Improving Irritable Bowel Syndrome

[1sweed]

If you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, life can be spent running to the bathroom or sitting in the bathroom trying to go. Or a combination of both. When your at your wits end in trying to figure out the best way to handle the problem and nothing is working, I have provided a few tips to help manage the symptoms of this digestive disorder.

1. Increase dietary fiber, by eating more fruits and vegetables. Avoid wheat bran as a fiber supplement, but do use psyllium fiber daily. Use one teaspoon in water once per day. If necessary gradually work your way up to four teaspoons in four glasses of water daily, to relieve constipation and abdominal pain and bloating.

2.It is often associated with food sensitivities. To learn what foods you may be sensitive to go on a allergy-elimination diet for one week. Keep a food diary. A raise in your pulse rate, can happen if you are eating a food that you are sensitive to, and feeling hot or becoming itchy or developing rashes and hives, signs of allergic reactions to food.

3. Dairy products often cause IBS symptoms.

4. Cut down on gas-producing foods like beans and cabbage, brussels sprouts and broccoli, cauliflower and onions.

5. Cut out all fried foods and cream sauces, cheese and butter, margarines and red meat.

6. Eliminate caffeine

7. Artifical sweeteners like sorbitol can create digestive problems. Chewing sugar-free gum is another example that can cause problems.

8. Try to break the habit of smoking as nicotine can cause bowel problems.

9. Those with IBS, often have Candida yeast in their intestinal tract.

10. Work on controlling stress and anxiety or depression.

11. Create an exercise program, like walking or doing bent-knee sit-ups.

12. Use peppermint oil enteric-coated capsules. The coating will prevent the oil from being absorbed until needed in the large intestine and colon. If you experience a burning feeling in the rectum when going it is because some of the menthol in the oil was not absorbed. It is not dangerous, just uncomfortable and an indiction you need to reduce the amount of capsules you are taking daily.

13. Take ginger capsules to relieve digestive upsets.

Try each of these to see what works for you. Some may work for others, but not for you.
Ask your family doctor if any of these things might cause a problem with the medications you are taking, before making big changes to your diet.

These books can help explain how to do a food sensitivity diet check and how to manage candida yeast health problems.

http://www.amazon.com/Allergy-Self-Help-Book-Step---Step/dp/0878574581/ref=la_B000APTF38_1_1

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Candida-Yeast-Guidebook-Revised/dp/0761527400/

 

[Yatte]

Well done 1sweet this a quite a list, my contribution will be on the running the whole day (diarrhea) part of IBS and Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome. I have ulcerative colitis that falls in both those categories. I will reply to your points with the same numbers. This is my personal findings and what works for me, and not criticism in any way.

1. Fiber; A person with the runny tummy IBS should avoid fiber as reasonable as possible. (You still need fruit and veg). Fiber increases peristalsis (the movement and contractions of your intestine) and will cause you to run even more.

2.I agree fully with this statement, but note some food incompatibilities will sometimes only cause cramping and excess gas, not all of them have allergic reaction symptoms. Though with IBS you have a higher possibly to develop food allergies.

3. Not all diary products causes or exaggerate IBS, I found that processed diary products, like hard cheeses and yogurt did not have the same effect.

4. Another way of lessening gas production is to peel your fruit, the skins of the fruit have a protein in them that increases your gas production. Other foods I found that adds to gas are; eggs (yolk), fatty meats (especially pork), green peppers, chilies, wheat products, avocado, nuts, legumes and potato.

5. I agree with the fried foods, creamy sauces and margarine. But meat, butter and cheese are a source of protein and I did not have any bad experiences with those. I know spinach, nuts and legumes are a source of protein as well, but it has a complex binding that takes long to absorb, and most of them cause gas.

6. The latest study has shown that caffeine in regulated doses reduce the risk of Alzheimers disease, rather manage your caffeine intake than to go cold turkey, the withdrawal symptoms will be worse than the effect it has on your bowels.

7. I agree with the artificial sweeteners, rather try a glucose syrup or fructose sugar instead of the sweeteners.

8. My gastroenterologist told me to keep smoking, the action of smoking causes you to relax and decreases your stress levels. There are new studies being done on nicotine and smoking being a relief to patients with chronic diarrhea. this is a personal choice and you must weigh the risk vs benefits for yourself.

9. The candida statement is true, take a 9 or bigger strain probiotic to help manage this.

10. Stress tends to exaggerate IBS, learn breathing techniques to help you manage stress, and take a regular time out to breathe and relax.

11. Exercise increases your heart rate that will increase your serotonin levels. This helps reduce stress. Do not exercise to vigorously as this will set your tummy going again.

12. With the diarrhea type IBS the bowels move really fast and the enteric-coated capsule will just move trough without being absorbed. Rather get supplements that is protein based, and will thus be absorbed in your stomach.

13. Ginger capsules work or you can mix the ginger with a bit of honey, lemon juice and water. Peppermint oil is a good and easy cure for gas and cramps.

As I stated earlier this is my personal experience with the diarrhea type IBS. Some of these might work for you and others wont. It is test of trail and error.

Good luck in finding what works for you. I hope it is a smooth and painless journey.

