IBS stands for "Irritable bowel syndrome" which is a term used to describe a type of digestive disorder characterized by a group of common symptoms.
The most common IBS symptoms are:
Changes in bowel movements, such as constipation and diarrhea.
Changes in stool appearance, including consistency and color, mucus may be present.
Bloated stomach.
Gas and burping.
Abdominal pain, aches and cramps.
Nausea, heartburn or acid reflux.
Early satiety or loss of appetite.
Most people become symptom-free after using the bathroom.
What is the difference between IBS and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease)?
IBS and IBD have some similarities in terms of symptoms, but IBD such as Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis are usually much more serious and obvious. They are caused by inflammation in the intestines and autoimmune reactions that affect the intestines and stomach.
Why does one get IBS?
There is no specific cause of IBS that applies to everyone, but common factors that contribute to IBS include:
Food sensitivities and allergies (especially to dairy products and gluten).
Chronic stress or temporarily high levels of emotional or physical stress.
Frequent travel.
Changes in sleep routine and circadian rhythm.
Hormonal imbalances or changes (menstruation, menopause or pregnancy can cause symptoms).
What can I do for my IBS?
First, you need to eliminate any bacteria, fungi, or other things that shouldn't be in the body in excess – for example, candida is one such fungus.
Then you can add supportive herbs, good stomach bacteria, stomach acid, enzymes, and other things. You may need to repair the intestinal mucosa with, for example, aloe vera, B vitamins, glutamine, or nutritional powder specifically for the intestinal mucosa.
If there is an imbalance of bacteria, for example too many bacteria (SIBO) that have entered the wrong place, then the intolerance often disappears or decreases if you restore the balance.
80-85% of people with IBS have been shown to have bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in the small intestine according to studies.
With SIBO, one may experience heartburn, nausea, bloating, diarrhea or excessive burping. If you don't experience these symptoms but only IBS symptoms like constipation/diarrhea and stomach pain, then it's better to focus on more fiber, probiotics and prebiotics.
However, it's always good to test for SIBO.
Diet is the most important!
It's important to reduce protein and fat intake and increase fiber intake.
IBS patients need more healthy fiber. It's good to eat starchy vegetables in all colors – preferably steamed. Also some fruit, lots of berries, sprouts, vegetable juice, broth, miso soup, white lean protein, quinoa, chia seeds, good fats like olive oil and avocado.
Don't eat too much dairy products, remove yellow cheese, red meat, white sugar, nuts, spicy food, eggs and gluten completely if possible.
Other things that disturb are too much coffee, black tea, alcohol, carbonated drinks, refined carbohydrates, laxatives and certain medications.
Food Allergies
Food allergies are common when you have IBS that you may not know about. It is therefore a very good idea to do a food intolerance test.
Stress
Remember that any stress is also a contributing factor. If you experience stress, it needs to be addressed with relaxing exercises, preferably gentle yoga, walks, relaxing music and meditation as well as calming herbs such as lemon balm or specially designed supplements for this purpose such as L-theanine.
In this article we write more about exhaustion that occurs with long-term stress.
Exercise
Exercise is also very important. Studies have shown that regular exercise helps control stress and can improve digestive health. Exercise has many positive effects on health.
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Herbs
Herbs like dandelion and artichoke stimulate digestion.
Other good herbs are oregano oil, olive leaf, wormwood, garlic and turmeric to counteract bacteria, fungi and viruses.
For bacterial overgrowth or candida, you can also drink Pau D'arco tea. You can learn more about herbs.
Supplements
If problems are due to enzyme deficiency, it can often be remedied if you manage to get the body to restore its own production of enzymes through good diet and taking enzymes.
For constipation, Oxy-Powder is ideal.
Other good supplements are B vitamins, Magnesium and Vitamin D as well as Probiotics, which are good stomach bacteria.
*Many wonder which strains of probiotics are suitable for IBS, and Saccharomyces boulardii usually works as well as most Bifidobacteria, such as Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium infantis. But for most people, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus also work well.
Preferably Turmeric as a supplement, meaning you want to get Turmeric.
Stomach acid can be supportive as it prevents bacteria from entering the small intestine where they shouldn't be, which is common in IBS patients.
Get help from a nutritional therapist
It can be a good idea to book an appointment with a nutritional therapist or a functional medicine doctor who can help investigate IBS symptoms more closely with the help of testing.
They also guide you through a treatment program and perform food sensitivity tests that show if there are intolerances to foods that disturb the intestinal mucosa.
Contact us if you have questions!
