Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS

About 1 in 4 visits to the doctor is due to a digestive complaint and IBS takes up a large number of these appointments.  Unfortunately your doctor has very few tools to help them deal with IBS unlike nutritional therapy.

Irritable bowel syndrome is really an umbrella term for a group of symptoms with no common known specific cause which makes it very difficult for your Gp to treat.

As much as 20 percent of the adult population, or one in five, have symptoms of IBS, making it one of the most common disorders diagnosed by doctors. It occurs more often in women than in men, and it begins before the age of 35 in about 50 percent of people.

Symptoms

• Abdominal pain, bloating, and discomfort are the main symptoms of IBS. However, symptoms can vary from person to person.
• Some people have constipation others experience diarrhoea.
• Other people with IBS alternate between constipation and diarrhoea.
• Sometimes people find that their symptoms subside for a few months and then return, while others report a constant worsening of symptoms over time.

Underlying causes

Researchers have yet to discover any specific cause for IBS. One theory is that people who suffer from IBS have a digestive system that is particularly sensitive and reactive to certain stimuli. The immune system is also thought to play a role.

Factors that may trigger IBS are discussed below.

Sensitivity to foods, additives or medicines – People with IBS may have colons that are more sensitive and reactive to things that might not bother other people, such as certain foods, additives and medications. If you think you have a food allergy or intolerance, you may want to consider A Food Allergy or Intolerance Test and there are also blood tests available to check reactions to common Food Additives.

Celiac Disease – Researchers have also found very mild celiac disease in some people with symptoms similar to IBS. People with celiac disease cannot digest gluten, a substance found in wheat, rye, and barley. They cannot eat these foods without becoming ill because their immune system responds to them by damaging the gut. Coeliac disease can be confirmed via A Simple Blood Test.  If Coeliac Disease is confirmed Smart Nutrition could then help you to repair your gut lining and adjust to living on a gluten free diet.

Poor Digestion – If food is not properly digested, the body is much more likely to respond to it as is it were a foreign invader. This can lead to an over zealous immune response and IBS symptoms.  A Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis can be used to determine the efficiency of the digestive process can help to determine whether stomach acids levels are optimal. Smart Nutrition could then write a protocol for you that is designed to improve you digestion and help to repair the damage to the gut.

Dysbiosis – an imbalance between good and bad bacteria, yeast and/or parasites with in the bowel. An overgrowth of unfriendly yeast and bacteria or an infection by intestinal parasites can cause many of the symptoms of IBS and greatly exacerbate the condition. A bowel infection may simply be something you picked up on holiday or a consequence of poor dietary habits and compromised immunity.  Either way, the offending invaders can easily be identified by having a Comprehensive Stool Analysis as above but with the addition of the Parasitology or you could just check out your levels of good and bad bacteria Yeasts and possible parasites with the Traveller’s Tummy Profile.

Stress - Feeling mentally or emotionally tense, troubled, angry, or overwhelmed can stimulate digestive spasms in people with IBS. The gut has many nerves that connect it to the brain. These nerves control the normal digestive contractions and can cause abdominal discomfort at stressful times. People often experience cramps or “butterflies” when they are nervous or upset. In people with IBS, the colon can be overly responsive to even slight conflict or stress. If you think stress may be a contributing to your condition, An Adrenal Stress Test can help pinpoint precise imbalances that can then be targeted.

Imbalanced female hormones – Researchers have found that women with IBS may have more symptoms during their menstrual periods, suggesting that reproductive hormones can increase IBS symptoms. Consequently imbalances in female hormones can make IBS symptoms much worse. If your symptoms are worse around menstruation imbalanced hormones may be a contributory factor. A Smart Nutrition Consultation could help you to address you IBS and any underlying Hormone Imbalances.

Back Problems and poor posture - The Vegas nerve is responsible for the automatic part of your digestion – the mixing and churning of food, stimulation of the production of digestive juices and the movement of food along the digestive tract. Any back problems can hinder this nerve and also hinder digestive function.

Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy not only kills cancer cells it also damages our own body cells particularly those in the gut. This can make it more sensitive and reactive.