 

[twiztc]

I have generally the runs type. I had IBS since my early twenties. I have systemically gone through every medical and old wives suggestion to alleviate my symptom. Just when I think I've figured a solution my body gets used to it then reverts back to sitting me on the bog again for an hour at a time.
It comes and goes in it's own cycle and nothing I do seems to change that.
I have as yet not found anything that makes it better. Codeine eases it but there are a few things that makes it worse. Sugar substitutes are my worst enemy and stress. Lower on the list is dairy. I seem ok with cheese and a bit of yogurt (some brands like astro make me bad) I have to go easy on milk and ice cream.
High fibre foods can set me off so. I can only have small portions of my alpen and not every day.
what I do manage to eat on my bad days which can help to settle my poor aching belly is some simple egg fried (home made) rice or pasta

 

[1sweed]

Thank you both for your comments. I have IBS, but had more problems with the constipation, then the diarrhea. So the tips I provided may more help in that direction. It is always good to have a difference of opinion, because what I was told by one doctor, another doctor may have a different view and so his instructions are different.


Yatte, I like the the different choices you have provided. I will try them when things "go south" for me. lol Foods I have the most trouble with are cabbage and corn, and some beans. I also have trouble with chicken and pork. So some things I avoid and other things I just cut back on the amount eaten and how often I eat them. I have had some trouble with cow's milk, so I started using almond milk, and so far so good. Thanks for sharing what you know.

twiztc, I also agree with you on the stress factor most of all. It could be we get so messed up worrying and trying to do too much that our bodies can not digest our food properly. I am allergic to codeine so just have to take it easy and watch what I eat.

 

[savvyme]

I think i was diagnosed with IBS long back...but i am not sure....i had alternating diarrhea and constipation....i still do sometimes...but its not as bad as it was many years ago.
This post is really informative. Thanks.

 

[suadela]

I never realized until my diagnosis that this was related to the pain throughout my body...

I have gone days, 7 to 8 at the longest, without a bowel movement. Then it switches from not going to can't get out of the bathroom...
I think I will take a look at some of these suggestions and see what might help me! Thank you for the lists!

 

[mudrock]

By eating plenty of healthy foods, can also help with IBS. We all have too learn in what to eat and what not to eat. I have been learning this all on my own. I do take pride in what I do for myself, and my body. I eat alot of (WHEAT), and I eat of FRUITS and alot of VEGETABLES. In what this does is has a shorten-chain fatty acids, including butyric acid, which is the primary source of fuel for our colonic cells. So if your not eating enough fiber,you're starving both your beneficial flora and the cells in your colon.

 

[1sweed]

I am glad the list of all the above has been or might be helpful to some of you. My doctor's used to say that not going enough was my problem, but I think in truth I had a equal amount of both problems. I found that eating healthy foods with lots of fruits and vegetables, makes me feel the best. I eat a bit of meat, but not much as it does not agree with me. Not completely off of it but like wild game the best.

 

[BrianWolfe]

I take a lot of dietary fiber but avoid foods that cause intestinal gas like beans, cabbage and broccoli. I also stopped taking dairy products and it helped a lot. In order to replace milk, I started taking almond milk and also lots of cumin to reduve gas buildup. It has helped a lot. You can make a cumin tea to soothe your stomach. Just steep some crushed whole cumin seeds in hot water for 10 minutes, strain and drink while still warm.

 

[exploreandrespawn]

When I first got Dx in 1995 my IBS was really bad, like everyone here. What I decided to do was to blend every food. I am serious. I got a food processor and blender and blended everything. Lentils, beans, you name it, I would blend it. As a result, my symptoms really decreased. I know it's not appetizing to put some cooked lentils, oil, salt and garlic powder and a tomatoe into a blender and blend and drink, but I will tell you, it's not bad tasting and it really halted much of my symptoms.

When I first was Dx, in 1995, my BM's were actually pure white, then then went to beige, then 'striped' brown and beige, then greenish, then to a nice normal bm. I actually attribute much of that to blending my foods.

not that appetizing, but I will stress, try to give yourself a month on it, to let your system heal, because it suffered a lot of damage with fibro, so try blending EVERYTHING for about a month and see how you feel.

 

[schizophreniatype]

Irritable bowel syndrome is a very common GI problem worldwide. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits for at least 3 months, excluding all others possible GI disorders. There exist 3 types of IBS:
1) IBS-C : which is IBS constipation
2) IBS-D: which is IBS diarrhea
3) IBS-M: which is IBS Mixed (ie diarrhea and constipation).
The causes of IBS are poorly understood but some studies show that it may be caused by some of the following:
-Altered colonic transit
-enteric infection mostly by the infection gardia lamblia
-central neurohormonal mechanisms
-stress
Management include:
Dietary measures such as high fibre diet
ceassation of smoking and alcohol
avoid caffeine
drink plenty of water
practice yoga/physical activities

 

[mariposa]

I'm so glad to see this post! My daughter has been suffering with IBS for less than a year now and I feel so helpless when I can't do anything. I've been trying to research and I keep seeing the food connection. I know that everyone is different, so we're at the stage right now of trying to find out what her trigger foods are. There seems to be many of them, but dairy is at the top of the list for her.

 

[glacier]

I seldom encouner IBS, only at times when my choice of food were wrong. Also, since I drink lots of water, eat vegetables everyday, and supplement it still with fiber drinks, I know for sure that these habits of mine pose as a big help in preventing me to have IBS. Fiber works wonders!

 

[Melissast]

I think I was born with IBS, and my poor children have inherited it to. We always have trouble going to the bathroom, the constipation type, not the other. The most important thing I have found out over the years is to drink plenty of water. When I'm fully hydrated I have a better chance of going. I'm glad to see this posted here. There is a lot of information I have never even considered before. I'm going to start paying better attention and maybe I'll see what foods cause me problems. I think that dairy causes some problems in my daughter. Thanks for all the information.