Integrative Medicine and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Article by Michael Brown
Irritable Bowel Syndrome / IBSDuring the holiday season there are some foods that should be avoided for the person who suffers from IBS. Any food that is high in fat should be avoided. Fat is simply the single greatest digestive tract stimulant. When food enters your stomach, it triggers the gastrocolic reflex, which cues your colon to begin to contract. Fat will trigger this reaction more powerfully than any other category of food. While this is normally something that would simply cause a bowel movement, it is paradoxically likely to cause people with IBS to have either constipation OR diarrhea. This is because people with irritable bowel syndrome do not have a typical gastrocolic reflex response, and their colons tend to spasm irregularly and often brutally. In people susceptible to constipation, if those spasms are too strong they’ll actually “seize up” the colon like a muscle cramp and motility can utterly stop. This will cause excruciating pain from the ongoing cramping of the colon, and it will also result in or worsen constipation, because motility has shut down and fecal matter is not moving through. Foods that are labeled as insoluble fibers (wheat, nuts, beans, and granola) should be shunned as they are also strong GI stimulants. Caffeine, carbonation, and alcohol are also GI stimulants and therefore causes of IBS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a functional disorder. This means that it impinges on the way the bowel works. Most usual medical tests come up negative. Food intolerance is a steady clinical finding for the practitioner who utilizes food intolerance testing with IBS patients. Dairy and wheat intolerances are often found in IBS patients, and so if you have had these types of tests or if you are aware that symptoms worsen if you eat certain foods then those foods also need to be avoided during the holiday season. IBS does occasionally develop after an infection or food poisoning, leaving some Doctors to utilize products to balance the colonic environment with probiotic organisms. Many IBS sufferers are found to have bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine upon lab testing.IBS affects 15-20 % of all Americans, but it affects women twice as much as men. The symptoms of IBS seem to follow a rotating pattern causing some practitioners to contemplate a hormonal link. Progesterone does hinder stomach emptying and trigger constipation. Many women report loose stools during menstruation after progesterone levels dip leaving progesterone as a possible culprit in irritable bowel syndrome. A recent study was completed at the University of Florida that noted the impact of Jade Chlorella on patients with pre-diabetes. The fascinating side note to this study was that the researchers noticed a very strong link between Jade Chlorella consumption and the resolution of IBS symptoms in patients living with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Researchers advocated a separate IBS study with Jade Chlorella to validate their findings. Jade Chlorella stabilizes the intestinal environment by stimulating the growth of probiotic bacteria, but it is the knack of Jade Chlorella to calm the peristaltic contractions of the intestines that makes it the best supplement to use with IBS patients. Florastor is a probiotic yeast that has a normalizing impact on the intestinal immune system causing a drop in cramping and pain in IBS patients. The combination of these two products is an excellent way to treat the symptoms of IBS. Since irritable bowel syndrome is best categorized as a functional illness it can be got rid of if function can be restored. The predicament is that everyone wants one answer to IBS when there are actually thousands of answers. All individuals are different and everyone needs a personalized workup to know their specific triggers and then need a personalized diet approach to become symptom free. Identification of food intolerances is critical and stress management is also a key component. Vacation times are a time to celebrate life and family. By understanding the specific imbalances that trigger the symptoms of IBS and the uniqueness of each person with these symptoms you can create a healthy, happy, pain-free holiday season. For more information about integrative medicine see chicago healers.
About the Author
Michael Brown writes regularly about health related topics. I hope you enjoy this article.
