Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of disorders that cause
inflammation throughout your digestive tract. IBD includes mainly Crohn’s
disease and ulcerative colitis. Both of these conditions can produce symptoms such as severe diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal pain and weight loss. IBD can be quite debilitating and may cause life-threatening complications. The exact
cause of IBD is still unknown.

Ulcerative colitis causes long-term inflammation and ulcers in the inner lining of the large intestine and rectum. Crohn’s disease causes inflammation anywhere in the lining of your digestive tract, often spreading deeply into the affected tissues. These diseases even affect non-GI systems of the body.

Our first goal in treating your IBD is to reduce the inflammation that’s causing your symptoms. We can bring about long-term remission and produce complete symptom relief. We typically start conservatively with drug therapies before progressing to stronger medications or, in the most serious cases, surgical intervention to remove a portion of the digestive tract.

Stress management and lifestyle modifications can help ease symptoms, too. Like many other diseases and conditions, stress can make IBD worse. Regular exercise, biofeedback and relaxation such as yoga or meditation can really help reduce stress levels and symptoms.