Is There An App for That? Exploring Apps for IBD

My husband and I were in the Cleveland Clinic Hospital a couple of weeks ago while he was recovering from colon surgery. I was trying to take notes after the nutritionist’s visit. She had laid out a low-fiber diet for my husband that he needed to follow for the next 4-6 weeks. As vegetarians, my husband and I both felt disheartened by this new diet, but the goal was (and still remains) to minimize diarrhea and dehydration while allowing his bowel to slowly return to working order.

Apps for colon challenges

After the nutritionist arrived to lay out the temporary dietary guidelines, my husband's hospital roommate shared that his wife checks all of their food items with something called the Yuka app.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Oh, it’s an app she uses to scan the barcodes of food while she’s grocery shopping. It gives her nutritional feedback and suggests healthier versions. It helps my wife choose the right foods for my dietary restrictions.”

With that conversation from the hospital in mind, I decided to do a little research. What is the Yuka app? And would there be any other beneficial apps to help my husband and I navigate both our colon challenges?

Tracking and managing tools

In our technological era, healthcare mobile apps help individuals track and manage their medical conditions easily within the palm of their hand. As one living with ulcerative colitis, I know the value of having an app that removes the stress and burden of certain issues surrounding my IBD. For me, I love having a restroom tracker on my phone. No matter where I travel, I know to look on my phone when the urge for a restroom hits. But apps can do more than just find public restrooms.

Living with Crohn’s or colitis involves so many issues and choices that we need to consider. Knowing which foods to avoid, scheduling medications, tracking symptoms along with diet and bowel movements are important to not only the individual with IBD but also for reporting to our doctors.

So, if an app exists that helps us track and manage all these various aspects, why wouldn’t we download some of these tools and put them to work for us?

Narrowing down the options

I researched a few phone apps developed just for those of us living with Crohn’s or UC. Before I list some of these apps, I want to offer full transparency: I have not tried most of these apps. For me, I choose to use only one app that offers a restroom tracker. But, I’m open to trying a new one. With that stated, a plethora of healthcare apps exist — even for IBD. Here, I will narrow down the lengthy list to the most common ones I found in my research:

• My IBD Care: Crohn’s & Colitis. This app touts that it is a “free, award-winning app” that was developed by healthcare experts. It is geared towards helping people with Crohn’s and colitis, and it offers many services within one app. Users can track their symptoms, keep a personal health record, set medication and appointment reminders, record bowel movements, and access articles and videos related to the IBD community. I did notice on the website that one person commented that the medicines in the app don’t align with U.S. versions, but it you’re living in the UK, Canada, and other regions, it might connect to your medical treatment. So, read up on it before downloading.
• mySymptoms Food Diary. This app developed more for IBS sufferers, it still works well for those of us with Crohn’s and UC. It helps the user track diet and symptoms while also offering insight into possible gut triggers. What’s neat about this app, a user can print out a PDF of their diary and share it with their physician. This diary analysis seems like it would be helpful in identifying patterns between a person’s diet and symptoms. The downside to this specific tool is that it doesn’t come free—at least not on my iPhone. It shows a $7.99 (USD) fee, so I’m figuring Android users are also charged.
• LyfeMD. This free app touts its creation by healthcare professionals such as gastroenterologists, hepatologists, dietitians, and exercise specialists with a combined 65 years of experience among their team. The app is built for CD, UC, inflammatory arthritis, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients. What does it include? It describes its features as including “evidence-based recommendations,” personalized diets according to a person’s disease activity, custom exercise plans, yoga, breathing, mindfulness plans, and group sessions that users can attend. In addition, users can fill out monthly surveys so that specific nutritional plans and goals can be tailored to meet the individual’s health needs.
• Aila Health. The mission statement on this app proclaims: “We are on a mission to improve the healthcare experience for autoimmune patients.” This app streamlines all aspects of autoimmune care into one convenient location. They offer telehealth visits, 24/7 messaging with HIPAA compliant care teams, it stores your health information, delivers recommendations based on individual symptoms, and allows users to communicate with other patients within the community. In addition, it tracks the following information: symptoms, activity, mental health, and medication reminders. On the surface, this app appears to be a sort of “one-stop-shop” for those of us living with chronic illness.
• Plop—Poop Tracker & Analyzer. As we all know our poop communicates so much about our health. Like tracking our daily steps and activity, why not track our bowel movements and find out what’s affecting our digestive system? With this free app, users can export a PDF that can be printed out for your next doctor’s appointment. The app analyzes bowel movements based on the user logging in information, provides personalized suggestions, and offers built-in breathing exercises.
• We Can’t Wait.This is the one app I use as a fast and simple method to find a public restroom. This free app partners with businesses and other locations to offer closest listings of available restrooms. It also stores a digital copy of the “I Can’t Wait” card that explains why you need access to a bathroom. Plus, it offers education and resources for those looking for IBD support—as well as legislation information in each U.S. state regarding restroom access. Not that I’ve used the digital “I Can’t Wait” card, I prefer to use this app merely for its restroom locator, which is priceless to those of us with urgent restroom needs.
• Yuka. Finally, the app that inspired this article. I’m quite fascinated in this app because it claims to be a “100% independent project” with no product influence, no ads, and no funding by brand companies. This app scans and analyzes the ingredients of foods and cosmetics to inform the user what’s good versus what’s bad about products you grab off store shelves. It offers better choices and will inform you of endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, allergens, and other irritants. I have downloaded this app and will be putting it to use during my next grocery visit.

Apps are not the sole solution

Overall, many more apps exist out there for those of us living with IBD. They can be important when we need a little extra help managing our symptoms and diets. Plus, if you’re looking for gut-brain axis support, apps exist for that, too. But as a warning, remember none of these apps take the place of a physician. Be sure to always keep scheduled doctor appointments, follow their treatment plan, and keep all your test/exam appointments such as a colonoscopy.

In the end, these apps are merely to help us manage the challenges surrounding IBD. If you’re interested in selecting the “right” app to use, consult with your healthcare team and see what they recommend.

Do you manage IBD with apps?

Do you use a specific app for managing your Crohn’s or UC? Please share which one you prefer most. Maybe your suggestions will help me branch out from a restroom locator and food analyzer.