Recent Advances in Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58931/cibdt.2024.2334Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing-remitting inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, primarily comprised of 2 major types: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The pathogenesis of IBD is not fully elucidated but is thought to be multifactorial involving genetic, environmental, and immunological contributors. The incidence of IBD has been rising worldwide, particularly in developed nations. Canada, in particular, has one of the highest prevalence rates of IBD globally, with recent data indicating that over 320,000 Canadians are living with IBD, making it a significant public health concern.
The chronic nature of IBD, along with the severity of its symptoms, and the adverse effects occasionally attributed to management (e.g. immunosuppression, corticosteroids, surgical complications) can significantly reduce the quality of life for those affected. As such, many patients with IBD use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) due to safety concerns of conventional therapy and a sense of greater control over their disease. CAM refers to a broad range of healthcare practices, such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, fecal microbiota transplants, and probiotics, which are not typically considered part of conventional western medicine. The use of CAM among patients with IBD is high, with current or past use of CAM ranging from 21-60% of IBD patients. Given the propensity of patients with IBD to seek CAM and the unfamiliarity that many medical practitioners have with the evidence of benefit/harm from these practices, this review seeks to summarize recent advances in clinical research on CAM use for IBD.
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