The treatment of inflammatory bowel disease by complementary medicine

Abstract: In this paper the rnain conditions considered under the broad heading of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Consideration is given to the known pathological and histological changes in these conditions, and as to the possible aetiological causes in orthodox terms.The role of diet in inflammatory bowel disease has, in the opinion of many practitioners within the complementary field, been largely overlooked, and this is discussed as one of the major possible causes of IBD, with evidence for dietary elimination being an effective form of management. In addition, the importance of dysbiosis, or alteration of the normal ecological bacterial flora of the intestine is mentioned, together with the treatment of this condition using herbal, homoeopathic and naturopathic methods.Where appropriate, evidence for the effectiveness of complementary therapies is given, and for practitioners who are unfamiliar with complementary approaches, dietary restriction, as discussed as an experimental form of treatment, may well be worthwhile.

Zurück | Weiter