Complementary Medicine & Mucosal Immunology

—Recent Topics around Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Complementary medicine aimed at improving patients’ QOL by complementing modern medicine has recently become the focus of attention. These alternative supplements or functional foods are commonly biologically based. Contained within food itself, these specialized components serve a tertiary function regarding biological regulation and defense. Further, in vivo mechanisms are considered to be closely linked to mucosal immunity of the intestine. As the mechanism of innate immunity is further elucidated, the significant role of certain food components in relation to mucosal immunity of the intestine has become a focus of interest.
In this paper, I would like to describe the experimental and clinical applications of complementary medicine in cases of chronic and/or intractable inflammatory bowel disease.