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Living with digestive challenges like IBS can be incredibly challenging and lonely.
Although it’s a common condition IBS is different for everyone.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition that affects the large intestines (bowel), and although it is not considered life-threatening or dangerous, it can be extremely uncomfortable for sufferers, interfering with their life on a daily basis. IBS is the most common gastrointestinal (GI) disorder seen in general practice and accounts for 30% -50% of all referrals to GI specialist. Due to physiological, psychological and dietary factors it seems women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with IBS compared to men.

IBS is usually described in a patient as either:

  • IBS-D: diarrhoea-predominant
  • IBS-C: constipation-predominant
  • IBS-M or A: mixed or alternating stool pattern

Common Signs and Symptoms of IBS

There are numerous symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome that you might experience but which could be alleviated with natural medicine for IBS. Among these are:

  • Abdominal pain or cramping
  • Alternating diarrhea and constipation
  • Abnormal stool form (lumpy/hard or loose/watery stool)
  • Abdominal bloating or feeling abdominal distension
  • Urgency (having to rush to have a bowel movement)
  • Mucus present in stool
  • Bowel doesn’t fully empty after bowel movements
  • Nausea

What causes irritable bowel syndrome?

Why people develop IBS is unfortunately not clear, however research has brought to light a number of possible causative factors. Below are a few:

  • Low-Grade Inflammation which may go undetected or misinterpreted as “normal” lab results.
    • Bacterial, Viral, Fungal, Parasitic low grade infections, which may be undetected in labs. Or the practitioner observing the labs may say “Everything looks normal.
    • Leaky Gut
    • Food Sensitivity/Intolerance
  • An altered gastrointestinal motility
    • Gastrointestinal (GI) motility refers to the movement of food from the mouth through the pharynx (throat), esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines and out of the body.
  • Altered gastrointestinal bugs
    • Know as dysbiosis, this is where we have an imbalance of good/bad bacteria in the gut

Many people with IBS notice that some foods make their symptoms worse, but these ‘trigger foods’ differ from one person to the next.

Your  symptoms might have started after an infection, such as gastroenteritis or ‘gastro’, of a period of increased stress or perhaps prolonged chronic stress. Some antibiotics antacids and pain medicines can cause and effect IBS

How is irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed?

Generally IBS is considered in the absence of any other GIT pathology. A diagnosis of IBS can be made if the following criteria, known as the Rome IV, are met.

Recurrent abdominal pain (at least 1 day each week in the past 3 months) associated with at least 2 of these symptoms:

  • pain related to bowel motion
  • a change in the frequency — more frequent or less frequent — of when you poo
  • a change in the consistency or appearance of faeces
  • symptoms must be present for 6 months before a diagnosis of IBS is made

Our Approach to IBS:

  • Support the nervous system
  • Optimise the gastrointestinal mircobiome – Testing may be required
  • Manage adverse reaction to food – Testing may be required
  • Promote the normalisation of good bowel patterns
  • Decrease inflammation
  • Support detoxification