Special feature
Living with ibs
Inner
A
my, 30, has suffered with IBS for about 10 years. At present it is under
control – she recently completed a thorough elimination diet and
now knows which trigger foods to avoid. Initially, if she had even a tiny
bit of any of her trigger foods, or if her stress levels got too high, she’d
have an IBS attack. Working with the four Rs principle (see below), Amy
has removed her food issues through an elimination diet, and used apple
cider vinegar and other IBS support supplements to assist in replacing
digestive acids and enzymes, reinoculating her system and repairing
digestive function. Amy has also been able to reintroduce small amounts
of trigger foods into her diet without causing any ill effects.
health
Irritable bowel syndrome
is fast becoming the disease
du jour with more of us
dealing with digestive
problems than ever before.
As the pressure of our busy
lives takes its toll, how
can we fix this distressing
health issue?
What is IBD?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is broken down to
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease
involves inflammation of the bowel wall and can be
found in any part of the digestive tract; ulcerative
colitis is confined only to the large bowel. Symptoms
of IBD can include abdominal pain, constipation,
diarrhoea (can be with blood or mucous), weight
loss and malnutrition.
Like IBS, the causes of IBD are unknown but the immune
system and gastrointestinal infections are currently
being researched as possible causes. Additionally,
stress is believed to be another contributing factor.
>> Jill Kratsis, naturopath
What is a stomach ulcer?
E
xperts at Canberra Hospital currently estimate
that approximately one in five Australians will
experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) at
some stage. This demonstrates that the prevalence of
digestive complaints is becoming far too common.
Natural therapies can help to decode the symptoms
and assist in providing relief for all types of digestive
troubles, from irritable bowel syndrome to Crohn’s
disease, and everything in between.
A stomach ulcer is a break in the lining of the stomach,
or just out of the stomach in the duodenum. In many
cases, the cause is related to a bacterial infection called
Helicobacter pylori (found in the mucous layer of
the stomach) or can be caused by taking particular
medications. Stress may also be a contributing factor.
Symptoms of a stomach ulcer can include nausea,
indigestion, abdominal pain just below the rib cage,
vomiting, loss of appetite and also iron deficiency if
the ulcer is bleeding.
What is IBS?
20
Autumn 2009
Some good advice
illustration: Jacki Sosenko
More women than men seem to suffer from IBS, which
is believed to be associated with people who have
sensitive digestive systems, or those whose digestive
system is easily upset. The symptoms can include
abdominal pain and cramping, mucous in bowel
motions, alternating constipation and diarrhoea,
and abdominal bloating.
At present, the cause of IBS is unknown but there
are several trigger factors including food intolerances,
stress, poor diet, some medications and persistent
or recurrent gastrointestinal infections.
If you are suffering from digestive issues, a naturopath
can help you to determine the cause or trigger factors.
They can help you find ways to protect, strengthen
and tone the entire digestive system, and ease the
symptoms as well as addressing any food intolerances
or infections you may be suffering from. Improving
stress management is also extremely important.
There are many lifestyle changes we can all make
to improve digestive function. Simply how we eat can
have a massive impact on our overall digestive health.
There are many lifestyle
changes we can all
make to improve
digestive function.
Simply how we eat
can have a massive
impact on our overall
digestive health
Here are some helpful tips:
> Don’t drink with meals as this dilutes acids and
enzymes needed to break food down. Drink
20 minutes before or after eating
> Relax and sit down while you are eating so your
body can concentrate on the task at hand
> Don’t rush meals, and chew your food properly; the
more you can break it down in your mouth, the
easier it is for acids and enzymes to do their job
> Don’t lie down too quickly after eating; gravity plays
a huge role in moving food down into the intestines
> Settle your stomach with herbal carminatives such
as chamomile, peppermint and ginger tea or tablets
The four Rs
T
he four Rs can be useful in
addressing digestive complaints:
> REMOVE as many triggers as
possible to determine the cause.
One way to do this is with an
elimination diet, which involves
removing all potential food
intolerances such as dairy, wheat,
sugar etc, then reintroducing
them one at a time to see if
symptoms return or get worse
> REPLACE digestive acids and
enzymes to assist the digestive
system to function at its best.
A great way of doing this is with
apple cider vinegar, which helps
get the gastric juices working.
Dilute a teaspoon of apple cider
vinegar in water. If vinegar is not
tolerated due to any ulcers, or
you don’t like the flavour, there
are many herbs and nutrients
such as essential enzymes that
can also help with this
> REINOCULATE with probiotics
such as acidophilus and bifida
bacteria. These probiotics,
together with the digestive
organs, acids and enzymes,
ensure that food is properly
broken down and eliminated.
The presence of probiotics is
vital and easily disrupted by
some medications and stress
> REPAIR the digestive system
function. The lining of the intestinal
walls must be repaired if there is
damage. Again, there are many
herbs and nutrients that can
help to strengthen and tone the
digestive lining. Supplements
such as slippery elm powder
can put a bandaid-like coating
on the intestinal wall to give
it a break and time to heal.
Glutamine is also particularly
good at repairing damage
to the intestinal wall n
Autumn 2009
21