MENU

Irritable bowel syndrome

Anatori Sealife Comment 1 11th April 2019
WHY colonic irrigation? To prevent colon cancer or Irritable bowel syndrome. Fourth stage bowel cancer

This chronic condition is a combination of attacks of diarrhoea and intermittent constipation. It can involve a disturbance of muscular movement in the large intestine. Medics consider the cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) unknown. However, stress can aggravate the disorder. Also, sensitivity to particular foods may trigger the symptoms. Other symptoms of IBS include abdominal cramps, bloating, and passage of mucus with the faeces.

Recurrent irritation and inflammation of the large intestine (bowel) characterise Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It results in abdominal bloating and pain relief through bowel movements. A functional disorder with no evidence of accompanying structural defect in the intestines, IBS is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders.

Frequent signs and symptoms of IBS:

  • Cramp-like pain in the middle or to the side of the lower abdomen;
  • Bowel movements usually relieve the pain;
  • Loose or more frequent painful bowel movements;
  • Diarrhoea and constipation, typically alternating;
  • Symptoms of upset stomach, flatulence, nausea, loss of appetite;
  • Headache, backache;
  • Rectal pain;
  • Fatigue;
  • Varying degrees of anxiety or depression;
  • Excessive secretion of colonic mucus.

Causes of IBS:

It is essential to consult a doctor to properly diagnose irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to rule out other conditions.

  • They disturbed bacterial balance as a result of antibiotic or antacid usage. Antibiotics wipe out friendly and unfriendly bacteria, disturbing normal gut ecology. Antacids decrease hydrochloric acid in the stomach – which is necessary for proper digestion, and destroy unfriendly bacteria in the stomach.
  • Laxative abuse. Laxatives are irritants that work by triggering forceful contractions (peristalsis) of the intestines in the body’s efforts to purge these offending substances. Besides, laxative abuse can damage the intestinal lining and result in poor absorption of nutrients.
  • Stress and emotional conflict results in anxiety or depression. Stress disrupts the secretion of the body’s digestive factors, like hydrochloric acid and pancreatic enzymes. Significant stress, obsessive worry about everyday problems, marital tension, and fear of losing or dying a loved one also often precede IBS attacks.
  • Food allergy. Approximately two-thirds of patients with IBS have at least one food allergy. The most common allergens are wheat and dairy products.
  • Dietary factors. Excessive consumption of tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, and sugar. Excessive consumption of refined sugar may be the most critical contributor to IBS. A diet high in sugar quickly raises blood glucose levels, causing a sharp decrease in intestinal peristalsis. The first sections of the small intestine digest sugar primarily. Due to that, this portion of the digestive tract constantly receives a signal to stop contracting and eventually becomes atonic (paralysed). When partially digested food sits in the small intestine, bacteria have an abnormally long feeding time, resulting in bacterial overgrowth, bloating, and flatulence.

Risk increases with:

  • Stress: disrupts digestive secretions
  • Disease-promoting diet: a diet based on a high intake of red meat (saturated fat), processed foods, hydrogenated fats and sugar, with little consumption of fresh vegetables and whole grains, which promote gut health – fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and essential fatty acids.
  • Drug therapy: Besides antibiotics, which wipe out good gut bacteria, numerous commonly used drugs irritate the intestinal lining, e.g. laxatives, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
  • Excess alcohol consumption: alcohol is an irritant that increases gut permeability to toxins and potentially allergenic foods. In addition, alcohol increases the adrenal gland’s secretion of stress hormones, including cortisol.
  • Smoking: Nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete stress hormones.
  • Fatigue and overwork both significantly increase stress.
  • Poor physical fitness: Physical exercise reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels and increases levels of mood-elevating beta-endorphins, thus decreasing anxiety and tension.
  • Other family members with IBS: family members typically share eating patterns and may also share behavioural patterns, i.e. reacting to stressful situations by shutting off the production of digestive factors.

Irritable bowel syndrome preventative measures:

  • Avoid caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and simple sugars (refined foods)
  • Get adequate sleep. Poor sleep quality correlates with an increase in both the severity and frequency of Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
  • Don’t smoke
  • Choose a health-promoting diet rich in whole, unprocessed, preferably organic goods, especially plant foods, and cold-water fish (salmon, mackerel, etc.)
  • Increased dietary fibre from fruit and vegetable sources such as wheat and other grains are among the most commonly implicated foods in malabsorption and allergic conditions. Food allergy is frequently a significant factor in IBS in which the intestines are irritated and highly susceptible to potentially allergenic proteins leaking into the general circulation.
  • Identify and eliminate allergenic foods. Approximately two-thirds of people with IBS have at least one food allergy-related allergy symptom, including palpitations, fatigue, excessive sweating, and headaches. The most common are dairy products, so replace them with goat’s milk and cheese and avoid products from a cow.

Nutritional supplements for irritable bowel syndrome:

  • Probiotics. Firstly, we need friendly bacteria to repopulate the intestines. Probiotics perform numerous functions essential for intestinal health, including metabolising nutrients, vitamins, drugs, hormones and carcinogens. Synthesising food for intestinal cells, preventing unfriendly organisms from attaching to and colonising the mucosal lining of the digestive tract, and stimulating normal immune responses. Probiotics compete with them, preventing colonisation and the overgrowth of usually benign organisms such as Candida albicans.
  • Fibre. Secondly, use fibre derived from fruit and vegetable sources, not potentially allergenic grains.
  • L-glutamine. It’s a primary metabolic fuel for the intestinal cells and maintains the villi. The absorptive surface through which we absorb nutrients;
  • B Complex. Needed for proper muscle tone in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • NAG (N-acetylglucosamine). A significant constituent of the intestinal lining and the barrier layer protects the lining from digestive enzymes and other potentially damaging intestinal contents.
  • Digestive enzymes (with pancreatin). To aid in protein digestion and prevention of leaky gut syndrome. It also aids in reducing inflammation as a relief after bowel movements.