🎙️If you've never listened and are wondering about #AboutIBDPodcast -- here's the trailer! In the #podcast biz we call this Episode 0. 😉 This trailer has been available on my podcast feed for several years, but I've only now made a video for it. Much more about my show and all episodes are also on my web site: aboutibd.com/podcast/ It was fun to put this together from a bunch of archive footage. It's like a tour of my hair color over the last 5 years. 💅🏻

I was excited to watch a video from @CrohnsColitisFn on drug patents. @ibddoctor (Peter Higgins) explains how #IBD medications are marketed and priced. It also offers guidance on learning more and taking action to stop patent abuse. See it here: crohnscolitisfoundation.org/…

🍑 People with IBD are at a greater risk of developing some cancer types, regardless of what treatments they receive. Patients should maintain a relationship with a primary care provider to coordinate age-appropriate cancer screenings based on guidelines and risk levels.

🥦 Updates on diet: In UC, there's few trials, but bowel rest is generally not helpful, and diet alone isn't recommended for moderate to severe disease. In CD, there is evidence for liquid diets, but they are challenging. Data supporting low-emulsifier diets is coming in.

🔊 Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is a non-invasive test that can show whether IBD is causing inflammation in the bowel wall. Training healthcare providers to administer IUS is gaining momentum. IUS requires no fasting, prep, or contrast. It is especially helpful in pediatrics.

💩 Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is not available in the United States for IBD. Research is ongoing but the outcomes are mixed, and there's no consensus on how to use it in IBD. Research continues to see if there's a way that FMT can be beneficial for IBD.

Takeaways from the last sessions on IBD: 🦠 It's known that the microbiome changes prior to developing IBD. What we don't know is how to use probiotics to prevent or manage IBD. Currently, there are no broad recommendations for probiotic use in IBD.

Turning the ballroom lights on at the end of a conference has closing time vibes. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

NGL: seeing the folks at the rooftop pool across the way is FOMO! Nashville streets are quiet and calm in the morning, I highly recommend the walk. Takeaways from last sessions are coming up! #JNJPartner #ACG2026

💜 Discussing sexual health is a part of GI care. Clinicians are encouraged to ask patients about sex/intimacy in a conversational and non-judgmental way, without making any assumptions about a patient's identity. If needed, be prepared on where to send patients for more care.

🪀 The idea of an appendectomy for prevention or management of ulcerative colitis continues to be batted around. More data is needed to understand the connection between the appendix and ulcerative colitis and if/when the benefits of an appendectomy might outweigh the risks.

🍑 Pouchitis is "super" common after jpouch surgery for IBD. About 14% of jpouch patients need an advanced therapy (such as a biologic or one of the more recently approved oral drugs) for chronic pouchitis. (Editor's note: Don't tell patients surgery is a "cure" or "curative.")

Some takeaways for Day 2: 🗣️ surgery in #IBD early is helpful. Referral to a surgeon doesn't always mean surgery is going to happen right away. BUT, if that time does come, it's easier when patients already know the surgeon, what the process might look like, and what comes next.

What I never knew I needed in a conference center: GOOD ambient music. Billy Squire, U2, Foreigner, Def Leppard, Journey, and more that I’ve heard just today at Music City Center. I’m sure this is not everyone’s favorite 🎶, but my GenX sensibilities are sated! #ACG2026

If I sit in this rocking chair, I might not get up again! At Music City Center for day 2 of #ACG2026! #jnjpartner #IBD

😴 Sleep is a struggle in #IBD. And patients might be waiting for their healthcare professionals to ask about it! It’s difficult to address, but poor sleep could be associated with inflammation and even mental health challenges. So it’s important to discuss and make a plan.

✂️ Surgery. Well: we have to talk about it! The advice to clinicians is to not assume patients won’t want a colectomy. 🗣️ about surgery should start early and gently. It’s important to note that surgery doesn’t mean that therapy won’t still be needed. (I can attest to that!)

🧠 Anxiety and depression are 2X more likely in #IBD. (Makes sense to me!) There are many barriers to addressing it, including lack of mental healthcare professionals. Advice to clinicians is to define a pathway to helping patients get care. And that could include using an app.

💊Patients use complementary and alternative therapies. But less than 1/2 tell their healthcare team about it. 🫣 There are potentially effective therapies, but it’s important to open the conversation to learn what is evidence-based.