New Book May Provide IBD Patients with the Information they Seek

Recently, the results of a study from the University of Alberta revealed that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) do not feel that enough reliable educational websites about the disease exist. The American Gastroenterological Association may have filled that void with the release of IBD Self-Management.

The new book, written by Sunanda Kane, MD, MSPH, AGAF, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, provides patients with information that will enable them to “self-manage their disease for life,” according to the AGA. The book includes personal stories from Kane’s patients and provides advice on preparing for emergencies, flares, treatment failures, surgeries, and the “what-if” questions that IBD patients are often faced with. In addition, IBD Self-Management “delivers straight talk that dispels myths on medications and nontraditional treatments, ‘healthy gut’ diets and diets for flares, and cancer prevention.”

Reception from other professionals who work with IBD patients has been positive so far, according to testimonials on the AGA site.

"IBD Self-Management is the best IBD book I’ve read (and I have read others)!” said Marci Reiss, LCSW, president, IBD Support Foundation, Los Angeles, CA. “The real patient examples were very interesting, and I felt like Dr. Kane was speaking directly to me. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for comprehensive information on IBD in an enjoyable and easy-to-read fashion.”

Joseph B. Kirsner, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, The Joseph B. Kirsner Center for the Study of Digestive Diseases, University of Chicago Medical Center, IL, expressed similar positive thoughts about IBD Self-Management. "Dr. Kane’s book is a wonderful source of useful information and support to IBD patients, and an outstanding contribution to the clinical literature for IBD physicians," he said.