Up to a third of people in the UK have IBS at one stage and there are multiple causes.
What's yours?
If you suffer from bloating, gas, reflux, diarrhoea and/or constipation and cramps, you've likely been told you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It’s incredibly common. According to Guts UK, a charity promoting awareness of digestive problems, it affects up to a third of people at any stage and it is one of the main reasons people visit their GP.
What is it?
IBS is a term that simply describes your symptoms and it is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that you have tested negative for other more serious causes of your gut issues (for example coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel diseases). Now you are told that you have IBS and according to the NHS, there’s little you can do. It is viewed as a lifelong condition that is little understood, with no cure (although over-the-counter medicines can help symptoms...).
However, I am here to tell you there IS hope. A consultation with a me can provide some natural solutions that are likely better than taking over-the-counter medication, but more importantly, I will be able to work with you to find the ROOT CAUSE of your IBS. This will enable you to get to the bottom of what is causing the symptoms of IBS (excuse the pun), and then we can take steps towards better gut health.
What could be behind your IBS?
One of the most common causes of IBS is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) , which accounts for around 60% of IBS cases. This describes a condition where bacteria grow and thrive in the small intestine. It’s not a question of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ bacteria. There shouldn’t really be many there at all. If you get high bloating shortly after eating with lots of burping, discomfort and constipation and/or diarrhoea - this may be you. We can test for this with a simple at home breath test and then put together a personalised protocol.
It might be that you have a lactose intolerance. This is when your body is not able to tolerate lactose, a type of sugar found naturally in milk and other dairy products, leading to a host of ‘IBS symptoms’. This can lead to bloating and diarrhoea shortly after ingestion of dairy. We can work together on an elimination to see if this may be the driver.
Perhaps it’s dysbiosis - an imbalance in the levels of beneficial (good) and pathogenic (bad) bacteria in the large intestine or colon, potentially caused by the overuse of antibiotics or alcohol, high sugar/processed food diets, and stress. A stool test can identify this as the root cause and I can put together a personalised protocol for you to get your microbes happy and rebalanced. Happy microbes, happy host!
Or you might have a yeast overgrowth. Simply, the gut environment gets out of balance (due to dysbiosis) such that unwelcome yeast can thrive, usually Candida. This may make you bloating, tired, moody, constipated and crave, really CRAVE, sugar and you may also suffer from vaginal and oral thrush and have an itchy bottom. We can test for this through a simple stool test and then put together a personalised protocol to lower the candida and increase your more friendly bacteria and get rid of those symptoms.
How stressed are you? The brain-gut axis is a well established bidirectional pathway where emotional stress can lead to IBS-like symptoms and poor gut health can lead to lower mood and increased emotional stress. Stress is always something I work on with every client, it's vital to get in to our calm nervous response as much as possible. We can work on this together as it's incredibly personalised.
Perhaps this is landing with you, maybe one of these is the root cause or a contributing factor to your IBS, maybe it's a mixture of them and maybe it's something I haven't covered. It's a multifactorial condition and personalisation is key.
In some cases, digestive problems can be tricky to solve, and it almost always involves a lot of detective work. But if your symptoms are hampering your life in a significant way, I want you to know that there ARE things you can do. Although IBS might be very common, it is not normal to experience the symptoms you do.
What can I do about my IBS now?
There are some simple tricks you can put into practice today and that might make enough of a difference to help you get your life back on track. See them below.
I also want you to consider the degree to which your symptoms bother you. Are you satisfied with just covering up the symptoms and hoping for the best? That might be enough for you. If it isn’t, please book yourself in for a free 20-minute Reboot your health call to get an idea of what you can do right away and what might be possible for you. Book your Reboot your Health call
Simple ways to improve your digestion today
The following suggestions are very basic but surprisingly effective at improving symptoms of digestive distress.
DO
Try a cup of hot water or ginger tea before meals to stimulate digestion.
Apple cider vinegar (with the ‘mother’) also works – take 1tsp before a meal.
Think about your food before eating it – the thought and smell kickstarts the digestive process.
Make sure you’re chewing properly. If you had to spit out the mouthful, no one should be able to tell what you’ve been eating.
Try a few cubes of pineapple or papaya before a meal. These contain enzymes that can boost your digestion. You might also consider taking a natural digestive enzyme supplement from a health food store to support your body’s natural digestion process.
Take a 15-minute walk after eating if you can. This lowers blood sugar levels and improves digestion (see, your Gran was right).
DON’T
Eat at your desk at work. Getting up and out is important for so many reasons. In this case, checking emails while you are also eating may have you gulp down your food or not chewing properly. Neither are good for your digestive health.
Try to eat on the go or when you’re stressed out. You won’t digest your food properly or absorb the nutrients. This is the quickest way to get heartburn.
Don’t eat fruit after a meal. Fruit likes a quick passage through the digestive system. It can get stuck behind other foods that are digested more slowly and then ferment, causing gas.
Don't drink too much water or other fluids with your meal as this dilutes the stomach acid needed to digest your food properly.
If you’re sick of feeling bloated, gassy, crampy or going to the loo too much (or too little),
Book your Reboot your Health call for free, today. You don't have to put up with this.
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