WARNING:

Shouldn't have had the chili...

The above is a picture of a severely infected intestine with ulcerative colitis. It's an inflammatory bowel disease (what I have) and cannot be cured; however, there are few important principles of longterm medical therapy which, if followed, can allow the majority of patients with IBD to accept their illness and lead relatively normal lives.

Most patients with IBD have a normal psychological profile. Nevertheless, the disorder's chronicity and uncomfortable symptoms make these patients emotionally vulnerable, and psychosocial stress often excerbates symptoms. Education of the patient and family members is also an important part of management, but is all too often ignored. A paternalistic approach is usually inappropriate, as most patients deal best with IBD by understanding its nature and by learning to accept its mysterious unpredictability. The doctor should not prematurely overwhelm newly diagnosed patients with information, but educational discussions should be deliberately introduced early on.