Living with IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome affects the large intestine and causes a host of problems including bloating, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and constipation. It occurs when the intestines squeeze too hard or not hard enough and cause food to move too quickly or too slowly through the intestines.
It is also known as functional bowel syndrome, irritable colon, spastic bowel, and spastic colon. IBS is not a disease—it’s a functional disorder—and it’s actually characterized as a brain-gut dysfunction.
IBS Sufferers
More than 20 percent of Americans suffer from IBS, which affects more women (75 percent) than men. Women may have more frequent symptoms during their menstrual periods.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) does not have to rule your life. In fact, many people have symptoms mild enough so as not to disrupt their lives. In about a fourth of people diagnosed with IBS, work, school, and other activities are sometimes disrupted.
At times, eating a specific type of food may trigger symptoms. For others, physical and emotional factors play a role, and stressful events may affect their symptoms.
Symptoms of IBS
IBS symptoms can very from person to person, and can vary in severity and duration in individual people. Typical symptoms include:
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Diarrhea
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Constipation
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Bloating
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Excess gas
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Abdominal pain
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Nausea
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Back pain
It’s Not All in Your Head
One of the most common misconceptions about IBS is that it is purely a psychological problem. It isn’t. It is a real physiological condition that can be mild and irritating or excruciating and life-changing.
However, IBS is made worse by stress. Stress can aggravate all kinds of medical conditions. For example, asthmatics can suffer from an asthma attack when they’re stressed, and IBS patients can have an IBS attack when stressed. That doesn’t mean that IBS is caused by stress any more than asthma is caused by stress.
Where did the Rome criteria for irritable bowel syndrome originate?
At the 13th International Congress of Gastroenterology in Rome, Italy, in 1988 a group of physicians developed a system to classify the functional gastrointestinal disorders based on clinical symptoms. Known as the Rome criteria, the guidelines outline symptoms and apply parameters such as frequency and duration to make possible a more accurate diagnosis of IBS and other digestive disorders.
Get a Diagnosis
The cause of irritable bowel syndrome isn’t known, and getting a diagnosis can be difficult. In fact, IBS patients see an average of three physicians over three years before receiving a diagnosis. It used to be thought of as a diagnosis of exclusion. That is, it was diagnosed by ruling out everything else first. If nothing’s left, it must be IBS. That is no longer true.
Because IBS is not a disease, diagnosis depends in part on determining whether or not your symptoms match those that have been medically established as definitive of IBS.
With the Rome criteria, you are believed to have IBS if abdominal pain or discomfort is continuous or comes and goes for a total of at least 12 weeks during the year, and two of the three following conditions occur:
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Pain is relieved by having a bowel movement
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The frequency of bowel movements changes
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The stools’ appearance or form changes
Mistaken Identity—When It’s Not IBS
Making a diagnosis of IBS can be difficult, and it is necessary to rule out other potential digestive health concerns. It can be helpful to know that these symptoms are not typical of IBS: pain or diarrhea that often awakens/interferes with sleep, blood in your stool (visible or occult), weight loss, or fever.
People with irritable bowel syndrome are statistically more likely to have upper GI problems (like GERD or reflux). However, they are not more likely to develop colon cancer.
Many sufferers of IBS have found some of these tips to be handy: Eliminate all products containing carageenan (these include soy milk and ice cream). Take probiotics with meals; the friendly bacteria they contain can help stabilize the digestive tract. Take carob powder for diarrhea (mix a tablespoon with applesauce and honey). Used occasionally, this remedy can soothe irritated intestines Take peppermint oil if you have abdominal pain or cramping. Buy enteric-coated capsules and take one or two of them three times a day fifteen to thirty minutes before meals. Try slippery elm powder. Prepare a soothing gruel by combining one teaspoon of the powder with a teaspoon of sugar and two cups of boiling water. Stir well, flavor with cinnamon and drink one or two cups a day. Take 500 to 1,000 milligrams of turmeric a day. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that treats inflammation of the gut at the microscopic level, another possible contributor to IBS. No one diet will work for everyone with IBS, but there are some guidelines that may help. Any food high in fat, insoluble fiber, caffeine, coffee (even decaf), carbonation, or alcohol will create problems. Why? All of these food categories are either GI stimulants or irritants and can cause violent reactions of your gastrocolic reflex. These irritants directly affect the muscles in your colon and can lead to pain, constipation or diarrhea, gas, and bloating.
Many people with IBS find it is wise to completely eliminate all dairy products from their diet. Even if not lactose intolerant, dairy products can be a trigger for many people. Try rice milk substitutes for dairy. Most IBS sufferers should eat a low-fat, high-protein diet and avoid these items: Alcohol Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, many carbonated drinks, and chocolate Nicotine, from smoking or chewing tobacco Dairy products that contain lactose (milk sugar), such as milk, cheese, and sour cream Spicy foods, including salsas or many ethnic foods that use chile peppers Foods high in acid, such as citrus fruit Foods high in fat, including bacon, sausage, butter, oils, and anything deep-fried Sorbitol and xylitol, artificial sweeteners found in some sugarless candies and chewing gum For more information about eating for IBS, visit Heather Van Vorous’s website. The author of Eating for IBS offers encouragement and support for creating an eating plan that doesn’t mean deprivation, never going to restaurants, bland food, or an unhealthily limited diet. Many people with IBS find it helpful to keep meals low in fat and high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates include breads, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables, and cereals. Some foods that you will be able to tolerate include:
IBS Self-Care
Make Dietary Changes
Fact
Essential
Dietary Downfalls
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Whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat cereal
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Wheat bran, whole grains, whole-grain breads, whole-grain cereals
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Granola, muesli, seeds, and nuts
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Popcorn
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Beans and lentils
Fruit
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Berries, grapes, raisins, and cherries
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Pineapple, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and pears with skins
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Rhubarb
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Melons
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Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes
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Dates and prunes
Vegetables
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Greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, mesclun, collards, arugala, watercress, and so on)
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Whole peas, snow peas, snap peas, pea pods
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Green beans, kernel corn
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Bell peppers (roasted and peeled they’re safer)
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Eggplant (peeled and seeded it’s much safer)
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Celery, onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic
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Cabbage, bok choy, Brussels sprouts
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Broccoli, cauliflower
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Sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, radish, and so on)
Medical Treatments
While research continues, there is no medical cure for IBS. Treatment usually means making lifestyle changes (for instance, eliminating stress and trigger foods and adding relaxation techniques) and treating IBS symptomatically. The most recent new treatment for sufferers of IBS that manifests itself as chronic constipation is Amitiza, a medication that acts by increasing the motility of the large intestine.
