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Well women guide to IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome)
I have suffered mildly with IBS since my teenage years, but nothing compared to my daughter, Clare who is only 13. She has regular flare up’s of diarrhoea and suffers a great deal with pain at the time, often to the point where she has cold sweats and shivering as the pain is so bad. She turns very pale and feels very unwell. The flare up’s sometimes keep her awake all night. She has been prescribed anti spasmodic medication by her consultant at the hospital but I have been looking into alternatives. Clare is going to be trialing the pro biotic, Lp299v so we will let you know how she gets on with it. See bottom of page Update Jan08: Clare was taking Lp299v but she was not remembering to take it twice a day as directed, even when reminded. (Clare often does things half heated and is very stubborn with a "can't be bothered attitude like a lot of 14year olds) Therefore I am unable to report on any benefits since she often left 2 or 3 days in between taking it. You really have to be committed when taking supplements or nutritional support of any kind as no benefits will be seen unless the product is taken as directed.
It is now widely recognised that maintaining a healthy bacterial balance is of vital importance and studies have shown that those who eats a high amount of fibre together with a large intake of fluids have the least problems. Other common conditions include the autoimmune conditions Crohns disease and celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, lactose intolerance and constipation. Once again, IBS is suffered mainly by women. Symptoms Intermittent pain, irregular bowel habits of constipation and diarrhoea or even both. Spasmodic cramping pains in the abdomen, swelling and distension of the abdomen, excessive wind, and sometimes, moving the bowel will not relieve the symptoms leaving the sufferer with a feeling of incomplete evacuation and more wind. Other digestive conditions such as lactose intolerance can often have similar symptoms as IBS and this can cause some confusion and often misdiagnosis. Lactose intolerance is caused by a lack of the enzyme lactase which causes fermentation of lactose in the intestine. The symptoms are then similar because of bloating, abdominal cramps and excessive wind.
IBS is said to be caused by stress or oversensitivity to situations where stress is involved and even mild stress can cause a sufferer to experience symptoms and indeed this is very true of Clare who reacts easily to stress and is what we call a “worrier”. A condition called Globus hystericus can also accompany IBS. This is a condition where there is a feeling of a lump in the throat, pressure or a feeling of being choked or all three and is usually stress related but can be a symptom of other conditions such as acid reflux. Barium Xrays or an endoscopy can usually confirm the cause. It is actually the pharyx muscles going into a spasm. When you think about it, if the bowel can go into a spasm, so can the throat. The large intestine (colon) is controlled by the autonomic part of the nervous system and it is this system which is also regulates our heart beat and breathing. As stress affects both of these by increasing heart and breathing rate, it can also increase or cause irregularities in bowel movements and this causes disruption to peristalsis, which is the movement of food by muscular contractions along the digestive tract. Of course you can now see the effect of stress on this process, as, if stress increases breathing rate and heart beat, it can also increase and disrupt peristalsis, pushing it through the digestive tract far too quickly and causing diarrhoea. However, as the peristalsis process can be speeded up, it can also become disrupted to the point where food is forced in the opposite direction, or even stopped altogether thus resulting in the opposite effect, constipation, and even so far as causing intestinal blockages. What can be done? It’s all about facilitating the number of friendly bacteria in the intestines by providing the right environment, increasing soluble fibre by increasing fruit and vegetables, oats like porridge, rice, linseed or psyllium, as fibre of this nature absorbs water and bulks out stools and in turn, prevents diarrhoea. The average adult should consume 18g of fibre per day in order to avoid illnesses like bowel disease and bowel cancer as the lower the stool weight per day and the slower the transit, the greater the risk.. Once again, some aspects of diet need to be changed for maximum effect and cutting out refined sugar, animal fats, highly processed food, refined white flour and alcohol which inhibit friendly bacteria in the gut by increasing acid levels, and adding more complex carbohydrates like fruit, vegetables and grains which helps the friendly bacteria to flourish and grow. Highly spiced food should be avoided and care should be taken with choice of food, how and where it is prepared and also by who, so care should be taken when eating in café’s, restaurants and other places. Care should also be taken when buying food and also to check all sell by dates on foods before eating. This is all to cut down on the introduction of “bad” bacteria such as that in contaminated and over processed food. Some foods are rich sources of beneficial bacteria such as camembert cheese and yoghurt but large quantities of these would be needed. It has been suggested that protection can be achieved by taking probiotic supplements and re colonising the intestines. Taking them immediately after your main meal is best as the meal will act as a buffer to the secretions of the stomachs acid, hydrochloric acid, which itself can harm the friendly bacteria. The friendly bacteria can then pass into the intestines and do their job. A lot like candida yeast, it’s about getting the right balance. Once bad bacteria takes over, you become ill and many bowel conditions ensue. When treating Candida with probiotic bacteria such as acidophilus, they consume carbohydrates normally metabolised by the Candida Albicans yeast and this deprives the yeast of it’s food supply, starving it to death and that is how acidophilus helps in treating Candida, by cutting off it’s food supply.
Please Click HERE to go to the Candida Page
Also, taking Digestive Enzymes if cooked food is eaten may go a long way in helping the condition as will taking a product called Primebiotic and excellent reults have been obtained with this. Other products to help IBS: Chlorella These products also help inflammatory bowel conditions like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease but these conditions would probably benefit from Green Clay and also in the case of inflammation, Colloidal Silver
The most popular pro-biotics are Lactobacillus acidophilus, rhamnosus, casei,and plantarum and their roles include: Immune stimulation of the digestive tract, barrier protection of the intestinal wall, the production of acidic compounds that kill off the bad bacteria, regulation of the transit of food through the gut, facilitation of the production of certain vitamins including vitamin K, and B vitamins. Facilitation of consumption and metabolism of carbohydrates. So they certainly have many functions. Probiotics can also produce their own natural antibiotics known as bacteriocins and it is these which help to kill unwanted bacteria. They also help in the production of organic compounds such as lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid which reduces the pH in the intestines, thus enabling conditions where the “bad” bacteria can not thrive and multiply. They also form a barrier to stop unwanted bacteria from reaching the intestinal wall where they are able to attach themselves and exert their unwanted effects. Yes, but what is the best probiotic for IBS? Who can say what is best but Research has proved that Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp299v) is the only probiotic to help alleviate the symptoms of IBS effectively by reducing the severity, frequency and duration of IBS symptoms. One study has shown that 95per cent of patients receiving Lp299v for only 4 weeks showed a significant improvement in all the typical IBS symptoms, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. However the other mentioned products have also had good results when combined as part of boosting health overall.
To read about Lp299v please click HERE
To see books about IBS please click HERE
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The health of our digestive system is becoming more and more recognised as being of utmost importance and this is due to the fact that many other conditions can stem from complications of the intestines.
