In every episode Great message brave people with different complaints bring their questions and concerns to Karine and her team. This is how Saartje hopes to get the irritable bowel syndrome that has dominated her life for ten years under control. All his life, Aerin has not been able to practice agriculture, which causes a lot of trouble. Saara has gluten intolerance, but despite a strict diet, she still has pain. These and many other people hope that the experts Great message can help them. Together they look for solutions, share tips or break myths about the state of our digestive tract. No problem is left unaddressed. In each episode, Karine and the experts also give tips for keeping digestion and intestines healthy at home. And with it, all taboos from the smallest room can be put to sleep once and for all.
Did you know…
- Even one in three people have gastrointestinal problems?
- 1/200 Flemish suffer from a chronic inflammatory condition in the digestive tract (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease).
- About 1 in 100 people in Flanders have celiac disease (gluten intolerance), but about 64 percent of them are undiagnosed.
- Colon cancer is one of the three most common cancers in Belgium.
- In Belgium, about 12,000 people have a stoma.
Big message: From November 13, every Wednesday around 20:40 on VRT 1 and from 6:00 on VRT MAX.
Cognoscenti
Dr. Magali Surmont (39 years old)
Magali Surmont lives in Brussels with her boyfriend and their three sons. He works as a gastroenterologist at the University Hospital of Brussels, where he heads the multidisciplinary pelvic floor clinic. Magali studied at Ghent University and specialized in gastroenterology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He also received a Diplôme Inter-Universitaire Proctologie médico-surgicale from the Université de Rennes. In addition to his hospital work, he actively conducts scientific research in the fields of neurogastroenterology and proctology and is the secretary of the young VVGE (Flanders Gastroenterology Society) and the treasurer of the BNSM (Belgian Society for Neurogastroenterology and Motility). He is passionate about his work and wants to make people aware of the importance of good bowel movement. Because even though everyone does it, it’s still a big taboo on the subject.
Magali Surmont: “Digestive problems have a huge impact on your quality of life, including your emotional well-being. Often it’s still taboo to talk about bowel movements, but everyone goes to the toilet. It’s that discomfort or what sometimes stands inside. a good way to find a solution Only by talking about it can we heal it! Great message I want to break taboos and stigmas and give people tips to prevent problems with the digestive tract.”
Nutritionist Michaël Sels (35 years)
Michaël Sels lives in Antwerp with her husband and works as a nutritionist and clinical nutrition innovation manager at the University Hospital of Antwerp (UZA). As a child, Michaël helped in his grandparents’ brasserie and completed his secondary education at the Ter Groene Poorte hotel school. Later, he continued with nutrition science and began his education in nutrition and dietetics, later specializing in oncology and intestinal problems. Now he brings these two worlds – good food and food that is good for the body – together. In addition to being a nutritionist, Michaël is now also the author of four books and lectures. He always applies theory to practice by offering concrete tips from scientific research and behind the stove, sorting out the supermarket safari and offering tasty recipes. Everyone eats, and that’s why Michaël thinks it’s important to share tips. According to him, small changes to meals can have a big effect on the body. Michaël believes that fighting unhealthy lifestyles can sometimes work more miracles than prescribing pills.
Michael Sels: “Gut health is so important. Everyone goes to the bathroom several times a week, everyone eats every day, and of course the two are connected. Then know, eat! Because it affects gut health and overall health. If we see how few people know how how our digestive system works and what foods are healthy for your gut… so I’m glad we can do it Great message can give I hope we can convince everyone of the importance of good gut health. And above all: how do you get started with this thing yourself, and then nutrition is of course very important. Because you have a lot of control over yourself when it comes to gut health, I hope we can teach that to the viewer.”