Talk about having an attitude! Is your gut always having a meltdown? Do you find your digestion to be extremely irritable as of late, being triggered by all sorts of things and making life miserable? If so, you may be experiencing Irritable Bowel Syndrome, aka, IBS. But don’t worry- there are many reasons as to why your gut may be acting out, with an equal amount of remedies to help calm it down. While this post is by means meant to diagnose or treat your IBS, it’s going to offer some basic info on this very common condition and do-able, practicable tips to help you find relief. However, if your condition gets worse to the point that you’re experiencing pain, fever, extreme weight loss, blood in your stool, or having trouble getting through the day, then pleaseseek medical attention, as those symptoms could be signaling a much deeper problem that should not be ignored.

With that friendly disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive into the ins and outs of IBS with today’s gut-friendly post!

The 101 on IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an umbrella term for a blanket of digestive-related symptoms, which can either be one or a combination of the following:

• Bloating
• Uncomfortable fullness
• Nausea
• Gas
• Constipation (IBS-C)
• Diarrhea (IBS-D)
• Alternating between Diarrhea and Constipation (IBS-A)
• Abdominal pain
• Cramping
• Feeling as though bowel movements are incomplete
• Feeling a sense of urgency to pass stool (i.e., “I need to get to the toilet ASAP!”)
• Mucus in the stool
• Unexplained changes in stool

[1] [2]

Other symptoms that are known to overlap with IBS include fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, sleep trouble, sexual dysfunction, lower back pain, heartburn, and dyspepsia (pain or discomfort in the upper abdominal area). [1] Statistics published by the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatologyshows that 3-20% of the population in the US suffers from IBS, although the International Foundation or Gastrointestinal Disordersconsiders it to be the most common “functional” digestive disorder worldwide. [3] [4] When the word functional is used, it basically means that there’s an unexplainable cause. Thus, patients with functional IBS are those who show absolutely zero signs of any physical or biochemical disorders that may be causing their condition.

That being said, there are a number of reasons why you might be having IBS, including:

• Food allergies or intolerances (i.e., dairy, gluten, soy, etc.)
• Diet (i.e., carbonated beverages, legumes, cruciferous vegetables, etc.)
• Stress (which came first- the chicken or the egg? It’s not known whether or not stress causes or aggravates IBS; regardless, the two remain highly correlated with one another)
• Hormones (especially in women due to fluctuating hormones around the menstrual cycle; women are twice as likely to experience some form of IBS than men; estrogen-based hormone therapy may also trigger IBS both before and after menopause) [5] [6]
• Birth control pills
• Prescription drugs (antibiotics, antidepressants, etc.)
• Over the counter drugs (cough syrup)
• Eating in a stressful state
• Chewing gum (swallowing excess air- read more on the connection between IBS and chewing gum here)

[5] [7]

While these are all very common triggers, there are deeper ones that are worth looking into and investigating with your doctor. Dysbiosis, or bacterial imbalances, can disrupt the digestive process and lead to IBS. Infections down in the GI tract can also cause IBS, which include yeast overgrowth (aka, candida), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), bacteria (i.e., h pylori), and parasites (hookworm, giardia, cryptosporidium, ancylostoma duodenale). [8] [9] [10] [11]

You also have things like celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, colitis, gallstones, pancreatitis, and stomach cancer that can all produce IBS-likesymptoms and go undiagnosed for a very long time. [12] That’s why it’s important to work with a doctor in order to rule out more serious conditions like these before running to the conclusion that you’re simply experiencing IBS.

Much Ado About IBS

Don’t dismay! There’s plenty that can be done about IBS. No matter if your condition is functional thanks to a sensitive tummy or connected to a much deeper cause, you can always work with your body. Here are just some of my tips for dealing with IBS:

Start with Food:

Take a moment to look over your diet. Are you consuming an overabundance of common trigger foods such as dairy, gluten, or soy? Eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and even grains like corn can all cause IBS. If you suspect you might be having multiple intolerances to food, then consider doing an elimination diet to rule out any potential culprits.

