subject: You Think You Have Ibs So What Now? [print this page] First of all it's important to note that IBS is not a disease, it is not life threatening and it will not lead on to other more serious conditions. However, it is a life-long condition for which there is currently no cure and any treatment for it will depend very much on your individual symptoms and how severe they are.
Presumably you will already have been diagnosed with IBS by a medical professional. If not, then it is vital that you visit your doctor in order to ascertain that your symptoms are a result of IBS and not something else.
The good news is that if you do suffer from IBS there are a number of things you can do to alleviate your symptoms and increase your quality of life. It is far more likely that your IBS will come and go at different times so by learning to recognise what makes your symptoms worse and taking steps to rectify that then you will be able to keep your IBS under control for most of the time.
Modifying the diet
For many people, certain foods and drinks can trigger their IBS symptoms. However, these foods and drinks will not be the same for everyone. On saying that, there are some things that tend to be more "suspect" than others, and these include but are not limited to tea, coffee, alcohol and fizzy drinks, beans and pulses, bran, dairy produce, chocolate, spicy foods and citrus fruits.
The only reliable way to identify what, if any food or drink affects you is to keep a food diary for a couple of weeks and record everything that you eat and drink along with a note of how your body reacted. In this way you can learn what foods and drinks to avoid and what you can safely consume.
It's also important to increase the amount of soluble fibre in the diet, as opposed to insoluble fibre like bran, regardless of whether your predominant symptom is diarrhoea or constipation. Fibre is necessary for efficient bowel movements but at the same time you should also increase the amount of water you drink. Most people just don't drink enough water as it is but adequate fluids is even more important when there is a lot of fibre in the diet.
Apart from eliminating foods and drinks that you are sensitive too and increasing the amount of fibre and fluids, the following will also help you to find some relief.
- Take time over meals and eat smaller portions regularly. Don't skip meals.
- Stop eating when you are full. Never be tempted to overeat as it will play havoc with your gut
- You could try including some probiotics in your diet as this will help promote the friendly bacteria necessary for a healthy digestive system
- Avoid eating a couple of hours before you go to bed
- Eat a balanced diet which includes fresh fruits and vegetables
- Make sure you get enough exercise as this will help your digestive system to function more efficiently and it helps you to relax and deal with stress
Learning to deal with stress
Stress is not a cause of IBS, however, it is known to exacerbate the symptoms of IBS so learning how to deal with stress and avoiding stressful situations may help to reduce the severity of your IBS symptoms. Why this should be the case is not difficult to understand. The brain and the gut are very much inter-linked, something you can easily recognise when you think about the sensations in your gut when you are nervous, anxious or excited. Indeed, many believe that IBS is the result of a malfunction in the communication between the brain and the gut.
Serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood is most abundant in the gut and also plays an important role in motility. Motility is a term used to describe the process of propelling the contents of the gut through the digestive tract towards the rectum. Indeed, many studies have identified that too much serotonin in the gut can lead to loose stools and diarrhoea, and too little can cause the digestive system to become sluggish and therefore result in constipation. This may be why some anti-depressants when given in low doses have been effective in treating IBS in some people, particularly the newer type of anti-depressants known as SSRi's or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.
Social situations can be a stressful time for IBS sufferers for a number of reasons. It is quite common in some sufferers to experience abdominal pain and an overwhelming urge to perform a bowel movement not long after eating or drinking so visiting a restaurant or attending a dinner party may cause a significant amount of stress.
On top of this, anxiety levels can increase if you don't know where the nearest toilet is or if you feel embarrassed because there are other people around or if you feel you may involuntarily pass wind, all of which can collectively bring on an IBS episode. Avoiding social situations can increase any feelings of isolation and loneliness and could possibly even result in depression. Don't avoid social contact. When you go out, find out where the nearest toilet is beforehand and then try to forget about it and concentrate on enjoying yourself.
Finally, IBS is an extremely common condition affecting around twenty percent of the population. It may help to be open about your fears and to talk about your IBS as people are likely to be far more understanding than what you might think.
