The Health Diva

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common digestive disorder, which can cause troublesome and persistent symptoms. A third of people in Britain have occasional symptoms of IBS, and 1 in 10 have symptoms bad enough to require medical attention. Women tend to seek medical attention for it more often than men, but the prevalence in men and women is similar.

The exact cause of IBS isn’t known. It’s probably a combination of different factors, including more frequent or stronger squeezing (contractions) of the muscular walls of your bowel, increased sensitivity to the amount of gas in your bowel, and your genetic make-up. Psychological factors also have a role in triggering the symptoms.

Your symptoms may be worse after you have eaten or if you are under stress. Stress may result from work anxieties, relationship difficulties or life events such as divorce or bereavement. Specific foods such as tea or coffee or fatty foods may trigger the symptoms. Alcohol, Cigarettes, Antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (e.g. ibuprofen and diclofenac)  also makes symptoms worse.

Symptoms differ between individuals and may vary from time to time, but all sufferers will have at least some of these symptoms:

It is important to visit your GP for advice if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. Your symptoms may be caused by problems other than IBS and a diagnosis will be the first step to getting back to good health.

Although some of these symptoms may be embarrassing or distressing, it is important to talk to the doctor about them. Worrying in silence may make them feel even worse.

Abdominal Pain

The most common symptom of IBS is pain or discomfort in the abdomen. The pain may be mild to severe, and may be made either better or worse by opening the bowels, passing wind or eating. Pain may occur at a particular time of day, often after eating, or in the evening. Women may find the ups and downs of pain relates to their menstrual cycle. Peppermint can help ease wind and relieve abdominal pain.

Fullness and Bloating

Some people also experience a sense of fullness, after eating and their bowel may feel distended. The likely causes of bloating is not fully digesting your foods, low stomach acid, insufficient digestive enzymes and poor gut ecology are all thought to increase symptoms of bloating leading you to feel fat and sluggish. Improving your gut ecology and using digestive enzymes can improve these symptoms.

Certain foods are more likely to cause wind, and bloating such as beans and green vegetables (eg cabbage and broccoli). People often say we are what we eat, and this is most certainly true of the digestive system, more and more people are becoming intolerant to foods, a key trigger factor for IBS symptoms.

Finding out which foods trigger reactions isn’t always easy to discover. Seek help from a fully qualified nutritionist. Ask The Diva, and she may be able to put you in touch with a nutritionist in your area.

Alteration in Bowel Habit

With IBS, your faeces may vary in consistency from hard and pellet-like to loose and watery. Alternatively, you may just pass small amounts of mucus. You may find that your bowel habit alternates between constipation and diarrhoea. Afterwards, you may feel that your bowels haven’t been completely emptied.

If your main symptom is diarrhoea, you should try not to have tea, coffee, alcohol, spicy food and the artificial sweetener sorbitol, as these can increase your symptoms.

If you have constipation, you should try gradually introducing more fibre-rich foods, such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables, into your diet.

Other Symptoms

These include passing excess wind, indigestion, feeling sick, anxiety and general debilitation.

If stress triggers your IBS, learning stress-management or relaxation techniques may be useful. You may also find keeping a diary to compare your symptoms with life events helpful. If certain events are identified as triggers, it may be easier to deal with the stress of them.

Taking regular exercise helps to keep your bowel movements regular and reduce stress.

If you need to use painkillers, paracetamol is less likely than ibuprofen or aspirin to make your IBS worse.

For most people with IBS, a healthy lifestyle is the best way to improve symptoms. This can include the following.

Self Help Solutions for IBS:

IBS Solutions focus on five key areas:

Maintaining Healthy Gut Ecology

Healthy gut ecology is one of the most important pillars of health. [more...]

Ensuring Adequate Fibre Intake

Fibre is an important component of a healthy balanced diet. We get fibre from plant-based foods, but it’s not something the body can absorb. This means fibre is not a nutrient and contains no calories or vitamins. [more...]

Healing a Leaky Gut

A healthy gut lining acts as a barrier, to keep bacterial products, large undigested food particles, and potential allergens from invading the blood stream, only allowing properly digested fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to pass through so that they can be assimilated. This is called the ‘barrier function’ of the gut lining. [more...]

Supporting your Liver

The Liver is an extremely hard working organ, as evidenced by the huge blood flow through the liver at a rate of 1.4 litres per minute. [more...]

Stress Solutions

Your symptoms may be worse after you have eaten or if you are under stress. Stress may result from work anxieties, relationship difficulties or life events such as divorce or bereavement. [more...]