treating uc means finding a drug therapy that works for you. “whatever therapy you’re on it’s considered maintenance meaning you have to take it to control symptoms and as soon as you stop your symptoms can return ” says eric esrailian md mph chief of development and section head of general gastroenterology at the david geffen school of medicine at ucla. treatments for uc are primarily oral or topical. “generally a mainstay treatment is a class of drugs called 5-aminosalicylates which have an anti-inflammatory effect on the bowel to help minimize flare-ups ” esrailian explains. another class is the immunomodulators which suppress the immune system to calm any unnecessary activity in the bowel. biologic agents are another option for more severe disease as are corticosteroids in the short-term. while the internet touts treatments such as probiotics omega-3 fatty acids and herbal remedies like boswellia -- a gum resin from the boswellia tree -- the scientific research hasn’t quite caught up. “there’s not a lot of clear evidence because alternative therapies are not rigorously studied ” says esrailian.
how is ulcerative colitis treated?