Irritable Bowel Syndrome is so common that it isn’t always taken that seriously. IBS affects 20% of Americans, and symptom flare-ups can totally disrupt your life with regular bloating, gas, cramping, pain, diarrhea and constipation. It’s embarrassing to talk about and awful to experience. So what is at the root of it, and how can you treat it?
IBS can occur when there is damage to the small intestine lining over time, which throws off gut bacteria balance. Pathogenic bacteria may proliferate as beneficial bacteria decrease. Some common culprits according to functional medicine expert are, according to Dr. Mark Hyman:
“If that lining breaks down — from stress, too many antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or Advil, steroids, intestinal infections, a low-fiber, high-sugar diet, alcohol, and more – your immune system will be exposed to foreign particles from food and bacteria and other microbes. This will trigger…immune response, allergy, and will irritate your second brain (the enteric nervous system) creating havoc that leads to an irritable bowel, [and] an irritable brain...”
So IBS isn’t just about poor digestion, it can also indicate dysregulated immune response (60% of your immune system resides in the gut), and can affect your mood (90% of serotonin is made down there too).
Here’s where to start to heal IBS:
Take a good probiotic. It should have multiple strains of bacteria in, not just acidophilus and lactobacillus. I take the brand Seed, and also like Integrative Therapeutics.
Increase your fiber intake to 30 grams a day. Good gut bacteria love fiber, and when they thrive, they crowd out pathogenic bacterial overgrowth that might be causing issues.
Try digestive enzymes to help break down your food. I personally like Pure Encapsulations.
Go to a functional medicine practice and get an IgG antibody test to check for food sensitivities (not just allergies - you want to determine more subtle reactions that could reflect inflammation in the gut). I got to Parsley Health here in NYC.
If you can’t do the tests, try an elimination experiment with common inflammatory trigger foods, like dairy, gluten, corn, soy, yeast, eggs and nuts.
Try a series of acupuncture sessions to help lower inflammation in the gut, and help subdue the impact of stress triggers while your gut heals.
Resources:
Integrative Therapeutics Probiotic Pearls https://amzn.to/3a4ktl8
Pure Encapsulations Digestive Enzyme Chewables https://amzn.to/3LTsJS1
Parsley Health https://www.parsleyhealth.com
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Atkinson, W., Sheldon, T.A., Shaath, N., and P.J. Whorwell. (2003). Food elimination based on IgG antibodies in irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Gut. 53:1459–1464
Shanahan, F. and P.J. Whorwell, M.D. (2005). IgG-mediated food intolerance in irritable bowel syndrome: A real phenomenon or an epiphenomenom? The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 100:1558–1559.
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