The Clairop blog
Living with IBS and IBD, backed by the research
Practical, sourced guides for living with IBS, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Every health claim links to the research behind it.
- Symptom tracking
- Crohn's disease
- Triggers and foods
- Gut-brain connection
- Pouch and ostomy life
- Ulcerative colitis
- Low FODMAP
- IBS-D, IBS-C and IBS-M
- Doctor visits
- Apps and tools
Symptom trackingBowel Urgency Diary: What to Record
A bowel urgency diary records urgent trips, leakage and daily impact. Use a blank template and learn how to prepare an honest summary for your doctor.
17 min read
Symptom trackingFood Diary Without Calorie Counting for IBS
A food diary for IBS can track meals and symptoms without calorie totals. What to record, how to choose an app, and when tracking needs a different approach.
16 min read
Crohn's diseaseFood Diary After Crohn's Bowel Resection
After Crohn's bowel resection, record your surgery details, intake, bowel changes and follow-up plan. A practical diary supports your team, not a generic diet.
16 min read
Symptom trackingFunctional Dyspepsia Symptom Diary: A Guide
An FD diary tracks upper-abdominal symptoms, meal timing and difficulty finishing meals. A practical template, research limits and what to show your clinician.
16 min read
Symptom trackingIBS and GERD: Keeping One Useful Food Diary
Track IBS and GERD on one timeline while keeping bowel symptoms, heartburn, meals and lying-down times distinct. Includes an original diary example.
16 min read
Symptom trackingIBS During Ramadan: Planning and Tracking
Plan an IBS conversation before Ramadan and keep a useful record of meals, sleep, bowel symptoms and routine changes. Includes a practical review checklist.
16 min read
Symptom trackingIBS and Perimenopause: What to Record
IBS symptoms can change in midlife. Record bowel changes, bleeding patterns, sleep and treatment timelines without assuming every new symptom is hormonal.
16 min read
Crohn's diseaseCrohn's Tests: Ultrasound vs Colonoscopy
Intestinal ultrasound and colonoscopy answer different Crohn's questions. Compare what they assess, their limits and what to ask before your appointment.
16 min read
Triggers and foodsProtein Powder and IBS: What to Check
Protein powder with IBS needs a closer look at lactose, added fibre, sweeteners and the whole shake. Use a label checklist and a practical symptom record.
16 min read
Crohn's diseaseCan You Drink Milk With Crohn's Disease? Most Can
Most people with Crohn's can drink milk: of 1,121 surveyed, about 9% named milk as worsening symptoms. Where your Crohn's sits decides the rest.
26 min read
Gut-brain connectionDoes CBT Work for IBS? Yes, in as Few as 4 Sessions
Yes, for many people: IBS-specific CBT beat education or usual care by 17 to 33 points in responder rates across major trials. Who it helps, and how fast.
28 min read
Crohn's diseaseHow to Help a Teenager with Crohn's: 6 Key Steps
Help a teenager with Crohn's by handing over care in stages from about age 12 to 14, setting up a school plan and tracking growth. What the research shows.
25 min read
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best website for IBS and IBD information?
- For research and clinical guidance, start with Monash University's FODMAP blog, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Crohn's and Colitis UK and national guidelines from bodies such as the ACG, BSG, ECCO and NICE. The Clairop blog turns that research into plain answers, with every health claim cited to a paper or guideline.
- Are the Clairop blog articles medically reviewed?
- Every health claim in a Clairop article links to a peer-reviewed paper or clinical guideline, listed under Sources. An article names a clinical reviewer only when a clinician actually reviewed it; we never invent one. Articles are general information, not medical advice.
- What is the best way to find my IBS triggers?
- Keep a food and symptom diary for several weeks, look for reactions that arrive hours or days later, then confirm suspects with a planned removal and reintroduction, ideally with a dietitian. Clairop automates the comparison across three delay windows, up to three days, and corrects for false triggers.
- What is the best app for tracking Crohn's or colitis?
- Clairop calculates the Harvey-Bradshaw Index for Crohn's and PRO-2 for ulcerative colitis from what you log, tracks blood, urgency and night-time movements, and makes a one-page GI report. Honest comparisons with Aidy, FlareCare, mySymptoms and others are at clairop.com/compare.
- Is the low FODMAP diet meant to be permanent?
- No. Low FODMAP is a short, structured process: a few weeks of restriction, then reintroducing FODMAP groups one at a time to learn your own tolerance, then eating as widely as you can. It is best done with a dietitian, and the reintroduction phase is the part that matters most.
- When should I see a doctor about gut symptoms?
- See a doctor promptly for blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, fever, symptoms that wake you at night, anaemia, symptoms that start after 50, or a family history of bowel cancer or IBD. No article or app should delay that.