Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS
IBS is a term used for many different symptoms of disorder in the intestinal tract, also called spastic colon.
Symptoms include
- Pain or discomfort in the abdomen
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Changes in your bowel movements (ie being constipated alternating with bouts of diarrhea)
- Sudden urges to have a bowel movement
- Feeling as though your bowels are not completely empty during a bowel movement
- Bloating or swelling in the abdomen
- Increased gas
- women tend to have worse symptoms during their periods.
Causes
- IBS sufferers may be oversensitive to the nerve signals in the digestive tract ie. Nerves in the digestive system that relay signals to your brain to tell you if you are full, hungry or need to go to the toilet.
- Small bowel bacterial overgrowth
- Leaky gut – lining breaks down from antibiotics, anti- inflammatory drugs, sugar, alcohol etc.
- Emotional triggers ie. Anxiety or stress
- Sensitivities to certain foods may trigger IBS ie. Gluten, dairy, alcohol, drinks containing caffeine and carbonated drinks, processed foods, some refined grains, fried or fatty foods.
- Lack of digestive enzymes
- Parasitic overload
- Overeating
- Some drugs ie Antibiotics, medication that includes sorbitol , some antidepressants and pain killers.
What to do?
- Keeping a food diary helps to identify certain foods that trigger an episode.
- Cut out the offending foods
- Focus on your food at mealtimes ie. Try not to drive, work on the computer etc while eating.
- Chew your food and perhaps use a digestive enzyme
- Try not to drink while eating as this can dilute your digestive juices.
- Try not to eat while stressed
- If Small Bowel bacterial overgrowth is an issue using a specific antibiotic and antifungal drugs for yeast overgrowth will be helpful
- Using supplements like Glutamine and Zinc to repair leaky gut
- Take a good quality live bacteria to redress the bacterial balance
Seeking the help of a professional ie. A Colon Hydrotherapist can help you to understand how to manage the changes needed to overcome this syndrome.