| What
is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a common complaint: some
10 to 20 percent of the population experience the diverse
symptoms this syndrome causes. IBS is also called spastic
colon, spastic bowel, mucous colitis, spastic colitis, colitis,
intestinal neurosis, and functional
bowel disease.
The symptoms include bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation,
abdominal pain and cramps, and even nausea. The pain is often
triggered by eating, so people suffering from IBS don’t
always eat enough, which results in malnutrition.
Most health practitioners agree that there is no set cause
of IBS, and that food allergies,
medication, stress, hormone changes, low fiber intake, infection,
parasites, lactose intolerance, laxatives, and antibiotic
abuse could all be involved. In fact, the consensus is that
just about anything that disturbs our intestinal bacterial
balance—the ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria—could
have a hand in causing IBS. IBS is not serious in that it
is not life threatening;
however, it makes for very uncomfortable living.
In IBS, the normal rhythm of the muscular contractions of
the digestive tract becomes irregular and uncoordinated—the
body’s digestive system usually churns along like a
good washing machine, but in IBS, the "wash cycle"
is irregular, and this interferes with movement of food and
water. This means that the food, instead of "rinsing
out" of the body efficiently, accumulates in the digestive
tract, which, in turn, leads to the accumulation of mucus
and toxins in the intestines.
The result of this is that gas and stool do not flow freely,
and, this is when the above-mentioned symptoms begin to appear.
Because many of the IBS symptoms are the same as those found
in more serious digestive
problems (such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis),
the first thing to do is to eliminate the possibility that
the symptoms are related to one of these. This is achieved
with special investigations such as colonoscopy or barium
studies. After you and your health practitioner
are sure that your problem is IBS, action can be taken.
Dealing with IBS
Many health practitioners feel that food allergies are the
main cause of IBS and recommend
being tested for allergic reactions to foods. Common foods
that trigger allergies include cheese, milk, chocolate, butter,
coffee, corn, wheat and gluten, eggs, and nuts. Controlling
food allergies often stabilizes IBS.
Dietary changes can assist in the relief of these symptoms.
Avoid animal fat, butter, carbonated drinks, chocolate and
candy, dairy products, fried foods, sugar, food additives,
alcohol, and smoking. Most health practitioners recommend
a high-fiber diet and supplementing with a bulking fiber like
psyllium.
For a detailed approach to an excellent treatment program,
please contact us by clicking
here.
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