IBS Symptoms - Diarrhoea Part 2

Turning to medicines should be a last resort. Medicines have their place in the treatment of illnesses but an eastern philosophy is useful to adopt here which is cure the cause not the symptom. If you are suffering diarrhoea, then your body is telling you that it is using diarrhoea to heal itself. Taking medicines now, like Imodium, may block the healing process. In addition it is possible that by taking a drug that prevents diarrhoea you end up with constipation.

If you suffer alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhoea then seek a cure for the constipation first as the diarrhoea maybe a by product of constipation. The lining of a constipated bowel maybe contaminated with toxins such that the body uses watery stools to flush the toxins away.

All the best,

Alex

Most people can remember a time when they did not have IBS. Click here to claim back your life.

IBS Symptoms - Diarrhoea Part 1

One symptom of bowel dysfunction is diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is when food passes through and out of the bowel very quickly.

When does diarrhoea occur? Diarrhoea is usually a reaction to food poisoning. You have eaten food which is full of bugs; the body's defence mechanism is engaged and the food is expelled from the body as fast as possible.

Diarrhoea may also occur when you are tense or scared. Ancient man was born with a flight or fight response. What this means is that when ancient man faced dangers that could kill him, the body produced adrenaline which either helped man run away or have the courage to face the danger. Humans today still have this defence response. These days it is stress, pace of life and the like that causes us to produce adrenaline rather than facing Woolly Mammoths. The effect of adrenaline on the body is to speed up bodily functions including the gut; remember exam time or your driving test? You may also notice that your breathing is quicker, that you can't relax as easily as you used to or that you're more rushed to fit everything in. If your bowel is reacting to stress then you need more than a change in diet. You would need to relax more. This could mean taking up yoga, meditation, hypnosis or a more physical activity such as running.

If your stool is frequent and loose then it might be an idea to take a break from food and just drink fluids [not tea or coffee] for a day. It is thought that over cooking white or brown rice until it is a pulp is also easy on the digestion. Rice is a very mild food on the bowel, which is why you will find that on any exclusion diet, rice is still allowed. Linseed is also useful in reducing diarrhoea as it acts as sponge by absorbing excess fluid in the bowel.

All the best,

Alex

Most people can remember a time when they did not have IBS. Click here to claim back your life.

A Constipated Bowel - Part 2

There are supplements that can be taken to restore bowel movement on a more regular basis. Ispaghula or Psyllium Husks are bulking agents that surround the stool making them softer and more able to pass through the intestine. Ispaghula or Psyllium Husk are both in powder form. Psyllium Husk is more likely to be available without any artificial sweeteners whereas in my experience I've only ever seen Ispaghula Husk available with artificial sweeteners.

Psyllium Husk in particular, because it is not sweet, is not the nicest tasting substance. So grin and bear it.

One thing to point out is to avoid laxatives. They may offer short term relief from constipation, but the theory is that in the longer term you're encouraging your bowel to be lazy. Not good.

All the best,

Alex

Most people can remember a time when they did not have IBS. Click here to claim back your life.

A Constipated Bowel - Part 1

If your bowel is not functioning correctly, it is your body's way of telling you that something is not right. Whether it is diet, lack of exercise, stress or maybe a follow-on from food poisoning, you need to start listening to your body.

Essentially you may be constipated or have diarrhoea.

One [healthy] approach to constipation is to drink more water. The figures say that we ought to drink about 8 glasses. This equates to a minimum of 2 litres – if you not doing any exercise. If you are on an exercise programme then you will need to increase your intake of water to more than 2 litres. Notice that this is an intake of water rather than fluids. So caffeine and alcohol intake has to be monitored as they are both diuretics i.e. they force water out of the body.

If you eat food with a high water content e.g. fruit and vegetables then this will add to your daily water intake as will all foods. There seems to be a popular school of thought of not to drink water with your meal – it may hamper the digestion process.

Most people would probably resort to increasing their fibre intake to remedy a sluggish bowel. However what form should you take? Most people would probably try wholemeal bread. It may be worth balancing you consumption of bread with eating grains e.g. Porridge oats. The wholemeal flour [wheat bran] can lead to an irritation of the intestinal lining.

All the best,

Alex

Most people can remember a time when they did not have IBS. Click here to claim back your life.

The Digestive System

The Digestive System, fundamentally consists of :

• the mouth,

• the oesophagus [gullet],

• stomach,

• small intestine and

• large intestine [bowel].

The Mouth is where digestion starts. Food is chewed and an enzyme called Ptyallin in the saliva helps break the food down so that it becomes more manageable for the rest of the digestive system. This is the reason why you should chew your food slowly rather than gulping it down. The more digestion is carried out during this first phase the more nutrients you will get out of the food you have eaten.

The food then passes down the Oesophagus and into the stomach. The stomach contains hydrochloric acid which breaks the food down further and eliminates germs.

The food then passes into the small intestine via the duodenum. The small intestine absorbs the nutrients from the food. It does this through hair-like projections called Villi located along the wall of the intestines.

The food then passes into the large intestine [colon]. There is virtually nothing left of the food now. It is a paste containing indigestible material, water and salts. The role of the colon is to re-absorb water and salts and leave the rest [faeces]. Bacteria is present in the faecal matter, though most of it has been removed by stomach acid. The faecal matter then passes into the rectum and is then eliminated from the body.

All the best,

Alex

Most people can remember a time when they did not have IBS. Click here to claim back your life.

The Symptoms of IBS

As one could expect with a condition labelled as a syndrome, the symptoms of IBS are many and varied. This is not an exhaustive list, but these seem to be the most prevalent symptoms :

• bloating
• constipation
• excessive flatulence
• change in stool consistency
• change in bowel habit
• stool covered in mucous
• diarrhoea
• bowel movement doesn't feel like complete evacuation
• pain when bending the body
• not wanting to eat when feeling bloated
• painful periods
• abdominal pain - makes you want to curl up into a ball.

IBS is not concerned with who you are. Whatever your age, race, colour or gender, IBS is not selective. The condition ranges from the sufferer experiencing intermittent bouts of pain to people suffering terrible pain every day.

All the best,

Alex

Most people can remember a time when they did not have IBS. Click here to claim back your life.