A senior dietitian at Basildon University Hospital will give expert advice on achieving the right intake of vitamins and minerals at an information event for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Astrid Burrows-Grolle, team leader dietitian, will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the Basildon and Thurrock Inflammatory Bowel Disease Support Group, which offers advice to fellow sufferers in a friendly setting.
Astrid said: “In this age of information overload, there are a lot of conflicting and confusing messages out there about nutrition and supplements. For people with bowel disease, it is particularly important to dispel some of the myths, and also to note that because of their condition, even evidence-based advice for people in good health may not apply to them.”
There will be a Q and A session after Astrid’s talk and an IBD nurse specialist will also be present to offer advice and information.
IBD, an umbrella term for Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, affects about one in 250 people in Britain. People who live with the condition do not absorb nourishment easily due to damage to their bowels, and it can be painful and debilitating. The causes are not known, and there is no cure, but medication and sometimes surgery, as well as support from dietitians and other health professionals, can relieve the symptoms.
The meeting takes place on Tuesday 21 February, at 6.30pm, in the education centre at the hospital.
Refreshments (50p) will be available at the talk and a fund-raising raffle will be held. Parking in the hospital multi-storey car park is free for guests. For more information, email: [email protected]
