HWN Suggests

Here's everything you need to know about coping with IBS from a nutritionist who learnt to manage hers

Anyone who's ever experienced the pains of irritable bowel syndrome will know that the bloating blues are the actual worst. What with persistent tummy ache, constipation and tiredness, IBS is a condition that's physically limiting, not to mention tricky to bring up in conversation. Once you've been diagnosed though, it's important to get your symptoms under control. And when it comes to figuring out a management plan that works for you, nutritional health coach and author of A Year of Beautiful Eating! , Madeleine Shaw knows a thing or two about the condition.

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 A low-carb diet may help IBS as much as tricky elimination diets, and more than drugs

Dietary changes relieved abdominal pain and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome more effectively than medications, a new study shows. Seven out of 10 study participants reported significant reductions in IBS symptoms after adopting either a type of elimination diet called the FODMAP diet or the simpler-to-follow, low-carb diet. “Diet turned out to be more effective than medical treatment,” said dietician Sanna Nybacka, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. “It's probably more cost effective to provide foods and guidance on how to eat to people than giving them a lot of very expensive medications.”

 Seven ways … to manage irritable bowel syndrome

IBS can cause severe discomfort and is often difficult to treat as patients have different triggers.

 What’s the Best Way to Treat I.B.S.?

A new study suggests that certain dietary changes may be more effective than medication. Treatments often include managing the symptoms with changes to your diet or taking medications... Yet few studies have examined whether dietary changes or medications are best for relief. The most robust research available on dietary strategies has found that following a low-FODMAP diet — which involves avoiding foods like wheat-based products, legumes, some nuts, certain sweeteners, most dairy products and many fruits and vegetables — can reduce I.B.S. symptoms in most people, said Dr. William Chey, a gastroenterologist at Michigan Medicine. But a low-FODMAP diet is challenging to follow; it’s restrictive and requires carefully reintroducing foods to identify the ones you can’t tolerate, Dr. Chey said.

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Best management of irritable bowel syndrome

Initial management should include simple lifestyle and dietary advice, discussion of the possible benefit of some probiotics, and, if this is unsuccessful, patients can be referred to a dietician for consideration of a low FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) diet. Antispasmodics and peppermint oil can be used first-line for the treatment of abdominal pain. If patients fail to respond, central neuromodulators can be used second-line; tricyclic antidepressants should be preferred.

Combination therapy advisable for bowel disorder IBS

The more abnormalities in intestinal and brain function that IBS sufferers have, the more severe their symptoms of this functional bowel disorder, and the more adversely their everyday life is affected. This is shown by a study indicating that patients with IBS should get treatments for different abnormalities simultaneously, to improve both bowel function and signaling from the brain to the gut.

Explainer: what is irritable bowel syndrome and what can I do about it?

Many people use the term irritable bowel syndrome to describe general symptoms of gut and bowel dysfunction. But diagnosis requires meeting strict, diagnostic criteria. Known as the ROME criteria, these require a person to be experiencing abdominal pain, on average, at least one day per week. The pain must be associated with two or more of the following...

For stomach pain and other IBS symptoms, new apps can bring relief

Rather than relying only on medications that mask symptoms, doctors are prescribing a combination of diet counseling with therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness and even hypnotherapy. (They will first run tests to rule out conditions such as colitis, Crohn's or celiac disease.)

Hypnosis Good for IBS Symptoms?

IBS is a functional disorder, which means that while the body’s function is impaired, its structure is unchanged. Functional disorders come back with normal x-rays, endoscopies, and blood tests, even as a person is suffering horrible symptoms. If Westfall ate food that was hot or warm, it could lead to a flare up. A mouthful of tea, or just plain hot water, could cause a reaction. There’s been a recent push to move the hypnosis online—and perform it via telemedicine—something Keefer tells me is going to be transformative. There aren’t that many practitioners available, even with the scripted protocol.

I am a doctor, and having hypnotherapy for IBS has changed my belief about pain

Science is revealing that pain is a protector, not a detector. Understanding this is the first step towards managing it.

I.B.S. Is Difficult to Treat. Exercise Can Help

Working out is not a cure-all for your gut, but it can be an important part of managing your symptoms.

IBS: How Your Mind Can Alleviate Uncomfortable and Embarrassing Symptoms

If you've ever felt queasy as a result of feeling stressed, you are well aware that the mind-body connection is a powerful thing. "Everyone has experienced butterflies in their stomach before a nerve-racking event," Kelsey Laird, a Vanderbilt University psychology researcher, tells Glamour. "We know that the nervous system is connected to the gastrointestinal tract." It follows, then, that treating the mind can alleviate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is characterized by chronic abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.

Let the Mind Help Tame an Irritable Bowel

If you’ve ever had butterflies in your stomach or an attack of nerves that sent you racing for the bathroom, you already know that the intestinal tract has a mind of its own. The millions who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, or I.B.S., perhaps know it best.

More Options to Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Dietitians and gastroenterologists point to new drugs and the spread of the low-Fodmap diet to battle IBS.

New and Emerging Treatment Options for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Treatment strategies for IBS may include both nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic approaches. Lifestyle modifications that aim to improve exercise, sleep, diet, and stress may be warranted. Recent data suggest that a gluten-free diet and a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) may benefit some patients. For patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS, treatment options include the synthetic peripheral μ-opioid receptor agonist loperamide, antispasmodic agents, antidepressants, serotonin 5-HT3 antagonists, and the gut-specific antibiotic rifaximin.

The Low-FODMAP Diet, Explained

This sweeping diet can relieve symptoms of I.B.S., but it isn’t right for everyone, experts warn. FODMAPs are certain types of carbohydrates — called fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, as the acronym suggests — that often can’t be fully digested or absorbed in the small intestine and are instead fermented by microbes in the colon. This can cause gastrointestinal distress.

Treating irritable bowel syndrome through an interdisciplinary approach

New methods, including probiotic or vitamin D supplementation, seem promising, but are still not comprehensive. Dietary interventions and FMT are controversial for now and require further research. Considering the importance of psychological factors in IBS etiology and course, as well as the wide prevalence of psychoemotional problems in the IBS population, psychological and psychotherapeutic interventions may be truly relevant.

Resources

IBS Treatment Center

The IBS Treatment Center is a world leader in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. At the IBS Treatment Center, we don’t just diagnose digestive problems: we solve them. These include irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and other related disorders.

IBSHypnosis.com

This site is designed to provide thorough, up-to-date information on hypnosis treatment as an option for individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.