subject: Manage IBS with Plant Medicine [print this page] IBS is also referred to as spastic colon, spastic bowel, spastic colitis, irritable colon, mucous colitis and nervous or functional bowel. All of these names mean that you have a gastrointestinal disorder that affects mainly the large intestine. The large intestine is where the stool is produced and stored in the digestive system. If you have IBS symptoms, your bowels may squeeze the stool too lightly or too hard which causes the nerves and muscles to become extra sensitive. This then can cause your food to move either too quickly or too slowly through your intestines, which can cause diarrhea or constipation, as well as other symptoms.
Some studies have suggested that up to twenty percent of Americans have it or have had it at one time or another. If you have IBS symptoms, keep in mind that you are not alone in your suffering. The IBS symptoms that can occur include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, constipation, swollen or bloated abdomen and excess gas. If you have had these symptoms regularly for a while, then you will want to visit your doctor. IBS doesn't normally manifest itself until you are an adult. The average age that IBS symptoms begin is around twenty years old.
Knowing how to react to an IBS bout and how to prevent attacks will help you cope with your IBS symptoms more readily and will help improve your life. IBS symptoms can appear quite suddenly, which causes increased stress. Not knowing when you may have an attack or how to cope with an attack can add undue stress to your life, which will make your IBS even worse. If you have recently been diagnosed with IBS, you need to know that it's something that you can control. Your life does not have to significantly change for you to have a full and productive life.
Most doctors define it as a functional disorder due to the fact that it causes the bowels to function wrong. There are a few things that are clear. Stress can make your IBS symptoms worsen. Thus, you may get pains more frequently or suffer from more severe pains. Getting fired, having a death in the family or going through a divorce can cause IBS symptoms to occur more readily and severely. Still another factor that affects IBS symptoms is your diet. Some foods can cause you to have symptoms, much in the same way as an allergic reaction does.
It's usually thought that dairy products, caffeine, fatty foods, alcohol and carbonated drinks can cause IBS symptoms while some people are also affected by tea, citrus fruits and wheat products. Keep track of the foods that you eat so that you can determine which ones cause you to have IBS symptoms. If you write down everything you eat for a few weeks then you will be able to identify the foods that give you a problem so that you can quit eating them. Although it's a time consuming exercise, the decrease in your IBS symptoms will more than make up for it.
There are some foods that can help reduce IBS symptoms. Fiber-rich foods like apples, peaches, broccoli, carrots, cabbage and peas are very helpful if you have constipation dominant IBS. Whole grain foods like bread or cereal are also very good for IBS sufferers. Learning more about fiber-rich foods will help you eat better. If you are not a fan of fruits and vegetables, then you can use a high-fiber pill or supplement, but the fruits and vegetables work much better. Your doctor may suggest fiber supplements or laxatives for constipation or medicines to decrease diarrhea.
Antispasmodic helps to control colon muscle spasms and reduce abdominal pain. Antidepressants may relieve some symptoms. But, both antispasmodics and antidepressants can worsen constipation, so some doctors will also prescribe medications that relax muscles in the bladder and intestines. These medications contain a mild sedative, which can be habit forming, so they need to be used under the guidance of a physician. Plant medicine has an antispasmodic effect on the gut and intestines; it delivers a curative effect against IBS providing reversal of the condition.
Plant medicine for IBS acts as a calming demulcent, it forms a soothing film when exposed to mucous membranes, relieving irritation of the gut and inflamed mucous membranes. So, it is also an analgesic that provides immediate relief of pain and discomfort associated with IBS. Extracts in plant medicine provide a calming sedative effect. They deliver a profound calming effect not only on the physical imbalance caused by IBS but also on an emotional level. They have antibacterial and anti-spasmodic effects. To learn more, please go to http://www.naturespharma.org.
