SSM Health Medical Minute: Cardinal Glennon’s IMAGINE program helps children with digestive challenges
ST. LOUIS – The IMAGINE program at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital combines the best of modern medicine with integrative therapies to help children with digestive issues thrive. Pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Aniruddh Setya says the goal of the clinic is to understand the root cause and customize a plan for each patient.
“Growing up as a kid, I had some stomach issues, and I knew they were not in my head. I developed an empathy for kids having gastrointestinal issues,” Setya said. “IMAGINE stands for Integrated Medicine Addressing Gastrointestinal Needs with Evidence. I’m a stickler for evidence because we want to marry the conventional medicine with alternative therapies—holistic approaches—and combine them.”
The IMAGINE program can help pediatric patients and their families identify, manage, and improve many digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, liver diseases, chronic abdominal pain, constipation, and disorders of the gut-brain interaction.
The program is based on scientific research and proven healing therapies for pediatric patients, including nutritional supplements, individualized dietary modifications, herbal remedies, an on-site clinical psychologist, and holistic care therapies.
“This clinic is a unique opportunity for parents and families to come talk to me, who’s got training in integrated medicine, talk to a psychologist who’s on site, get the resources of what can we do differently about our day-to-day life,” Setya said. “It is also a clinic that talks about lifestyle, talks about habit changes, and talks about long-term health.”
To learn more about the IMAGINE program or to find a provider, click here.
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