Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatments
What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive system disorder, which is said to affect up to 20% of the population at some time in their life. Though its cause is not clear, it seems that IBS symptoms are due to an increase in sensitivity of the bowel and digestive tract. There is no visibly seen abnormality in the bowel and no diagnostic test for Irritable bowl syndrome either. However, it is certainly not ‘all in the mind’.
Symptoms will vary from mild discomfort to the troublesome and persistent pain. IBS symptoms can often include bloating of the abdomen (tummy or stomach), cramps and disruption of bowel habit, such as constipation (difficult or infrequent motions) or experiencing diarrhoea (frequent or loose motions and an feeling an urgent need to go). The bowel pattern can also alternate between having constipation and diarrhoea.
How common is Irritable Bowl symdrome?
Irritable bowl syndrome is very common. Up to a third of the population in Britain have occasional symptoms. Whilst 1 in 10 will seek medical attention. Young women are a group most commonly affected by IBS. Also men and older age groups are often troubled by Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Many people experience symptoms intermittently for months or even years.
What are available Irritable bowel syndrome treatments?
Irritable bowel syndrome can produce troublesome symptoms yet, fortunately, it does not normally lead to any serious complications. Often symptoms will wax and wane over time. Some simple adjustments to lifestyle and diet can have a great affect.
Identifying and dealing with what provokes an IBS symptom, such as constipation, may also help. Discovering what will reduce your symptoms can take a long time, so patience is required also.
Lifestyle changes, regulation of diet and your eating habits can be effective Irritable Bowel Syndrome treatments. A well balanced and healthy diet and eating at regular intervals can reduce symptoms too. Whereas larger, irregular meals, certainly challenge the digestion process much more.
In today’s hectic world, people may often allow little time for eating properly. If you are prone to IBS with constipation, consider working with the natural pattern of bowel motility. Meaning go to the loo at those times one would expect too. This may be in particular after waking in the morning or following meals. This means having breakfast at home and ensuring you leave time for a visit to the toilet. It’s when you miss breakfast, or start with a coffee, on the run or in the office, and then that thought of using a public toilet, which will all add up to discouraging your bowel to act naturally.
Stress undoubtedly makes Irritable bowel syndrome worse. It is an unfortunate fact that individuals who are prone to worry are particularly prone to Irritable bowel syndrome too. You may wish to consider a change of work pattern or even of job, should that improve things for you.
Importantly, engaging in regular relaxation, regular exercise or yoga can help a great deal. I personally recommend Mindfulness and meditation as great ways to relax and deal with stress. You may find counselling to help lower your stress.
If you have Irritable bowel syndrome, it is worth considering what sources of stress and anxiety are found in your lifestyle. Is there anything you can do about these? This is where hypnotherapy in particular can really help reduce IBs with pain and works well as an Irritable bowel syndrome treatment.
Diet as an Irritable bowel syndrome treatment
There are no one single dietary regime that is said to cure all cases of Irritable bowel syndrome. However, food undoubtedly plays a major role in producing IBS symptoms for many people. This is particularly when the main symptoms are bloating, discomfort, constipation and diarrhoea.
Exactly which foods or food groups trigger symptoms will vary from person to person. Yet there are a number of simple rules, which if followed can be very beneficial.
Again, as mentioned, try to eat regular meals at regular times. That means breakfast, lunch and supper, with some snacks in between, if necessary, ensure your fluid intake is adequate. Try to ensure you drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. These should not include alcohol or strong tea or coffee. If you consume a lot caffeinated drinks, such as cola, coffee and tea, try reducing your intake. Avoiding fizzy drinks may be helpful too.
You may notice that symptoms increase when you eat oily or fatty, rich foods. Food with a lot of butter or cream, or roasted meat, fried foods, or takeaways may worth avoiding. Experiment and see what does and doesn’t affect you.
Many Irritable bowel syndrome treatments will look to altering your fibre intake. Fibre is found in fruit and vegetables or foods with wholemeal or whole grains, such as breakfast cereal products. If you often suffer with IBS with constipation, you may benefit from increasing your fibre intake. Whilst if you suffer more with IBS with diarrhoea or have bloating, you may need to reduce fibre intake. Any changes you make need to be gradual and accompanied by having adequate fluid intake. You should also consult a qualified dietitian to make these or similar dietary alternations.
Irritable bowel syndrome treatment using hypnotherapy
People often get in touch after trying conventional medicine, diet changes and many other Irritable bowel syndrome treatments. I also received referrals from gastroenterologists who are looking for a different way to treat IBS.
Hypnotherapy treatment for Irritable bowel syndrome addresses what is known as the ‘gut-brain axis’. This is the communication pathway between the digestive system and the mind. Hypnotherapy directly works to calm this pathway. Hypnotherapy treatment for Irritable bowel syndrome is, of course, medication and chemical free.
If you would like to discover more about how hypnotherapy Irritable bowel syndrome treatment works, visit my IBS hypnotherapy page.
(This article is for information purposes only and does not represent dietary or medical advice. Always consult a qualified expert in treating all gastroenterological symptoms.)
