IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a condition wherein the large intestine or colon of an individual is affected. A painful disorder, IBS is a common condition and in most cases, goes on for a long term. This syndrome causes a person to suffer from extreme cramping, gas, abdominal bloating, constant diarrhea, and even constipation.
The main cause of IBS has not been detected and a person with sensitive intestines is likely to be easily affected. Also, the reason behind a person suffering from the disorder may not be the same for every person. Here are a few factors that can contribute to making the intestine and further trigger IBS.
Brain-gut communication – It is believed that in most cases IBS is caused by a miscommunication or disrupted communication between the brain and the intestine. In this condition, the interaction is altered, leading to changes in the bowel function.
Food – The kind of food you eat plays a major role in your overall wellbeing. And thus, it comes as no surprise that any food allergy or intolerance can have an effect on the bowel. No particular food is food to cause or aggravate the condition, but certain foods may not go too well with a person’s system. Broccoli, chocolate, alcohol, milk, etc may be common offenders.
Hormonal imbalance – Changes in the hormones can trigger IBS among individuals. Moreover, women are more likely to be-be the receiving end during menstrual cycles or pregnancy.
Stress or Depression – Stress and other psychosocial factors can lead to a greater effect on the symptoms. Although stress may not lead to IBS, it can cause the case to worsen. A psychologically disturbed mind disrupts the normal regulation of the brain and increases that frequency of the signs.
Bacteria – Bacteria is present in the bowels for breaking down the food we eat. Not only this, they also regulate the functioning and strengthen the immune system. However, a missed composition or the kind of bacteria can affect the condition or syndrome.
Colon illnesses – Illnesses that are connected to the colon or infectious bowels can become worst and thereby trigger the onset of IBS. Also, medications taken for these diseases can cause IBS.
Although IBS leaves the victim very uncomfortable, it can be managed by most people. Making lifestyle changes in terms of food and way of living can be a good solution to people with mild symptoms. However, individuals with severe pain and issues should seek medical intervention as a delay can lead to further complexity.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common intestinal disorder. Symptoms such as abdominal pain, irregularity in bowel movement, cramping, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation are mostly associated with IBS. Many physicians sought to probiotic supplements when it comes to treating IBS.
Probiotic supplements tend to support the gut’s natural bacteria growth and intestinal well-being. However, before jumping on to the probiotic supplements bandwagon, it is important to select the right ones that will work for you.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics, also referred as friendly bacteria, support our immune system and help keep our digestive system in check by removing the bad bacteria. They strengthen the tissue of the intestinal wall and prevent harmful organisms from reaching it.
How probiotic supplements help IBS
If you take probiotic supplements, IBS problems get reduced and the growth of friendly bacteria is encouraged. Probiotic supplements help in the following ways:
List of best probiotic supplements for IBS
Taking a probiotic supplement for IBS helps to maintain an optimal balance of bacteria and alleviates IBS symptoms. There are several studies undertaken by researchers to conclude which is the best probiotic supplement. However, there is no lucrative answer to this. But some of the common probiotics which are proven to have a positive effect on IBS are as follows:
Food and probiotics
Typically foods that have undergone a fermentation process result in a food rich with numerous strains of probiotic bacteria. Dishes like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented foods are a good source of natural probiotics.
Adding small amounts of fermented foods to your diet help ease IBS symptoms.
Typically, doctors recommend consuming probiotics with few glasses of water to dilute the enzymes in your stomach. It also helps in moving the organisms faster into your intestines. Many others advice to take probiotics along with food as it helps in digestion and also the enzymes in food helps in better absorption of probiotics. Do remember that you don’t consume probiotics with hot foods as they kill microorganisms.
Before you try any probiotic supplements, ensure you consult with your physician and select the right probiotic for your condition. Also be patient as a probiotic supplement is not something that will work overnight. The recommended dosage for these supplements is at least four weeks or so.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is an intestinal disorder, which can lead to a number of other medical conditions. It is one of the leading causes of irregularities in your bowel movements. From constipation to diarrhea to cramping and bloating of your stomach, there are many symptoms of IBS. Though there are several treatment plans and medications to take care of the symptoms, doctors nowadays suggest the use of probiotics for reducing the occurrences of IBS. Although probiotics are in the initial research stages, they are successfully marketed across as a medium of controlling IBS.
