But apps can do much of that work, and they’ve gotten more sophisticated (and useful) than ever over the years. “Before the advent of this type of technology, patients could really only recall to us what was going on with their symptoms during follow-up visits,” says Rusha Modi, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Keck Medical Center of USC in Los Angeles and a researcher at the Center for Body Computing. “So we had these huge gaps in doctor knowledge about what our patients were experiencing between visits.” Apps may be able to help bridge this gap and help people better manage their IBD, suggests a systematic review published in January-March 2016 in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth. This technology may be able to help educate people as well as provide them with coping skills, the researchers suggest. Using an app can also encourage you to be proactive in your care. “Apps give patients insight into their own care,” Dr. Modi says. By tracking your meals, for example, you might learn which foods can trigger your symptoms and which have an impact on other aspects of your well-being, such as your mood, energy levels, or sleep patterns. Apps that aggregate this information can present it to you and your doctors in a nonjudgmental way so you can optimize your health. If you have IBD, here are seven apps that can help you track your symptoms, food intake, sleep habits, and everything else life throws at you. mySymptoms Available for $3.99 on GooglePlay and the App Store Like the name suggests, mySymptoms allows users to track not only their gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, but also their energy levels, sleep habits, and more. You can also log your food intake — a feature Anna Binder-McAsey, RD, LD, owner of Rethink Nutrition in Manhattan, Kansas, finds particularly useful as a provider. She specializes in working with clients with GI disorders and immune system dysfunctions and reviews the information from this app prior to a patient’s appointment. You can also email a copy of your logs to your healthcare provider. Aila Health Available free on the App Store This new HIPAA-compliant app is tailored to people who have an autoimmune disease or chronic illness, including IBD. The app allows you to track your symptoms, including stress levels, mood, and fatigue, and log your food intake, which can help you pinpoint possible triggers. You can give your healthcare providers access to the data so they can see your health information and also connect with members of the IBD community. MyFitnessPal Available free on GooglePlay and the App Store MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular health and fitness apps for the general population. Many people who have Crohn’s or UC use it to track their daily food intake as well as analyze nutrition info. (Binder-McAsey instructs her clients not to track their calories, though; talk to your doctor or dietitian about how best to use this app.) What makes MyFitnessPal popular is how easy and intuitive it is to use. You can track your nutrient intake, keep a food diary, log your water intake, record GI-friendly recipes, and track which restaurant foods you can (and can’t) tolerate. Available free by applying on the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s site Social support is an often overlooked but important part of IBD care. “I encourage patients to connect with each other, whether that be through an app or social media groups, because they know what it’s like to live with this problem, and they can share resources,” says Modi. After applying for the Power of Two app and signing up, the program connects you with someone similar to you (for example, in age, disease state, or surgeries) for support and allows you and your peer partner to connect via calls and messages. With your peer supporter, you can talk about anything, including food, diet habits, how to manage triggers, and more. Gali Available free on GooglePlay and the App Store In some ways, Gali is more than an app: She’s an artificially intelligent personal health assistant who can answer IBD-related questions, analyze your health metrics, give you personalized tips, and more. The app also provides a community feed, so you can interact with other people who have IBD. Oshi Health Available free* on GooglePlay and the App Store Oshi Health is designed for people with digestive conditions, such as IBD, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, and more. Download the app to receive support from a gastroenterologist and GI nurse; help identifying food triggers; information about how to manage stress and anxiety; and recommendations specific to you. *Oshi Health is offered as part of a benefits package through your employer or insurer. Check to see if you’re eligible for membership. Headspace Available on GooglePlay and the App Store (free and subscription based; subscriptions are $12.99/month or $69.99/year if you pay in full) Chances are, you’ve heard of Headspace, an app geared toward meditation and mindfulness. While anyone can use it, people with IBD and other chronic conditions may especially benefit from it. “Stress management and self-care play an important role in gut health and chronic symptom management,” says Binder-McAsey. She suggests using the short, 3- to 5-minute meditations for acute stress; you can also tackle longer-term goals that can better help you manage your IBD, such as getting more sleep.
