I agree, especially about being diagnosed for a condition, when at times as you say it could be you’re depleted in a nutrient because of stress/medication…... There’s so much to know
and if you don’t know, you just take what you’re given without a second thought, when sometimes it’s not needed, or you may need to address the balance because of that medication.
My research started when I suffered painful IBS in my twenties (years ago now) and the medication made me feel awful and so tired, I wanted to see if there was anything else that might help and found out about probiotics and couldn’t believe the difference they made, so much so I’ve rarely needed medication for IBS since. That then lead me to looking into other things along the way but I’m always cautious to make sure it’s from a reputable source(often more than one)/science based. I appreciate that route isn’t for everyone and I’m certainly not against prescriptive medication, just very aware that some can unbalance things, even making the concern worse if you don’t address that.
I also have a friend with IBD so I know how debilitating and nasty it can be. Your friend has a very good friend in you looking out for them.