Encouraging Facts About Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Roughly 3 million Americans are diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the tissue of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. There are two primary types of IBD — ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease — and both benefit from long-term management to relieve symptoms and protect your GI tract.

Having a chronic disease can be nerve-racking, but staying positive about your diagnosis and its management can help you feel more empowered and reduce symptom severity.

At Digestive Disease Specialists, in Moline, Illinois, and Bettendorf, Iowa, our team provides comprehensive treatment for inflammatory bowel disease, with innovative therapies based on the latest and most advanced IBD research. 

Here, learn some encouraging facts about IBD research and treatment that can help you adopt a more positive outlook on your healthy future.

IBD can be managed

It’s true there’s no cure for IBD, but it’s also true that it can be effectively managed. Like other chronic diseases, IBD benefits from an established treatment plan focused on alleviating your symptoms, avoiding flare-ups, and slowing the progression of the disease.

Most people benefit from a combination of medication and lifestyle changes, including medicines to control inflammation and suppress the abnormal immune response associated with IBD and its symptoms.

If you have IBD, regular doctor visits are essential to keeping your symptoms under control. Regular checkups also give us a chance to adjust your treatment over time so it remains as effective as possible. And, of course, we also offer lifestyle guidance tailored to your specific needs.

Emerging research is improving care

IBD research has advanced significantly over the past decade as medical researchers and drug companies have expanded their understanding of the disease and its treatment options. Groundbreaking therapies focus not just on improving symptoms, but also on targeting the underlying causes of IBD.

Today, innovative biological therapies target specific proteins involved in IBD development and progression. Ongoing genetic studies are helping determine why IBD affects some people and not others by looking for specific genetic factors that could eventually be targeted by therapeutic agents, setting the stage for truly individualized treatment plans.

Healthy eating and exercise can help

In addition to taking your medication as prescribed, there are other steps you can take to help manage your symptoms and prevent tissue damage. Following a healthy eating plan supports a healthy gut while knowing which trigger foods to avoid diminishes the severity of flare-ups.

Staying physically active is also important for promoting overall well-being while reducing inflammation. Being physically active helps reduce potential side effects from long-term use of medication.

Supplements help prevent complications

Your gut lining plays an important role in helping your body absorb nutrients. If you have IBD, that absorption may be compromised by inflammation or long-term medication use, leaving you deficient in vitamins and minerals. 

Nutritional supplements help replace nutrients to support overall wellness and bone and heart health. Some supplements may also help reduce inflammation. With IBD, it’s important only to take supplements recommended by your doctor so you reap the benefits while avoiding potential complications. 

IBD isn’t contagious

IBD isn’t related to a virus that can be passed from one person to another. It’s an autoimmune disease where your immune system overreacts and attacks healthy tissue in your digestive system. Genetic and environmental factors may also play roles.

Knowing you can’t catch IBD or pass it along to someone else can help alleviate stress or anxieties that may affect people who don’t know — or understand — the disease.

Stress management offers plenty of benefits

Diet and exercise aren't the only two lifestyle factors that can affect IBD symptoms. Stress can too. 

Stress releases hormones that can exacerbate IBD symptoms and make it harder to cope with discomfort. Incorporating daily stress management activities like yoga, meditation, or focused breathing, helps reduce stress and improve your overall wellness.