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The aim of this study was to determine the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in an inflammatory bowel disease population at a single pediatric center. The secondary aims were to determine predictors of CAM use and assess parental attitude to CAM use. A survey was developed that was distributed electronically and given out in the clinic. Two hundred thirty-five surveys were analyzed. Thirty-six percent of respondents reported that their children had used CAM, while 19.6% were current users. Sixty-three percent of respondents were "extremely" or "very supportive" of CAM and 57.6% would have been "extremely" or "very supportive" at the time of their children's diagnosis. The most commonly used CAM modalities were fish oil (48.8%), probiotics (22.5%), acupuncture/pressure (17.5%), aloe (16.3%), yoga/meditation (16.3%), chiropractic (12%), and herbal medicine (13.8%). Multivariate analysis revealed 2 independent factors predictive of subjects using CAM: use of biologics (odds ratio of 2.8; p = .008) and subjects' parent using CAM (odds ratio of 10.9; p </= .001). More than one third of children in this study and their parents have used CAM. Families are supportive of CAM both at the time of diagnosis and as an ongoing component of their child's treatment even if they were not past or current users of CAM. Predictors of CAM use were treatment with a biologic and having a parent who used CAM.

BACKGROUND: As drug use has limitations in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), increasing attention is being paid to nondrug therapies and complementary treatments, especially exercise. It is known that bowel movements are more frequent and colon transit is more rapid in physically active individuals than in sedentary individuals. However, the effects of exercise on IBS are unclear. PURPOSE: We conducted a systematic review to assess the effects of exercise on IBS. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and two Chinese databases (Wanfang Database and Chinese Biomedical Literature [CBM]) for eligible studies. We extracted and pooled relevant information regarding the effects of exercise in patients with IBS. The primary outcomes were gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life, depression, and anxiety. KEY RESULTS: A total of 683 patients with IBS from 14 randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria. The exercise interventions in this review were yoga, walking/aerobic physical activity, Tai Ji, mountaineering, and Baduanjin qigong activity. The results of this review suggested exercise had significant benefits for patients with IBS, but studies were limited by the strong risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES: Our findings suggest that exercise is potentially a feasible and effective treatment for IBS patients. However, because of methodologic issues, no firm conclusions could be drawn about the true effects of this intervention. Researchers should design a rigorous study to assess the effects of exercise on IBS.