As a health scientist and ‘expert patient’ who has spent more than 20 years researching IBD and whose work has changed the way IBD is managed in clinics worldwide, Dr Mikocka-Walnus is ideally placed to bring all the latest research findings and clinical experience together in a truly up-to-date, evidence-based guide for people with an IBD diagnosis and their families, friends and carers. As well as general considerations including what science tells us the condition is and how it is currently treated, she addresses issues in relation to age (there is an epidemic now among children and teenagers) and circumstances (sexuality and fertility). Most importantly she looks at the gut-brain connection and with it, mental health in IBD, the two-way relationship with stress, and the pros and cons of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and antidepressants.
The question is not how to get cured, but how to live.