Happy New Year from the Evinature Team! As we look ahead to 2025, our New Year’s resolution is to help you improve your gut health, both before and during IBD symptom flare-ups. This year, we hope you will choose to be proactive in your gut health journey and join us in making IBD flare-ups a thing of the past:
Proactive vs Reactive Care:
If given the choice, most (if not all) patients would prefer to stay in good health rather than battle it out with their IBD this year. That said, there is a difference between proactive and reactive patient care. Reactive care is treatment only when the symptoms are present, and not taking precautionary measures to ensure good health during remission. This might look like going to the doctor only when you feel pain or cramping, or beginning medication with or right after the onset of symptoms. For some, this matches their schedule and way of life. However, this year we present another way: Proactive care.
Proactive care (also known as preemptive care) treats your IBD, even without the onset of symptoms. This type of treatment seeks to maximize the period of health and remission while creating a framework for how to manage symptoms when they appear. Consistently taking measures to reduce the frequency and severity of flare-ups before they appear also promotes better wellness and gives you the bandwidth to focus on what matters, instead of continuously reverting to treating IBD.
Here are a few sample New Year’s resolutions for our IBD patients to prevent IBD flare-ups before they occur:
Improving Diet
IBD mainly affects the digestive tract, therefore taking care to prepare a balanced, nutritious diet is important to increase digestive efficiency and meet nutritional milestones. Avoiding known irritants of the digestive system, such as alcohol, caffeine, and overly processed foods, can enhance digestion and reduce the frequency of triggered flare-ups. If you find that your IBD reacts to other foods, consider meeting with a nutritionist or physician to discuss specific food plans such as low FODMAPs or the Mediterranean diet that are proven to reduce IBD symptoms.
Consistent Exercise
Exercise has an overall positive effect on the body, increasing digestive efficiency, lowering cortisol levels, and regulating heart rate. Studies have demonstrated that the integration of moderate exercise into a daily or even weekly routine can reduce the frequency and severity of flare-ups, as well as the presentation of IBD symptoms such as inflammation. This year, making a point to incorporate exercise into your routine for improved gut health.
Increase Hydration
In a world oversaturated with coffee and energy drinks, consider passing up the energy booster for good old-fashioned H2O. Digestion depends on water to break down food and absorb nutrients properly; therefore, consuming adequate amounts of water can reduce IBD symptoms caused by dehydration, such as bloating, abdominal pain, and irregular bowel movements. In addition, dehydration caused by diuretics such as coffee is well-known for disrupting the digestive process, so caution with coffee and energy drinks is warranted to prevent flare-ups before they occur.
Getting Proper Sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for everyone, but IBD patients in particular should make sure to catch those Z’s. Sleep regulates our entire physiological system; therefore those with a delicate GI tract should make sure their digestive tract gets the rest it needs. Additionally, proper sleep reduces cortisol levels, which in turn regulates our stress response. This is integral for preventing IBD flare-ups and symptom onset.
Increase Stress Management
90% of the serotonin receptors in our body line the digestive tract; therefore dysregulation of stress can lead to major tummy troubles. Likewise, high cortisol levels stimulate the sympathetic system, reducing blood flow to the stomach and downregulating digestion. Proper management of stress through meditation, writing in a journal, or speaking to a professional have all shown efficacy in reducing IBD symptoms. To avoid flare-ups before they start, reduce exposure to stress when possible, and where it isn’t, form a plan to manage stress before it appears.
Take Proper Supplements
Evinature’s repertoire of natural supplements is clinically proven to reduce the frequency of flare-ups, as well as improve overall gut health, motility, and stress management. CurQD®, our flagship protocol, treats IBD symptoms and helps maintain a healthy recovery and remission where possible. Exhale, another nutraceutical, contains novel plant-based agents designed to help your body react to stress and reduce the side effects of stress on your digestive system. Consistent use of these protocols, with the advice of our free Evinature Clinical Support Team, has helped thousands of IBD patients towards better health and fewer flare-ups.
Summer Pitocchelli-Schwartzman