Probiotics are sometimes called “friendly” bacteria as they are beneficial for your immune system. They keep in check the growth of unfriendly bacteria in the gut and are known to be used for wide range of symptoms. Let us look at it in depth.
Intestines of human beings are filled with thousands of strains of bacteria. Medically, a healthy person should have a balance of the bacterial strains that are good and bad. If the areas favoring the bad bacteria are more, then they can lead to certain medical conditions.
If you are consuming probiotic supplements, IBS can be avoided to a certain extent. Also probiotic supplements are known to be beneficial in maintaining a favorable balance between the bacterial strains. They also normalize the frequency of bowel movements. Probiotics can eradicate small intestinal bacterial growth and strengthen the inner lining of the intestine.
Food items to avoid by IBS-affected individuals
– Food rich in soluble fiber including legumes, oatmeal, carrots, oranges, mangoes, etc.
– High-fat dairy products such as cow milk, cheese made from cow milk, etc.
– Fried food items such as fries, chips, etc.
– Processed food such as frozen ready-to-eat meals
Type of probiotics:
One of the challenges is to find out the exact type of probiotic to use for IBS. There are certain supplements that provide wholesome probiotics for easing IBS symptoms. Do consult with your doctor on your body type so that they may be able to prescribe the right supplement for you.
There are also certain foods that are probiotic. Generally, fermented foods such as yogurt and traditionally prepared sauerkraut, are known for their probiotic nature. Such fermented products are beneficial for promoting digestive health and the overall robustness of the digestive tracks.
IBS can be frustrating in the long run and sometimes the medications for the symptoms may not work. In such cases, you may want to try probiotics. Not only are they extremely good for your health, but they are also known for having no major side effects associated with them. Just ensure that you consult with your doctor before taking them. In rare cases, it may not fit well with people having a weak immune system. Also, if a certain strain of probiotic does not yield the desired result, then switch over to the next strain, after consulting a doctor.
Living in the 21st century is a privilege for us since we can now protect ourselves from the various serious ailments that had, unfortunately, claimed lots of lives in the earlier centuries. However, even though we can boast of unforeseen developments in the field of science and technology, there are instances when the man had to accept nature’s supremacy.
There are ailments one suffers from, whose cause are still a mystery and if one does discover the causes of the ailment, figuring out the treatment would require ounces of patience. One such disorder is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The causes of the IBS are unknown, but it is treatable. One can diagnose that they are suffering from IBS, when the related symptoms surface. The symptoms of IBS include diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, alternating diarrhea, and constipation, bloating, etc.
IBS cannot be fully cured, instead doctors focus on treating the causes of IBS. So, here are the popular treatments for treating the causes of IBS, which would enable the patients to lead a normal life.
Changes in your diet- A faulty diet can also result in the person suffering from IBS. So, your doctor would make certain changes in your daily diet. The first step would be to eliminate food that causes gas. Then, gluten would be eliminated from your diet. This step helps in reducing the severity of diarrhea, one of the symptoms of IBS.
Include fiber supplements- Fiber supplements such as psyllium (Metamucil) or methylcellulose (Citrucel), along with fluids, would be included in your diet. This would help in controlling constipation, one of the symptoms of IBS.
Anti-diarrheal drugs- Diarrhea is one of the most severe symptoms that causes great unease to the patient. Drugs such as loperamide can help control diarrhea. Medications known as bile acid binders are also helpful in controlling diarrhea but are known to cause bloating.
Antispasmodics- Severe abdominal pain is a characteristic symptom of IBS. The pain is excruciating and it can occur in any part of the abdomen. The doctor would prescribe certain antispasmodic drugs that can relieve you from your abdominal pain.
Probiotics and Antibiotics- There are proofs that healthy bacteria can help conquer the symptoms of IBS, thus, probiotics might help in bringing the symptoms under control. But, at times, the causes of the symptoms of IBS can be intensified by the presence of bad bacteria, thus, the antibiotics.
