Irritable Bowel Syndrome is also known by its acronym--IBS. While IBS is a problem for women more often than men, it's not associated with other colon conditions. There is no inflammation of the colon, obstructions, or growths. This is a condition is experienced by one in five Americans and is thought to be undiagnosed and untreated in as much as 70 percent of sufferers.
There is no consensus among medical doctors about what causes the condition. The most common opinions are that IBS is related to food allergies or sensitivities, reactions to stress, immune system reactions, or that a person's colon and bowel are simply not working properly in general.
Each IBS sufferer may experience the disorder differently as well. The most common complains are stomach cramping, bloating, and pain; however, some people with IBS will have chronic diarrhea. Still, others will have chronic constipation, while another set of people will bounce between those two states.
The symptoms often increase when eating particular foods, big meals, or experiencing stress or depression. Because nerve endings connect the colon to the rest of the body, there are many issues similar to IBS. Because of this, a variety of treatments are often tried.
Treatment for IBS varies. Depending on the person, their doctor, and the severity of their IBS symptoms, strong prescription medications may be used to help relieve the constipation or diarrhea. However, many doctors will suggest alternative approaches before suggesting medications.
The first approach to managing IBS is changes in diet. If your IBS is caused due to food intolerance or allergies to certain foods, removing those from your diet can create drastic improvements. It's common for people have lactose or gluten intolerance without knowing it.
Deep fried foods or foods good in grease may cause IBS to flare up. Heavy meals can also trigger a bout of IBS. Simply by cutting down the amount you eat in one sitting, and eating fewer but smaller meals each day, can help relieve IBS symptoms.
Including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet can help with IBS, particularly when constipation is a chronic problem. Bananas, for instance, will help relieve both diarrhea and constipation. Many people try taking extra fiber supplements, but these can actually cause the gas and bloating problems to become worse.
Herbal formulas can be of great help to IBS sufferers. Herbal formulas are constructed to support and fortify the digestive tract.
Alfalfa or Chlorophyll are colon scrubbing herbs, which can help immensely with constipation problems. These also reduce pain in the colon and stomach.
A good choice among to assist with diarrhea is Slipper Elm. It normalizes the stools and soothes, coats and heals the entire digestive tract. Slippery Elm should be taken with lots of water.
Cascara Sagrada is one of the strongest herbal laxatives. It promotes activity in the bowel muscles, so this could cause a bit of cramping, but it's not an irritant or a purgative.
Peppermint is an herb that works wonderfully for gas, bloating and stomach pains caused by indigestion. This botanical will help gas to pass from the intestine.
Garlic will also help expel gas from your system, and it has the added benefit of being able to help your colon rid itself of mucus and parasites which could be causing some of the IBS problems. Additionally garlic is an infection fighting herb, so if there are harmful bacteria in your colon causing the IBS, the garlic can help rid your body of them.
Keep in mind that IBS is not just about the intestines. Regardless of the treatment, the whole person must be taken into account.
Statements made in this article may not be approved by the FDA, and should not be taken as professional medical advice.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Flatulence
Many people suffer from the problem of flatulence, which is the act of expelling intestinal gas from the rectum. There are only two sources of gas in the gastrointestinal tract, swallowed air that enters the stomach, mostly gulped while eating or drinking, and the gas produced by bacteria present in the intestines, primarily the colon. The air that we swallow is rarely the cause of excessive flatulence. It mainly occurs due to the over-production of gas by the intestinal bacteria present in the large intestine or colon. Sometimes, flatulence is associated with some specific conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. People who suffer from irritable bowel flatulence may also experience other symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and abnormal bowel habits such as diarrhea or constipation.
In the digestion process, the food that is not digested in the small intestine, primarily sugars and polysaccharides (e.g. starch, cellulose), is digested by the bacteria present in the large intestine. In this process, bacteria produce different gases such as hydrogen, methane, etc. Lactose, sorbitol and fructose are the main sugars that are poorly digested.
The amount of gas produced by the bacteria varies from person to person. Some people have more bacteria in their colon, which results in more production of gas. Some people have particular bacteria that produce more gas. In some people, digestion of food in the small intestines is not complete, which can also effect the levels of gas produced.
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Conditions such as lactose intolerance, and celiac disease may also result in poor digestion. Since more undigested food reaches to the bacteria in the colon, it results in more gas. Some people suffer the spreading of gas-producing bacteria from large intestine into the small intestine. Therefore, the food reaches the bacteria before its complete digestion or absorption by the small intestine, and this increased volume of undigested foods which is available to the bacteria produces more gas also.
Excessive flatulence can also be associated with eating of particular type of food. For example, eating beans can lead to excessive flatulence.
The unused gas distends the intestine. The intestinal muscles contract and push the gas further along the intestine until the gas is finally expelled. People who have constipation as the main symptom in irritable bowel syndrome experience more flatulence and generally pass more gas than those who don't.
For those with a hypersensitive intestinal tract, like those with IBS, the build up of gas can trigger other IBS symptoms.
There are a number of options available to a person with excessive flatulence, which include the identification of the foods that seem to cause the problems, and reducing the volume eaten of these foods. They can often be reintroduced slowly at a later stage.
While evaluating the problem of excessive flatulence in a person, the physician may ask the patient to count the number of times he/she passes gas for several days.
It helps in confirming the presence of excessive flatulence since the count correlates well with the total amount (volume) of gas passed. It is normal to pass gas about 20 times a day. However, it is not always easy to measure the amount of passed gas. If an individual passes gas less than 20 times a day but complains of excessive gas, the problem might be something other than excessive gas. For example, the lack of ability to control the passing of gas or the foul odor of the gas might be the main problem.
Such problems are also socially embarrassing and may prompt individuals to consult a physician. These problems are not correlated to excessive gas production or Irritable Bowel Flatulence and have different treatments.
Both Clara Myers & Susan Reynolds are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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