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Review
. 2020 May 26:13:1756284820927550.
doi: 10.1177/1756284820927550. eCollection 2020.

Complementary and alternative medications in the management of inflammatory bowel disease

Sherman Picardo  1 , Mansour Altuwaijri  1 , Shane M Devlin  1 , Cynthia H Seow  2
Affiliations
Review

Complementary and alternative medications in the management of inflammatory bowel disease

Sherman Picardo et al. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

The use of complementary and alternative medications (CAM), products, and therapies not considered to be part of conventional medicine is common among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients often turn to these therapies as they are considered natural and safe, with significant benefit reported beyond disease control. There is emerging evidence that some of these therapies may have anti-inflammatory activity; however, robust evidence for their efficacy in modulating disease activity is currently lacking. Patients often avoid discussing the use of CAM with their physicians, which may lead to drug interactions and/or reduced adherence with conventional therapy. It is important for physicians to be aware of the commonly used CAM and current evidence behind these therapies in order to better counsel their patients about their use in the management of IBD. This narrative review provides an overview of the evidence of the more commonly used CAM in patients with IBD.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; aloe vera; complementary and alternative medicine; curcumin; fish oil; inflammatory bowel disease; omega 3- fatty acids; probiotics; ulcerative colitis; wormwood.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: Cynthia H. Seow has served as a consultant, speaker and has served on advisory boards for Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Abbvie, Takeda, Ferring, Shire, and Pfizer. Shane M. Devlin has served as a consultant, speaker and has served on advisory boards for Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Abbvie, Takeda, Ferring, Shire, and Pfizer. Sherman Picardo has served as a speaker for Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Abbie, Pfizer and Takeda.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Literature search results. CAM use in IBD. CAM, complementary and alternative medication; IBD, inflammatory bowel diseases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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