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The Importance Of Treating IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition that must be recognized for the person experiencing it. While it’s true that most people who suffer illness would on some level prefer to ignore what is happening with the hopes that it will all go away, with IBS, this is next to impossible because the symptoms which typically include cramping, diarrhea, and constipation become so plainly prominent in a person’s day to day life. The quality of life for the person with IBS is challenging and it is important to deal with whatever is going on in a proactive way to be sure that further health complications are ignored.

Dangers of Untreated IBS

For those suffering from IBS, there is usually a fairly quick course of action that is required to help which includes increasing fluids and fiber intake. Yet if no corrective action is taken, the following problems may result including:

Hemorrhoids: These inflamed veins in the rectum can cause rectal bleeding with intense pushing and straining to have a bowel movement.
Anal Fissures: Extensive pushing to have a bowel movement may cause a tearing of the anus which is called an anal fissure. Anal fissures cause bleeding, pain, and irritation and itching.
Fecal Impaction: When you are unable to push the stool out of your rectum, there is a build of of the feces and results in fecal impaction.
Prolapse of the Rectum: When you continue to push and strain to have a bowel movement, there is a danger of your rectum actually coming out of the anus.
Mental Health Challenges: Prolonged struggles with IBS may create a prolonged struggle with depression, anxiety, shame and isolation because the subject matter is considered to be so taboo.

There are many other contributing problems that may result to ignoring the symptoms of IBS and any instinct to hope that the problem will go away magically should be negated.

Misunderstandings about IBS

Although there is a lot of research available about IBS, there are still many misunderstandings and misconceptions that circulate widely across the United States including:

Damage to the colon. IBS will not cause long term damage to the colon.
Colon Cancer. There is no linking between IBS and this type of cancer.

Taking Action

Each person who suffers from IBS should take action immediately by going to a physician to talk about what is going on. You and your doctor can together figure out the best course of action and come up with a specific treatment plan to address exactly what is going on with you. Don’t forget that all plans need to be adjusted in the weeks and months following their implication, so don’t hesitate to make a follow-up appointment with your doctor for 4-6 weeks later. There is no magic one-fix solution with IBS, but there is a lot of data and research that medical professionals can assist you with to help bring you out of an IBS episode and back to good health as soon as possible. You too can have a happy gut.

Can Yoga Help Soothe IBS?

IBS is a bowel syndrome located in your large intestine. Symptoms include stomach cramps, gas, diarrhea and constipation. It actually affects 25 to 45 million Americans, a much higher number than you’d think. It is most commonly found in women, especially those between their 20’s to 40’s. Although it is not life-threatening, it is a painful condition and has no known cure. IBS also increases the likelihood of getting colon disorders such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease or even colon cancer. This disorder can be managed by a healthy diet, exercise and medication.

Fast cardio and weight lifting are great forms of exercise, but not if you have an upset stomach to think about. Instead, light cardio is preferred, including aerobics and of course yoga.

The Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is a kind of exercise that originated in ancient India. It involves many different poses and holds to stretch your body, speed up your heart rate, and increase your blood flow to your internal organs. Therefore, many poses help ease digestion, diminish cramps and bloating, and even help relieve constipation.

Yoga is especially useful in decreasing IBS symptoms: it is a light aerobic exercise that doesn’t include jarring poses and sweat-soaked workouts. It doesn’t push you past your limit and allows you to center yourself with special breathing techniques, which help both relieve stress that IBS brings with it while easing IBS symptoms. Please note that some poses are not beneficial to you if you have loose bowels, so if you have diarrhea, you can skip those poses.

Pose 1: Half Seated Twist

This pose is also known as the Half Lord of the Fishes. Twists bend the spine and help blood reach the intestines, helping digestions. It also assists liver and kidney function. If you are experiencing loose bowels, do not go into the twist as deeply.

Pose 2: Wind-Relieving Pose

Yes, this is an actual pose, and you may consider doing this pose in your own privacy. By clutching your knees to your stomach, gasses stored in your intestines are helped to be released. This pose is especially helpful with stomach cramps and pain associated with IBS. It also can reduce bloating after holding this pose for several minutes. Lying on your back helps deliver blood to the kidneys, increasing their functionality. This can lead to relief in reduction of stomach acid and indigestion.

