As the saying goes, there’s an app for that. And inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is no exception.
IBD is an umbrella term for chronic inflammation-related conditions affecting the digestive system, most commonly Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both can result in waves of symptoms, typically called flares or flare-ups, involving diarrhea, stomach pain, fatigue, and weight loss. In addition to medication, many treatment plans involve diet and lifestyle changes that require careful compliance and diligence. And that’s where apps come in.
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For example, as part of your IBD management, you might see your doctor every six months or so. They’ll likely ask you how you’re feeling, how your symptoms have changed over that time, how you’ve been sleeping, how stressed you’ve been—all challenging details to remember off the top of your head.
But an app that offers symptom and lifestyle habit tracking lets you record all of that information and keep it in the palm of your hand. “Apps that help you track your symptoms, food intake, exercise, and general well-being could give you a better sense of how your disease has been,” says Dr. Victor Chedid, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Having this data on hand might also help you recognize patterns in your symptoms more quickly. And that could lead to better care: If you notice your symptoms have been getting worse after logging them in an app, “it could help pick up flares at an earlier time potentially and [encourage you to] discuss health concerns at an earlier time with your doctor,” Chedid says.
But with so many IBD and gut health apps available, how do you know what’s worth a download? Here, experts and people living with IBD weigh in on which ones to try and how to pick the perfect match for your needs.
We Can’t Wait
Type: Restroom finder
Cost: Free
Available for: iOs and Android
It’s not uncommon for people with IBD to plan their social activities and travel around the closest public bathrooms, Chedid says. Not knowing where the nearest option is in a desperate moment causes a lot of anxiety and stress. So an app that provides that information brings comfort and reassurance, empowering people to live their lives.
“I think it’s a really awesome idea,” says Molly Dunham-Friel, an IBD and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) patient advocate and the founder of the website and social media accounts Better Bellies by Molly. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2012 and IBS—which can cause similar symptoms to IBD such as abdominal pain and diarrhea or constipation but without visible signs of damage or disease to your digestive tract—in 2013. Adds Dr. Alan Moss, chief scientific officer of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation: “[The app] has been downloaded 35,000 times, showing you [there’s] definitely a need there.”
Read More: Why Bathroom Access Is a Public Health Issue
Cost: $19.99 for the basic plan or $49.99/month with access to a health coach
Available for: iOs and Android
Dunham-Friel assisted in the development of this app and used it for some time herself. “The goal is to collect information about what you’re eating and how your bowel movements are, what your GI symptoms are, to help patients draw some conclusions or generalize a correlation, which is really valuable because of how complicated IBD is,” she says.
The app gives users different levels of access to educational materials, a mobile chat feature that connects to digestive health coaches, and symptom and lifestyle habit tracking to help identify and eliminate trigger foods.
Trellus Health
Type: Symptom tracker, education, support
Cost: Free
Available for: iOs and Android
This app was specifically designed for people with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome, and it’s meant to provide support and education that complements your current treatment plan.
“They have a lot of education, mindfulness tools, and social support,” Moss says. You can use it to track symptoms, medications, and lab results, while also connecting with a team of dietitians and resilience coaches for additional support.
Bezzy IBD
Type: Community forum
Cost: Free
Available for: iOs and Android
Bezzy, from media company Healthline, offers a number of specialized online forums and apps for different health concerns and conditions, including one for IBD, allowing members to connect with other users with IBD and find educational articles on the condition.
“You can find other people that share some of the same things you do with your disease, and get some support and information from people’s experiences,” says Lenette Sparacino, a Crohn’s disease patient and advocate who shares about her experience with IBD on Instagram and Tiktok @_lifewithcrohnsdisease.
Bearable
Type: Chronic illness symptom tracker
Cost: Free; optional $34.99 subscription for premium features
Available for: iOs and Android
Bearable offers customizable tracking for mood, symptoms, sleep, energy, meals, medications, and more that can be useful for people with any chronic condition, including IBD.
Sparacino appreciates its graphs and charts for highlighting patterns in symptoms and triggers. “I found that really helpful, because with Crohn’s, a lot of my triggers are from stress.” The visuals helped her better manage her symptoms, she says.
