There is a tidal wave of post‑COVID conditions hitting us. According to Health Canada, if you are still experiencing physical or psychological symptoms more than 12 weeks after getting COVID‑19, you suffer from a post–COVID‑19 condition (also known as “long COVID”).

Probiotics have extensive potential for therapeutic use, and we continue to discover their specific actions. The previous article looked at classification and the role of probiotics with regards to immune function and digestion, including autoimmunity, atopic skin reactions, and respiratory conditions.

Diabetes will be one of the most challenging health problems in the 21st century. Currently, 8.8% of Canadians live with diabetes and six million Canadians have prediabetes. One in three Canadians is living with diabetes or prediabetes. Since 2000, the rate has increased by an average of 3.3% per year. Estimates suggest that, unless we intervene, one in three children born in 2000 will eventually develop diabetes.

Hypothyroidism is one of the most common endocrine disorders worldwide. Hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism have a prevalence rate of 4–5% and 4–15%, respectively. The prevalence is around three to seven times higher in women than men, and its incidences proportionally increase with age.

For centuries, mushrooms have been foraged and added to soups and stews for their robust nutritional profile. Fungi are much smarter than we think for what simple organisms they are.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) happens when overall bacterial population increases abnormally in the small intestine—especially types of bacteria not commonly found in that part of the digestive tract. Once they reside in the small intestine, they can cause numerous symptoms because they ferment foods like fibres and sugars, which would normally occur in the large intestine.

A variety of natural agents are being explored for their use and applicability in the management of vitiligo, particularly in combination with conventional treatments such as phototherapy. Encompassing dietary, oral supplement, and even topical measures, we will explore a selection of such agents.

The human digestive tract is a dynamic ecosystem made up of a rich and diverse microbiota consisting of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. Each person has a unique composition of microbiota, and the balance in this symbiotic relationship must be “respected in order to optimally perform metabolic and immune functions and prevent disease development.

According to Tolstoy, patience and time are the most powerful warriors. When it comes to the pandemic, they certainly seem to have been important allies. The time for vaccines has finally arrived. However, we have also been told to not let our guard down. Vaccines are not the only secure gateway, and encompassing a healthy lifestyle is still needed for effective herd immunity and to protect ourselves and our loved ones

In conditions that promote a leaky gut, the compounds of the food bolus that are usually kept safely in the intestinal lumina—including undigested food macromolecules, toxins, bacteria, or parts of bacteria known as endotoxins—has now the potential to pass through the fragile and unicellular mucosal membrane of the small intestine, and to reach the blood circulation.