There’s also a number of foods that can lead to bloating and IBS, such as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage and beans and lentils. Carbonated drinks and fermented foods are both things that can trigger IBS as well. If you’d like to learn more on those, refer to this post here. (Bonus-be sure to chew your food, too! If not, you’ll be swallowing excess air, leading to gas and bloating, and making it harder for your GI system to break down the food. Your mom was right- your stomach doesn’t have an extra set of teeth!) 

Watch Out for Stress:

With IBS, we need to make sure we’re not triggering the sympathetic state of fight or flight, which shuts down the digestive process as we focus on surviving whatever we perceive to be the enemy. In doing so, we prevent ourselves from going into the parasympathetic state of rest and digest, which not only supports optimal digestion but also prevents the likes of IBS from rearing their ugly heads. You can try saying grace or showing gratitude before meals, and surround yourself in a calm, non-stressing environment. There’s also hypnotherapy, which teaches you how to enter a deep state of relaxation, making it useful for patients with anxiety-related IBS. [13] So, be sure to watch out for stress; at the very least, keep it away from the table when it’s time to eat!  (For more info on the mind-gut connection and keeping it under control, check out this post here.)

Go Herbal

There are a few herbs that can help with IBS. While they’re notgoing to cureIBS (nor will they work for everyone), they can certainly help to provide symptomatic relief. These include peppermint (especially enteric-coated peppermint capsules, which has a good deal of research to back up their effectiveness), ginger, chamomile, fennel, slippery elm, artichoke leaf, aloe vera, anise, marshmallow root, and licorice root. [14] [15] [16]

Probiotics- Choose Wisely

Supplementing with probiotics might be useful in IBS. However, the data I’ve found is often contradictory, and many healthcare practitioners caution that we’re still at the forefront of research when it comes to the bacteria in our gut. So, when supplementing with a probiotic, ere on the side of caution and avoid overdosing with billions and billions of bacteria. You’ll see companies boasting 80 or 100 billion or more CFU’s in their product, which first can’t always be quantified and second can actually backfire by giving your gut more than enough bacteria it already has. There’s a pet theory going around that in some people excess probiotics from supplements might worsentheir IBS by contributing to SIBO, the overgrowth of bacteria. So, if you do decide to supplement with probiotics, keep the CFU number low (50 billion or less), take frequent breaks from it (i.e., one month on, one month off, etc.), and get your doctor’s take on whether or not they’re a good fit foryourbody. (Refer to my post here on how to choose the right probiotic!)

Reset Your Gut

Finally, I suggest giving your gut a break in the form of a mini “reset” of sorts. This postcovers it more in-depth, but it’s really just about simplifying your meals, doing a light fast if it’s OK for your body, and incorporating more soothing foods like soups, smoothies, bone broth, and herbal tea into your diet. In many cases, our gut just needs some extra TLC.

Alright everyone! I hope you enjoyed today’s overview of IBS. Let me know if you’ve ever had or are dealing with IBS, and what’s worked best for you.

Sources:

[1] https://aboutibs.org/overview.html
[2] https://www.gastro.org/practice-guidance/gi-patient-center/topic/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20074154
[4] https://www.aboutibs.org/facts-about-ibs/statistics.html
[5] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20360016
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2693852/
[7] https://www.medicinenet.com/irritable_bowel_syndrome_ibs_triggers_prevention/article.htm#what_foods_in_the_diet_trigger_diarrhea_in_ibs
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5347643/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11549828
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856272/
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5680167/
[12] https://www.webmd.com/ibs/conditions-that-seem-like-ibs#1
[13] https://nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/IBS
[14] https://nccih.nih.gov/health/peppermintoil
[15] https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/teas-for-ibs#other-teas
[16] https://www.verywellhealth.com/herbs-and-natural-remedies-for-ibs-1944988