptom free and even though they are not fun! Ashley talks about an easier prep she did this time and how she tried to not have resistance with the procedure, even though she had a difficult experience before. This colonoscopy went much smoother and having that good experience can change fears we may have about it. 

Rebecca also talks about her colonoscopy experience and how the fear of the unknown and not having control is challenging for her.  She talks about how she let herself experience all of the emotions in a cathartic way and that allowed her to have some more acceptance around the procedure. 

We also talk about how sharing these struggles shows patients that we understand and that practitioners aren't perfect and know what it is like to feel overwhelmed and confused by symptoms. Talking about these difficult things resonates with others and gives support and connection to the IBD community. It also shows that we can be effective practitioners and still have our own struggles. Rebecca also touched on how sometimes we grow up with the idea that the harder we work, the better the results will be but this is not always the case with IBD. Sometimes you can do everything right and still have symptoms.

We are here to support you and are honored to be a voice in the IBD community!

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Ashley and Rebecca from The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians talk about all things IBD-related.  From getting diagnosed to navigating our health-care system. We also discuss a study that showed IBD patients had a higher amount of microplastics in their stool vs. non IBD patients. 

We are back and of course we are discussing everything about IBD in an honest and direct way! And that includes a conversation about poop! Even though IBD can be a serious challenge it can help to be lighthearted about these topics. When we don't feel comfortable talking to our GI doctors about issues, like our poop, it can feel really isolating and our doctors aren't getting important information about us that they need. So we encourage everyone to be aware of their body's processes which can make conversations with our doctor much more effective when they know the whole picture of what is going on with us.

Sometimes people feel disconnected from their body when stressed or experiencing symptoms because the awareness of these issues can feel overwhelming . Rebecca talks about ways she tunes into her body, which include journaling and just writing in an unstructured way. You can write about anything such as: what you ate and how it made you feel or about the thoughts you're having that day about your condition or anything else. Also,  just talking things through, either out loud or to yourself can also help you to be honest and understand yourself better.

Ashley talks about how her IBD, though so difficult, has been a filter that has allowed her to focus on what is really important in life. Rebecca says that IBD has taught her how to  take care of her body well and has also shown her what really matters in her life. 

We talk about how we questioned ourselves when we were first diagnosed and were told, "it's all in your head" or "it's not that serious".  Sometimes that can lead to disconnection, losing trust in ourselves, ignoring our issues and that delays people from getting help. We would love to see more support in healthcare for IBD patients! And we hope everyone can find a doctor that really listens to them so we can be confident discussing these challenging issues.

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On this episode Ashley Hurst & Rebecca Goodrich of The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians talk with Dr. Vena Martinez who specializes in Neuroscience and Pharmacology. Dr. Martinez has a PhD in Pharmacology and Chemical Biology from Baylor College of Medicine. Her work has been published in many notable scientific journals and she was given the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology award. Dr. Vena and Ashley are also good friends who once were lab partners in organic chemistry.

We talk about how there can be a disconnect between scientists and non scientific communities and Dr. Vena looks at ways we can fill in that gap. She discusses the fact that science and medicine can have their own language that can be difficult for people to understand. We can do our own research on our conditions and learn new information that will benefit us so we can make the most out of the time with our health care providers and also understand research articles.

We all can be bombarded with information and lots of questions can come up, such as: What evidence can I trust? What is relevant? Dr. Vena suggests dissecting where the information came from, checking references, and looking at the source to see if it's credible. Looking at an author's background can be helpful and check for biases, such as, is this author connected to a certain company selling products related to this study.

Dr. Vena recommends researching studies on: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. One can type in words of interest on this site and find many publications.

We also talk about being our own advocate as patients, staying curious and being open minded to information that can change over time. We also discuss being aware of our own bias and being set in certain beliefs. Challenging our beliefs can be uncomfortable and make you feel vulnerable. But remembering that knowledge keeps growing and changing can be helpful and staying up to date on that evolving information will be beneficial, especially with chronic illness. 

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Hosts Ashley Hurst & Rebecca Goodrich of The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians chat IBD. 

In this episode, Ashley and Rebecca have an unfiltered discussion about their nightly routines, including walks, CBD, music and enemas!

We are often asked whether patients should use medication OR dietary interventions and we believe it's important to integrate both. We don't think it has to be one or the other and a collaborative approach is best to increase the likelihood of remission and decrease risk with IBD. 

There seems to be a myth out there that practitioners are only credible if they're not on medication, or if a patient is on medication they have failed. We find this is simply not true. You can do everything right and still have a flare. Having a chronic illness and autoimmune disease, such as IBD, is not your fault and when we have difficulties or flares the body is showing us it needs more support, not judgment. 

As humans we make meaning out of everything and our nature is to judge and compare sometimes. Social media can be misleading and we are seeing the highlights of people's life online and don't see the whole story. It is important to take a step back sometimes and not internalize guilt and shame. Patients don't cause their IBD but we also need to remember there are things we do have control over, especially our nutrition, and dietary intervention plays a big role.

We also talk about how the terms "healthy" and "natural" can be vague and misleading because they might mean different things to different people. 

We hope you enjoyed this episode and we are honored to be a voice in the IBD community!

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Hosts Ashley Hurst & Rebecca Goodrich of The Crohn's & Colitis Dietitians chat IBD. Welcome to our new podcast!

Ashley and Rebecca both have IBD and discuss their backgrounds as dietitians and when they were first diagnosed with IBD and how they navigated painful symptoms and challenges while looking for support. 

Ashley talks about a special and impactful relationship with her cousin and how that inspired her to start The Crohn's and Colitis Dietitians so she could connect with and support others with IBD. 

Ashley and Rebecca are here to unpack and simplify IBD nutrition, deconstruct the difficult parts and discuss aspects of IBD that aren't often talked about so our IBD community knows that you aren't alone! 

We talk about our favorite podcasts and who we would love to interview, so we're just going to put this out there: Rebecca chose Brene Brown and Ashley picked Glennon Doyle! Maybe someday!

The Crohn's and Colitis Dietitians are here to support, connect to and advocate for IBD patients. We are honored to be a voice for the IBD community and are so glad you are here listening!