IBS cannot be cured fully, but the above-mentioned drugs can surely restrain the symptoms of IBS and can help you lead a somewhat normal life.
Our human body, with all its uniqueness, is still vulnerable to various disease plaguing the earth. No matter how much science has progressed over the years, we are yet to find the cause of certain ailments and the cure for others. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one such disease or ailment that has no known cure for it.
There are instances when you cannot take your morning dump or when you can’t stop rushing to the loo every once in a while. Sometimes, it’s just what you ate the previous night which didn’t agree with you, or at times, it can be something very critical. You can classify IBS in the latter category. One of the common beliefs is that IBS affects the gutbrain axis, thereby making it more formidable.
You cannot diagnose yourself with IBS on the basis of a single symptom, there are different symptoms of IBS that surface in different forms. So, here’s a list of the symptoms of IBS, that can help you be on guard and seek timely treatment.
Abdominal pain- You might experience severe pain in your abdomen. This pain can affect any part of the abdomen and can be experienced when before or after having a bowel movement. The pain is similar to cramps and can be described as a stabbing and piercing pain.
Diarrhea- Diarrhea is one of the most severe symptoms of IBS. You can say you suffer from diarrhea when your visit to the loo becomes more frequent. If you have abdominal pain along with loose motions that have been ailing you for more than 3 months, you can conclude that you are suffering from IBS with diarrhea. This is commonly known as IBS-D.
Constipation- Constipation is when you experience severe discomfort while passing a motion or when you cannot pass stools at all. Abdominal pain is hands-in-gloves with every other symptom of IBS.
Nausea- Nausea can be caused by a variety of reasons mostly when you eat something that doesn’t agree with your system, your body throws it out. However, if you experience nausea immediately after eating and this is accompanied by abdominal pain, then you can consider nausea as a symptom of IBS.
Bloating- It doesn’t matter whether you ate or not, you would always feel bloated. Bloating is one of the major symptoms of IBS and is quite persistent as well. The resultant behavior is you might stop eating in order to overcome the bloating sensation.
IBS is a serious disorder, and if your body displays any of the above symptoms, it is advisable to visit the physician as soon as possible.
Irritable bowel syndrome affects the large intestine (colon). It is a common disorder which causes constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, abdominal pain and cramping amongst other symptoms. It is very difficult to lead a routine life if you are battling IBS symptoms regularly, so here are a few essential things you must know about IBS.
Do not take the symptoms lightly at any given point in time. These are red flags and indicators that something is not right with your digestive system and there is cause for alarm. You should immediately take action and consult a general physical or you family doctor to start treatment at early stages. Most people will dismiss these symptoms as mild discomforts, which only leads to complications down the road.
Medical action should be prompt and thorough. There is a good chance that your prescription will suggest medicines for treating the symptoms, but the cause may be overlooked in the process. Diagnosis is relevant to understand the cause and treat it with due diligence unless you are planning to take medication for the symptoms for the foreseeable future.
Stress has been attributed as one of the major symptoms of IBS, which may sound a bit weird. But research shows that stress levels tend to reduce the amount of stomach acid which is essential for digestion. This, in turn, leaves undigested food particles in your gut on which bacteria starts feeding and releasing a gas product which causes bloating, flatulence and a number of uneasy symptoms. All which are mild indicators of the initial stages of IBS.
Sometimes it may seem like you are suffering from IBS but might just turn out to be SIBO. SIBO is small intestine bacterial growth, a disorder in which there is too much of the wrong type of bacteria in your intestine. The symptoms are severe when compared to IBS and are all intestine and gut related problems. There is a big chance that you might just get tested positive for SIBO, while actually thinking you are suffering from IBS.
Diet plays a key role in maintaining your overall body health and digestive systems for that matter. Too much of something good or too little of something good is not a balanced diet. This specifically applies to people who think that by reduced consumption of fermentable carbs, the gas, in turn, will be reduced. A well-balanced diet which includes carbohydrates, nutrient dense foods which are all essential for aiding in the healing process.
Whether it is IBS or SIBO, immediate and proper medical care should be taken avoid future complication and damage in the long run.