Are there any other treatments for IBD?

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    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    Mindfulness has shown potential in reducing stress in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and cognitive behavioral therapy may improve quality of life and fatigue. Fecal microbiota transplants are effective for ulcerative colitis remission, but the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and acupuncture are unclear due to study design flaws.

    There’s some evidence that mindfulness can reduce stress in people living with IBD, while cognitive behavioral therapy could improve both quality of life and fatigue.[1][2][3]

    Fecal microbiota transplants are more effective than placebo for inducing remission in ulcerative colitis, but their efficacy in other forms of IBD is still unclear, and most of the available trials for Crohn’s disease lack control groups.[4][5]

    Most of the studies assessing hyperbaric oxygen therapy and acupuncture had serious design flaws (like a lack of randomization or control groups), so although these treatments are associated with remission and clinical improvements, it’s unclear whether those occurred as a result of the treatment or as a normal part of the disease process.[6][7]