Disease (IBD)
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- What is IBD?
- Symptoms of IBD
- Causes of IBD
- Prevention of IBD
- Risk factors for IBD
- Complications of IBD
- When to see a doctor about IBD
- Diagnosis of IBD
- Conventional treatment of IBD
- Alternative/complementary treatment of IBD
- Living with IBD
- Caring for someone with IBD
Caring for someone with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Partner
The best way to help a partner with inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD) is to be supportive and sympathetic, but also the following can be helpful too:
- Avoiding smoking inside - people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) need to be away from any cigarette smoke, as it can exacerbate their symptoms
- Eating smaller meals - help your partner to eat smaller meals by joining them in eating smaller meals, as this helps support your partner a great deal. Cooking and eating smaller meals is one way to help reduce the load on the digestive system by reducing the amount of food that needs to be digested and absorbed
- Encourage a healthy diet - a healthy diet is one which has adequate amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, protein and healthy fats and has little or no processed foods
- Encourage exercise - going for walks (or joining a gym together) with your partner is a great way to bond. Exercise helps to improve circulation, reduces stress and encourages better health overall
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Friends
People who have a friend who has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can support their friend by the following:
- Dinner parties - if you invite your friend to a dinner party, try to ensure there is food that they can eat. The best way to do this is to ask what foods are off limits for them and ensure to let them know beforehand which foods they should avoid
- Discourage alcohol - if your friend has IBD, they should be limiting alcohol intake as it can cause a worsening of symptoms, so try to make your social meetings ones that are alcohol free
Parents
Parents of a child who has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can support their child by:
- Avoid smoking inside - people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) need to be away from any cigarette smoke, as it can exacerbate their symptoms
- Cooking smaller meals - this is one way to help reduce the load on the child's digestive system by reducing the amount of food that needs to be digested and absorbed
- Fibre - it is important to include some soluble fibre in the child's diet, slowly and a little at a time (to prevent worsening of symptoms) to help with symptoms. Studies show that a diet high in plant fibre is associated with lower incidence of IBD. Some good sources of fibre are: psyllium (this can be added to cereals and smoothies, but ensure to have adequate amounts of water to enable it to flow through the digestive system properly), vegetables, legumes and cereals
- Probiotics - introduce some probiotics to the child's diet, preferably in powder form as it can be more easily assimilated into other foods, but the tablets can also be taken if this is not successful
- Slippery elm - find creative ways to add slippery elm to foods (smoothies, breakfast cereal, muesli) in the child's diet. Slippery elm is one of the herbs most beneficial for any type of digestive disorder, but especially one in which there is irritation and damage to the intestinal wall and the intestinal mucosa
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< living with IBD Last reviewed: 31 July 2008 || Last updated: 14 February 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
