Bonnaud, Guillaume
Innovative practices: Medical support through the tripod of the living in IBD/IBS
- 2022.
88
The current medical management of chronic digestive diseases such as IBD and IBS is essentially technical and centered on medication. Progress in the pharmaceutical industry has led to an undeniable improvement in the symptomatic and prognostic evolution of chronic diseases. However, on its own, medication is often only partially effective and does not allow for a return to a balanced, normal life for a patient with a chronic disease. Faced with this observation, patients, at least half of them, turn to complementary therapies. These therapies fall under what is called integrative medicine or non-pharmaceutical interventions, and they enable holistic patient care beyond medication. It seems important to provide a scientific and medical framework for this holistic patient support beyond medication. In this article, we propose to focus on the fundamental tripod of holistic care recommendations, which concerns nutrition, physical activity, and the regulation of stress and emotions. The management of this tripod of the living, apart from simple practices, can use techniques such as yoga, cardiac coherence, MBSR, meditation, hypnosis, and consciousness activation therapies. Beyond traditional physical care by health professionals, digital tools can be an important additional asset for disseminating validated information and promoting long-term behavior change.