Pose 3: Cobra

This pose does two things: it tones the muscles of your stomach while relieving any stress that you keep in your back and shoulder blades. Lying on your stomach is said to stimulate the blood flow in your abdominal organs.

Pose 4: Gate Pose

Get on your feet and try your hand at the Gate Pose. This pose stretches your abdominal muscles as well as concentrating your weight on your hips, which doesn’t strain your stomach too badly.

Using Turmeric To Treat IBS

IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is a common disorder in the large intestine. Symptoms of IBS are diarrhea, constipation, bloating and stomach cramps. IBS can be treated but so far there is no cure for it. IBS can be maintained by a healthy diet and certain medications. A supplement of turmeric is a great way to diminish pain symptoms and other digestive issues that crop up with IBS. Keep in mind that a supplement is just that – a supplement – and in no way can replace a full treatment for IBS. However, there are so many benefits that turmeric provides to the body that it is hard to find any negatives to say about it.

What’s So Great About Turmeric?

Turmeric has been used a supplement for a long time, especially in Indian and Chinese cultures, used both as a spice and as a medicine. Its rich yellow color and pungent smell are easy to recognize. A supplement can be added to your daily nutrition intake to help ease pain and quicken digestion. Studies have shown turmeric can appease unpleasant IBS symptoms such as diarrhea, because it assists the bowel is working well and not be inflamed due to illness.

Turmeric was tested to see if it helps mitigate mood disorders or mental illnesses, like depression, stress, and anxiety. Although this has only been tested on animals, rats who took turmeric showed improvement in their mood and acted much less stressed than the control group. There are strong links from the conclusion of these studies to show that turmeric increases the function of neurotransmitters.

How Do I Know If I Have IBS?

Diagnosing IBS is difficult because there are various symptoms that are sometimes complete opposites. For instance, IBS symptoms include diarrhea and constipation, or a combination of both. The difference between having just one of these symptoms during the bout of the flu and having IBS is the continuation of symptoms over a long period of time, from 6 months to a year. IBS luckily does not do any lasting damage to the organs, but it can cause so much pain and discomfort that can seriously impact your quality of life.

How Much Tumeric Is Too Much?

Turmeric capsules that are high quality should have at least 1,000 mg and should also contain BioPerine, or piperine, which helps your digestive system process turmeric faster. Piperine is an extract made from black pepper, and a turmeric supplement must contain at least 20 mg of BioPerine in order to work properly.

You should not take more than 2,000 mg of turmeric a day. There are many side effects to turmeric, like nausea, dizziness, and hematoma. Ask your doctor to see how turmeric can help in your digestive system.

Turmeric Summed Up

IBS is a difficult disorder to live with, making your life unpleasant and sometimes unmanageable when trying to plan trips. However, there are many ways to help treat this condition to make your digestive system work normally again. IBS can be treated with certain medications, a healthy, balanced diet, and some studies have shown turmeric is a great supplement to decrease unpleasant symptoms.

Typical Foods To Avoid With IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS is a disorder that affects the large intestine. Symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and/or constipation. It is estimated that 10-15 percent of the American population is suffering from some degree of IBS but only a fraction will be diagnosed with the disease. Many will resort to medications to manage their symptoms but it is possible to get IBS under control through diet. Continue reading to learn tips on what foods to avoid if you have been experiencing symptoms of IBS.

Foods to Avoid

– comes from milk and any other dairy products like cheese, ice cream, pudding, and coffee. Humans are the only species that are able to digest milk after infancy although most humans are not able. The issue with lactose intolerance is not that a person is allergic to dairy, rather their immune system does not respond to the milk. The person is unable to digest lactose. It is a genetic mutation that any person is able to digest dairy after infancy. The body stops producing the enzyme that digests lactose, lactase, usually between the ages of two and five. Undigested sugars wind up in the color where they begin to ferment and subsequently produce gas that causes gas, bloating, diarrhea and nausea. If you are suffering from IBS, eating dairy can amplify and worsen your symptoms. Lactose is one of the first foods that doctors will recommend cutting out from a diet for a person suffering from IBS.

