Tolerance Limits, Self-understanding, and Stress Resilience in Integrative Recovery of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Kari Skrautvol, Dagfinn Nåden
PMID 27782921WHAT IT FOUND
Young adults with inflammatory bowel disease described recovery as learning personal tolerance limits for activity and stress, balancing rest, movement and meals, and combining conventional treatment with diet, supplements and complementary therapies.
Key findings
01Participants described learning to recognise body tolerance limits for physical activity and stress, and reported that balancing activity, reflection and rest was linked to better energy and stomach function.
02They described creating a new equilibrium through mental problem-solving, self-understanding and setting limits in difficult relationships.
03They reported combining conventional medical treatment with dietary supplements and complementary therapies, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 13 participants were analysed, all recruited from one patient organization, so the accounts may not represent other people with inflammatory bowel disease. One of 14 recruited people withdrew because disease worsened, so the sample was not complete. The sample included only 3 men, and the authors noted that men and women may recover differently, especially around food preparation. The study reported experiences, not measured disease activity or treatment outcomes, so it cannot show that any diet, supplement or complementary therapy works. Participants were living at home and did not have an acute need for health care, so it says little about severe or hospitalized disease.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read participants' reports of diet, supplements or complementary therapies as evidence that they improve inflammatory bowel disease. This was a small qualitative interview study of 13 patients' experiences, with no control group or measured outcomes.