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Because Digestive Health Matters | International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders August 2025 eNewsletter | | | |
Since 2016, the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) has led the effort to establish August as Gastroparesis Awareness Month, securing national recognition to raise awareness and support for those affected. Gastropareisis is a chronic digestive disorder that slows or stops stomach emptying. This condition can lead to serious symptoms like nausea, vomiting, bloating, and malnutrition, often taking a toll on daily life. Despite its impact, there is currently no cure.
This month, IFFGD is rolling out a special awareness campaign focused on increasing public understanding, empowering patient advocates, and encouraging policy change. We’ll be posting educational content about gastroparesis, sharing ways to get involved, and emphasizing why the research progress is so crucial.
We invite you to participate by sharing informational resources like our social media posts, toolkit, or even your personal story as you help us raise awareness online. Use hashtags #GPAdvocacy and #GastroparesisAwarenessMonth in your posts to help amplify the message. For tools to get started, check out our media toolkit below and visit our gastroparesis website for more ways to support the gastroparesis community and advocate for meaningful change.
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As part of Gastroparesis Awareness Month, IFFGD has developed a Social Media Toolkit to help expand the reach of patient voices and drive meaningful conversations about this condition. This toolkit is designed not only to educate the public, but also to encourage advocacy and inspire policy action that supports the gastroparesis community.
Inside, you’ll find a collection of resources—including educational graphics, advocacy messaging, downloadable posters, website banners, and social media images that make it easier to share information and advocate for change. Whether you’re raising public awareness, sharing your story, or calling for increased research funding, these materials are here to support your efforts.
| | Click here to access the toolkit and help amplify the message this August. | | |
For this special August edition of 5 Minutes in GI, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Elyse Thakur.
In this two part special, we'll explore the different complementary and integrative tools to help patients manage their GI condition.
🎥 These videos will premiere during our 2025 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness and Walk Event. Stay tuned for the release on our social media pages!
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Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) is a chronic condition that affects how the body absorbs nutrients. It occurs when a large portion of the small intestine has been surgically removed or severely damaged, often resulting in complications like malnutrition, unintentional weight loss, chronic diarrhea, and persistent fatigue.
Each year, Short Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month provides an opportunity to highlight the unique struggles individuals with SBS face, while also recognizing the medical advances that are helping to improve care and quality of life. By spreading awareness, we hope to foster better understanding and support for this community.
To learn more about SBS and access helpful educational materials, visit our publication library here.
| | 2025 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness and Walk Event | | |
The 2025 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk is a week-long annual charitable event to raise money to support gastrointestinal illness research. The annual event has so far raised $180,000 to support GI illness research and we plan for the 5th year to be our best so far!
The 2025 event will be August 23, 2025 – August 30, 2025. Event registration is NOW OPEN.
The event will provide goals that can be achieved by people of varying abilities as activities will focus strongly on wellness, self-care, and traditional and non-traditional fitness activities.
Like a traditional walk, participants register to get credit for steps taken during the event. However, this event goes beyond a step goal by also awarding points to participants for self-care, wellness, and outreach activities. #Moves4GIhealth25
Visit the event page to register and find more information on how to get started.
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Gastroparesis is a complex condition that significantly affects gastrointestinal motility, making daily life challenging for many who live with it. The severity of symptoms can range from mild discomfort to serious, life-altering complications and in some cases, the condition may even become life-threatening if symptoms are not effectively managed.
What makes gastroparesis particularly difficult is that no two individuals experience it in exactly the same way. Symptoms often appear during or shortly after meals and can vary widely from person to person.
Common symptoms of gastroparesis include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Dry heaving
- Feeling overly full after eating a normal-sized meal
- Early satiety (feeling full too quickly)
- Reflux and heartburn
- Regurgitation of food or liquid
- Bloating
- Inability to finish meals
- Unintentional weight loss
Understanding these symptoms is an important step toward raising awareness, improving diagnosis, and advocating for better treatment options for those affected by gastroparesis.
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The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) along with the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS) launched a letter writing campaign to encourage members of Congress to ask the FDA to find a resolution for patients to continue accessing domperidone.
Looking for a way to get involved? Join our domperidone letter writing campaign. Domperidone is a critical drug for many living with severe gastroparesis. Patients have been able to access this drug in the United States through an Expanded Access Use program, which was recently announced to be coming to a close due to undisclosed supply chain changes. Further restriction of access to domperidone will likely have drastic effects on the quality of life of the dependent patient population. Click the button below to learn more about this campaign and how to get involved.
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Clinical trials and research studies help to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of diseases and advance the development of new and better treatment options. By participating in a study, you can help further the advancement of research and learn more about your condition.
Here are 3 studies currently recruiting participants:
| | Study of Enhanced Programming Stimulation with the Enterra® Therapy System (EXPEDITE) | | A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of CIN-102 (Deudomperidone) in Adult Subjects With Idiopathic Gastroparesis | | GpCRC Pediatric Gastroparesis Registry 2 (PGpR2) | | Advisory Board Member Lin Chang | Lin Chang, MD is a Professor of Medicine and Vice-Chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She serves as the Co-Director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience and Director of the Clinical Studies and Database Core for the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA. She is also the Program Director of the UCLA Gastroenterology Fellowship Program. Dr. Chang is a gastroenterologist and NIH-funded clinical investigator whose research focuses on brain-gut interactions underlying irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), including early adverse life events, stress, sex differences, gut microbiome, and the treatment of IBS. She serves on the Rome Foundation Board of Directors and is Associate Editor of Gastroenterology. She previously served as President of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS). | |
| Dr. Chang has been actively involved with the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) for over two decades, contributing to its mission through various roles. From 2003 to 2013, she served on the Symposium Planning Committee, helping develop the program for the annual symposia. More recently, Dr. Chang co-chaired IFFGD’s 30th Anniversary Nancy and Bill Norton Education Series Program in 2020-2021. She has also contributed to patient education brochures on various GI topics, underscoring her commitment to advancing education and patient care in the field. | |
IFFGD is a nonprofit organization. We rely on donor support to fund research and to provide reliable information and support to those affected by chronic gastrointestinal disorders.
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