For most of my life, food was medicine. Living with cystic fibrosis (CF) and pancreatic insufficiency meant my body didn’t absorb fat the way it should. Because of that, I also didn’t properly absorb fat-soluble vitamins. From childhood, I was taught to eat more: bigger portions,…

One year of Trikafta treatment boosted work productivity and daily activities for people with cystic fibrosis (CF), a real-world study from Canada showed. The gains stemmed from improvements in lung function, physical functioning, and the ability to engage in daily responsibilities. “These findings suggest that the clinical benefits…

As a therapist who lives with cystic fibrosis (CF) and a double-lung transplant, I’m not immune to mental health struggles, and in my experience, it’s nearly impossible to talk about chronic illness without talking about mental health. For many years, I felt alone and separated from my peers, but…

Kaftrio, a CFTR modulator marketed as Trikafta (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) in the U.S., was associated with improved lung function and nutritional status in a study. Researchers found only small changes in which microorganisms were present, but larger changes in their activity. Those larger changes included more microbial activity related to butyrate,…

The genetic defect that causes cystic fibrosis (CF) may also directly contribute to the development of pancreatic cancer, a new study done in cell models suggests. Researchers found that pancreatic cancer cells carrying CF-causing mutations grow faster than cancer cells without these mutations, and this growth could be…

At 55, and six years past a double-lung transplant, I sometimes catch myself marveling at how I’ve gotten this far with cystic fibrosis (CF). When I was a kid, nobody handed my family a map that stretched this far. Yet here I am, still learning how to live beyond…