Eat Instead: With veganism rates steadily increasing across America, there are a variety of soy based cheeses, milks and ice cream that can make it easier to transition to a dairy-free diet.

– fructose malabsorption is a digestive disorder in which a person does not have the required fructose carriers in the small intestines to properly absorb fructose. Symptoms are similar to general IBS symptoms like gas, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation. Fructose levels are high in fruits like apples, pear, watermelon, dried fruits and fruit juices.

Eat Instead: Replace high fructose fruits with lower ones like bananas, cantaloupe, grapes, lemons, strawberry, and blueberry.

Legumes and Beans – are harder to digest because they contain carbohydrates called oligosaccharides which are a type of sugar that is not absorbed well by the body. They require an enzyme called alpha-galactosidase that will help break them down so that they can get absorbed. Many people do not produce enough of this enzyme which means that the sugar are left in undigested and available in the intestine to become infested with bacteria. This can cause symptoms like bloating, gas and abdominal pain. People with IBS do not produce enough alpha-galactosidase enzyme which can make it especially hard to digest beans and will cause their digestive tract to be launched into distress.

Eat Instead: There are not many legume replacements that are recommended for people suffering from IBS. It is often best to avoid eating them altogether.

If you have not yet been diagnosed by your doctor with IBS but you relate with many symptoms, make sure to set up an appointment with your doctor to rule out other possible digestive abnormalities and to get an official diagnosis. Consider talking to your doctor about making changes in your diet in order to naturally get your symptoms under control.

Can Eating Yogurt Help IBS?

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is estimated to affect anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the American population but only a fraction will seek a diagnosis or treatment. The exact cause of IBS is unknown but it is a disorder that affects the large intestine, also known as the colon. Researchers suspect that it may be caused by faulty communication between the brain and intestinal tract. IBS occurs when muscles lining the small intestine do not contract and relax in a coordinated manner. Symptoms include stomach pain and cramping, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, food intolerance, changes in bowel movements and depression. Some will find that changing their diet will help manage their diet but many will take medication to get their symptoms under control. Recently, studies have shown that eating yogurt that has probiotics can possibly help get symptoms of IBS under control. Continue reading to learn more.

What are Probiotics?

Although bacteria have often been associated with being detrimental to your health, probiotics are a type live “good” bacteria and yeast that are good for you health, especially your digestive system. Probiotics are thought to keep you healthy by replacing the “good” bacteria in your body. This is especially important after taking antibiotics, as probiotics can help replace them. They can also help restore a balance to your digestive tract by balancing your “good” and “bad” bacteria. There are two main types of probiotics, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Lactobacillus is the more common type of probiotic that can help people with diarrhea and people who are lactose intolerant. You can find the min yogurts. Bifidobacterium is found in dairy products and are believed to help ease symptoms of IBS. Research also indicates that taking probiotics may also be helpful for skin conditions, urinary and vaginal health, oral health, allergies, and colds.

How Can Eating Yogurt Help?

A study done in which patients consumed a probiotic yogurt every day for four showed that stomach distention was reduced by up to 78 percent in 34 women. The study also showed that patients who ate yogurt with probiotics had improved gastrointestinal transit time. Patients also reported experiencing relief from abdominal pain and cramping. The yogurt contains Bifidobacterium Lactis which is a bacteria that supports stomach health. It can be found in various yogurt brands across the market. You can identify yogurts containing probiotics by their seal. In order to obtain this seal, a manufacturer must provide evidence that their product contains at least 100 million CGU per gram.

The bottom line regarding whether or not yogurt can be beneficial for someone with IBS is that it depends on each individual. Research has indicated that having probiotic yogurt can decrease symptoms of IBS and can improve overall digestion but because every person can have individual triggers and reactions to different foods, the results can vary according to each person. If you are suffering from IBS but are not triggered by eating dairy, trying a probiotic yogurt is definitely worth it exploring. Talk to your doctor about making a plan to get your IBS symptoms under control.