Calm
Type: Meditation and sleep app
Cost: $14.99/month or $69.99/year
Available for: iOs and Android
There are many popular relaxation and meditation apps that aren’t specifically designed for people with IBD but could still be helpful. “If you really want to focus on ways to cope and manage stress, you could use any of those,” Moss says, such as Calm, which provides guided meditations, music for relaxation, and more. “There is some nice research showing if you can adequately manage stress, you reduce the triggers for flare ups, or help attenuate or minimize a given flare up,” he adds.
“A lot of times people just need a guiding light to help them figure out how to get their stress under control,” Sparacino says.
Nerva
Type: Gut-directed hypnotherapy program
Cost: $43.99/month
Available for: iOs and Android
While this is technically an app for IBS rather than IBD, Dunham-Friel swears by this guided, gut-focused hypnotherapy system. It offers a six-week program that she followed leading up to her honeymoon. “I was really worried about my IBD getting in the way of my enjoyment of my honeymoon, and so I committed to that app, and I just had an amazing week with very little to no GI upset,” she recalls.
It also helped her cope when she did notice a little pain or sense of urgency. “I didn’t let it mentally derail me into a spiral of worry and anxiety that essentially is a vicious cycle between symptoms and anxiety,” she says.
Instagram
Type: Social media
Cost: Free
Available for: iOs and Android
While it’s certainly not unique to IBD, Instagram offers an opportunity for connection that Sparacino found to be life-changing after she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. “I was getting ready to have a bowel resection in 2016, and I didn’t know anyone in real life that had Crohn’s or had a bowel resection,” she says. She created an IBD-focused Instagram account and started searching for other people sharing about Crohn’s disease. Asking them questions and learning more about their experiences “was just super beneficial,” she says.
She also likes that you can find people of all different backgrounds on Instagram sharing their IBD experiences, such as accounts specifically for LGBTQ+ people, South Asian people, or Black people with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis.
Some of her go-to IBD accounts to follow on Instagram include @natalieannhayden, @betterbelliesbymolly (run by Dunham-Friel), @crohns_and_colitis_dietitian, and @crohnscolitisfoundation.
Which App Is Right for You?
When you’re deciding which app might help you the most, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Your Budget
If the app costs money, make sure it has a free trial period. “At least test drive it for a week to make sure, before you sign up, [and decide] if you like how it is and you’re willing to [follow] the prompts,” Moss says.
Your Notification Preferences
Think about whether or not you want more pings and dings in your life. Before recommending an app to a patient, Chedid asks himself: “Is it going to feed into making them more anxious with notifications, or is it going to actually help them become more capable of managing their disease?”
Who’s Behind the App
Chedid recommends making sure an appropriately credentialed health care provider was involved in the creation of the app you choose.
Your Must-Have Features
Identify the aspects of your IBD management you want to track with an app, and look for an option that provides that functionality, Chedid says.
For example, if tracking your food intake is most important, look for a diet-focused IBD app. If stress is a big trigger, look for an app that addresses mental health concerns. If you have trouble remembering to take your daily meds, you may be best off with a medication tracker or reminder app, he says.
Then, make sure it delivers: If you’re mindlessly adding your food and symptoms but not getting any actionable takeaways or conclusions from all that data, the app might not be the best choice. “Something where you can look at the big picture as much as possible is really key,” Dunham-Friel says.
Read More: Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
Remember, an app shouldn’t replace your health care providers. “These tools are meant to be a supplement, to empower you, but they’re not meant to substitute your medical team,” Chedid says. And don’t feel like you have to use an app, either. If you’re not interested, can’t afford it, or don’t have access to a smartphone, you can track many of the same symptoms with pen and paper, he adds.
For some people, using an app can be a little upsetting: You may be faced with discouraging trends in your symptoms or the reality of logging yet another day of sky-high stress levels. If that sounds familiar, remind yourself in those moments that everything changes. “It’s not always going to be like this,” Sparacino says. “There’ve been so many times I thought I’m never going to feel good ever again, but I do have periods where I feel good. There are times you’re going to feel better.”
