To mark World Digestive Health Day (29 May 2018), leading professional fitness training provider Future Fit Training reveals the harsh reality of what it feels like to live with “invisible” chronic digestive health conditions and the physical and mental effect it can have on individuals in its latest visual series.
“What it feels like to have…” presents a range of striking, symbolic imagery that illustrates how conditions such as and Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), anxiety and fibromyalgia, impacts the lives of sufferers.
The visual depicts the physical, emotional and mental impact of Crohn’s disease. At least 115,000 people in the UK suffer from this invisible condition which affects the bowels and other parts of the gastrointestinal system. Symptoms often consist of abdominal pain in the lower right side, diarrhoea (which may contain blood), bloating and flatulence. Nausea and vomiting may occur when the small bowel gets obstructed, and itchiness or soreness around the anus are common symptoms too. On the other end of the gastrointestinal system, people who have Crohn’s disease may have recurring sores or ulcers in the mouth.
As many as one in five people in the UK suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), making it one of the most common physical illnesses in the UK. Symptoms commonly consist of painful stomach cramps, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. Those suffering from IBS may feel they need the toilet more often but may be unable to do so. Physical imbalances such as IBS can have a negative effect on one’s mental health. Depression, anxiety and chronic fatigue syndrome are therefore common amongst people with IBS.
Rob Johnson, Future Fit Training’s founder and Managing Director, comments, “We want to raise awareness of a range of conditions which affect so many people in the UK, and which may not necessarily be obvious in the first instance. Whilst some of the imagery may appear harrowing, we want to firmly illustrate the pain and impact on sufferers’ body and mind caused by these chronic digestive conditions.”
Johnson continues, “You may not necessarily realise that the person sitting next to you on the bus or walking past you in the street is coping with such difficult challenges on a daily basis. At Future Fit Training, through our specialist Nutrition Adviser, Pilates Instructor and Personal Trainer courses, we place a huge emphasis on the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise. We fully recognise both of these as being of paramount importance and a proven remedy to help improve physical and mental well-being.”
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers are 50% more likely to have anxiety disorder
- At least 115,000 people have Crohn’s disease in the UK
- IBS affects around 10-20% of people living in the UK
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome is more common in women than men (3:2)
To discover more about the true extent of “invisible” chronic digestive health conditions today, you can take a look at the visual series “What it feels like to have…”.
