Dr Joan Ransley
Recent research by Love Your Gut has shown that one in four people are failing to visit the doctor with gut health concerns – simply due to embarrassment.
Dying of embarrassment – the research
It may be easy to take your gut for granted, but this special organ really does deserve to be looked after!
Recent research by Love Your Gut has shown that one in four people are failing to visit the doctor with gut health concerns – simply due to embarrassment.
The report revealed that embarrassment was widespread and affecting all areas of people’s lives.
7% of respondents said they felt uncomfortable discussing their gut health with a GP or other medical professional and 8% said they had the same feeling about talking to their friends or colleagues about it.
Tools to help you check your gut health
To help alleviate any awkwardness around gut health and raise awareness of the importance of seeking professional help, Love Your Gut has launched two new and free tools:
Both can be used to monitor and assess gut health and symptoms and act as a starting point for conversations with doctors and healthcare professionals.
An expert’s view on gut health
Medical experts from the Love Your Gut campaign have emphasised the importance of seeking help for persistent problems and have urged people not to let feeling uncomfortable put them off.
Anton Emmanuel, Love Your Gut Spokesperson, Consultant Gastroenterologist at University College Hospital in London and Medical Director for Guts UK says:
“Symptoms arising from the gut are at once very personal and potentially embarrassing, but on the other hand also very public, in that they often cause patients to cancel appointments, avoid certain situations, change their wardrobe, miss out on social meals, etc.
“Seeking help to overcome the taboo can help get an earlier diagnosis (and hence more successful treatment) of worrying conditions, but also help find early remedies for the more common simple diagnoses”.
