Identifying and alleviating the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Carla Dennien
- Feb 23, 2024
- 6 min read
The Good Health Ally Guide to IBS from identifying to alleviating the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Download the full article here.
If these symptoms resonate with you or someone you care for please do get in touch carla@thegoodhealthally.co.uk and see how I can help. Offering a free initial consultation in person or online together we can take back control of your health.
What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?
Despite its name, IBS is not a condition that solely impacts the bowel or is indeed a problem within the bowel itself.
The name IBS refers to a set of symptoms that are associated with an upset in bowel function. These symptoms are the physical outcome, or warning sign, that a series of adverse changes have taken place elsewhere within the digestive system and that likely developed long before the symptoms of IBS began.
Common symptoms of IBS include:
Ø Stomach cramps & pain
Ø Irregular bowel motions
Ø Constipation
Ø Diarrhoea
Ø Wind
Ø Heavy and frequent bloating
Ø Bowel urgency
Ø Indigestion
A person might experience a few or many of these symptoms with their IBS, symptoms can come and go, and episodes can last for days, weeks or even months.
What causes IBS symptoms?
The causes of IBS are multifaceted and different for each person. To help explain, it is useful to know that the bowel is at the end of a long and complex chain of structures and organs that make up the digestive tract.
Starting at the mouth, these include the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, the liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bowel.
Each part of the system has a unique role to play in how we process our food and drinks, allowing the good things to be absorbed into the body and the waste to be eliminated.
Healthy function of each area is dependent on many factors, these include:
Ø Our food and drink choices
Ø Our stress levels
Ø How active we are
Ø Our sleep quality
Ø Our mental health
Ø Our general health & wellbeing
Ø Our toxin & chemical exposure
Ø Age
Ø Disease
Ø Genetics
Ø Congenital illness
With multiple factors at play, our digestive health is finely balanced and has the capacity to adapt depending on whether these factors nurture, restrict or harm it’s function.
Let’s take stress as an example. When you experience any episode of high stress, the blood flow to your digestive system is restricted. This is because during high stress situations your body instinctively prepares you to run away or stay and fight, even if you don’t consciously plan to do either. Blood flow is then directed away from non-essential areas to the muscles and vital organs such as your heart and lungs that require more oxygen and energy to perform these actions.
The temporary restriction in blood flow to the digestive system disrupts many essential processes, making the breakdown and transit of food through the system difficult. If stress is prolonged this process continues and as the pieces of poorly broken-down food travel through the system, it can trigger discomfort such as indigestion, stomach pain and irritable bowel symptoms.
Furthermore, prolonged stress is shown to reduce the number and diversity of microbes that reside within the digestive tract. These microbes make up the “gut microbiome”, a bacteria rich community essential for aiding optimal digestion and highly beneficial to other systems, including immunity and brain health.
For more information about the gut microbiome click on the link https://zoe.com/whitepapers/gut-microbiome
Understanding that there are multiple factors, like stress, that can disrupt aspects of the digestive process is crucial in identifying underlying issues and for effective management of IBS symptoms.
Much of the medical literature informs us that IBS has “no specific cause” and is a “lifelong” condition. A diagnosis of IBS is assigned when no other underlying disease or serious problems within the digestive system can be attributed to the onset of symptoms. While this is reassuring, it can be concerning for a person living with IBS to be unclear why it started and to think that it can’t be resolved.
CAUTION!
It is imperative that any change to a person’s normal bowel habits or the start of new digestive discomfort is investigated by a doctor to rule out serious pathology
Conventional management
Conventional management options for IBS aim to reduce the impact and severity of the symptoms.
Medications can help with symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion and stomach pain. Medications work to sooth the symptoms as they happen but do not “treat” the symptoms. Long-term use of some medications may lead to other digestive health issues. For example, certain pain medications can increase risk of constipation and medications for indigestion may cause greater bloating.
Restricting food and drinks that are harder to digest and can trigger symptoms is conventionally recommended to reduce frequency and severity of bloating and diarrhoea. These foods include certain vegetables and high fibre or wholegrain and gluten containing foods. Keeping to a minimum less healthy food and drinks is also recommended.
Dietary advice can vary depending on persons sensitivities and who is providing the information. Restricting certain foods is shown to reduce frequency and irritation of some symptoms and while it can help to limit IBS episodes, in many cases, a restrictive diet can be difficult to sustain, reduces essential nutrient intake and may not tackle the underlying digestive issues responsible for the onset of symptoms.
Please use this link for more detail on conventional management options for IBS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/
Addressing the underlying issues
What can be overlooked by the conventional approach is taking the time to explore the individual factors that may have contributed to the upset in digestive function and subsequent bowel irritation.
As mentioned, there are multiple factors that can impact a person’s digestive function and health. If any one factor restricts or harms a part of the digestive system, it has the potential to trigger a downstream reaction meaning that each subsequent part of the system could be impacted negatively. The more adverse change, the greater chance for digestive irritation.
The key to optimal IBS management is identifying the factors that are contributing to poor digestive health and implementing the steps to reverse the effects
Optimal management
The opportunity to resolve the adverse change incurred within the digestive system can depend on the following.
Ø How long a person has been living with their IBS symptoms
Ø Severity of the IBS symptoms
Ø The factor(s) that caused the digestive disruption
Ø Ease at which the factor(s) can be removed or changed
Ø The part of the digestive system that is most affected
Ø A person’s capacity or willingness to make the changes needed to heal the digestive problems overtime
The earlier natural management steps are introduced after IBS symptoms begin the more likely the effects of the adverse change can be reduced or resolved. Permanent change or long-term disease state within the system can make management more challenging however, other areas of the digestive system can still functionally benefit from making healthy changes.
In many cases, introducing the right food, drinks and lifestyle behaviours to
nurture digestive function and the microbiome can have a positive impact on symptom reduction, overall health and a person’s emotional wellbeing. There is also great value in being empowered with a deeper understanding of the condition and personalised management options beyond medication.
The impact of IBS
IBS is shown to affect around 1 in 5 people in the UK and is one of the most common digestive complaints in people under the age of 50 globally.
The emotional impact of IBS must not be underestimated. Along with the disruption of each episode and discomfort of symptoms, IBS sufferers can also go on to experience dehydration, lack of sleep, anxiety, depression and fatigue. It is therefore unsurprising that living with IBS is reported to have a severe reduction on a person’s quality of life.
Please see the 2018 report for more insight into the impact of IBS globally
If you are finding it difficult to control your symptoms of IBS with medication alone then it is the right time to try a different approach
Nutrition & lifestyle coaching for IBS
Nutrition & lifestyle coaching for IBS offers a safe and effective natural management option for reduction and resolution of IBS symptoms. The coaching process will help you to identify and understand the factors that led to the start of your IBS symptoms and to establish the most effective natural management options for you.
Natural management for IBS involves adopting positive behaviour and dietary habits that will nurture your digestive system and support it to repair and rebuild, easing digestive function and relieving the bowel irritation overtime. Through a series of coaching sessions, you are empowered with the support and tools to successfully embed your new habits into daily life and to sustain them long-term.
If you are interested to find out more about Nutrition & Lifestyle Coaching for IBS, then please contact me carla@thegoodhealthally.co.uk to start your healing journey today.
For more information about IBS and to support the information within this article please use the links.
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