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Facts About Feline Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Monday, October 27th, 2008

Feline Irritable Bowel Syndrome is often confused with inflammatory bowel disease. Since the latter is a much worse disease than the former, many pet owners find themselves panicking.

However, cat lovers should realize that feline irritable bowel syndrome is not really as bad as inflammatory bowel disease.

Feline Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a functional disorder. This means that there’s nothing wrong with your cat’s anatomy, but there is something wrong with the way it works.

This is often considered to be psychosomatic, which means it is affected by the mind of your pet. Thus, one way to treat the symptoms of feline irritable bowel syndrome is to instill the right mindset on your cat.

Feline irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a sudden change in a cat’s stool frequency. The cat would either be defecating more frequently than usual or it could be less than usual. It is also characterized by diarrhea or constipation.

Another symptom of this illness is abdominal pain. If your pet seems to have abdominal pain combined with the other symptoms your cat may have feline irritable bowel disease. There are various types of treatments for feline irritable bowel disease:

1) Less stress – Feline Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be aggravated by stress. Because of this, a common advice for people who have cats that are suffering from feline irritable bowel syndrome is to try and find the source of stress for their cats.

After pinpointing what factor causes stress in their pets, owners should try to eliminate this factor and place their pets in a situation where the cat is comfortable.

There are also certain types of medicines which you can give your cat to help lessen its anxiety. This will help greatly in relieving the symptoms of feline irritable bowel syndrome.

In doing this, you need to try and see the environment through your cat’s perspective. Something that you don’t see as stressful could cause anxiety in your cat. Something as simple as a new rug could trigger the symptoms of feline irritable bowel syndrome.

2) Proper diet – Another trigger of feline irritable bowel syndrome is food. Eating the wrong sorts of food can aggravate the symptoms of feline irritable bowel syndrome. The proper diet for feline irritable bowel syndrome depends on your cat’s symptoms.

Some cats experience diarrhea as a symptom of feline irritable bowel syndrome. In cases like this, it is important to find foods that would stop the diarrhea.

This means that you have to find foods that would help make your pet’s stool harder. Of course, the opposite is required if your cat is suffering from constipation.

4) Lots of water – A cat suffering from feline irritable bowel syndrome needs a lot of water. This is in order to help in cleansing the stomach and in stabilizing the digestive process. You should encourage your cat to drink more from his or her bowl.

3) Supplements – When feeding a cat with feline irritable bowel syndrome, an owner should keep in mind to give the pet lots of insoluble fiber.

This is in order to stabilize the digestive process of the cat. Soluble fiber can be purchased in the form of a powder which can be mixed into your cat’s food. There are also different types of pet food which contain high percentages of soluble fiber. Ask about this type of food from your pet shop.

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Diagnosis and Treatments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

Knowledge on the nature of a condition helps us provide better treatment options. While doctors don’t know exactly the complexities that envelope Irritable Bowel Syndrome, we know for a fact that it may be due to irregularities in the spasms of the intestinal tract or any other related conditions.

Seeing your physician is the first step to knowing if you actually are affected by the disease. It is basically diagnosed by looking through the medical history of the patient and by characterizing symptoms as covered by Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

There is no defined test that is specifically made for diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome. Several tests are used, however, to help rule out this diseases over other conditions. Tests include examinations such as stool sample testing, X rays and blood tests.

Normally, you doctor will perform a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. This is done by inserting a small flexible tube with attached camera into your anus. The image will then register onto the screen that is connected to it. This will help facilitate a closer look in your colon.

If your test result yields negative, you will then be diagnosed depending on other symptoms that you might have endured during the past couple of months. He is likely to ask you how frequent your attacks are or the intensity of the attacks. He might as well inquire of the stool consistency and the changes in your bowel functions. Most doctors make use of a list of symptoms to help qualify your condition as irritable bowel syndrome.

Knowing if you have developed the syndrome or not, you can apply treatments that are necessary to alleviate the condition or to help in the treatment. Remember though that for some people, irritable bowel movement is a chronic condition. While treatment may be found, some symptoms will just subside for a period but will then return to its earlier state, or maybe worse.

There is simply no cure for irritable bowel syndrome. However, treatments are available. Your physician will provide you with the best treatment for your condition and may advise you to change your general lifestyle and learn to manage stress.

Medications, as part of the treatment plans, will help relive the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. He may give you laxatives and supplements for constipation and a number of medications for diarrhea. To control colon muscle spasms and to help in the reduction of abdominal pain, antispasmodic is frequently prescribed.

However, antispasmodic and antidepressant are known to trigger constipation. Thus, your doctor might provide you with options of medicines that will help muscles in the intestines and bladder to relax. Medications such as this can be addictive though, so be careful of using such.

Medications specifically created for Irritable Bowel Syndrome are:

Lotronex (Alosetron hydrochloride) is extremely recommended for women sufferers when all other conventional forms of treatments failed to work and when the most prominent symptom is diarrhea. However, even with this recommendation, patients must still exercise caution since extreme side effects include decreased blood flow towards the colon and severe constipation.

Zelnorm (Tegaserod maleate) is recommended for short term treatment among women whose significant symptom is constipation. It is used for a standard of 4-6 weeks.

With the use of any medications and treatment, it is always necessary that you follow your doctor’s prescriptions and guidelines. Patients often report of worsened condition after failing to follow the strict advices from their physicians.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Different Types of Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

As any person suffering from this illness can tell you, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be hell. This is partly because of the fact that even though the disease is not fatal, it is also incurable. The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome can greatly affect the personal lives of the people who suffer from it.

This is the reason why people suffering from this illness try to find different irritable bowel syndrome treatments to help them keep the symptoms under control.

There are different irritable bowel syndrome treatments and their effectiveness can vary depending on the case of each person. Let us examine some of these treatments:

1) Alternative therapy – Studies have shown that stress and psychology has a great effect on the symptoms of Irritable bowel syndrome. This is the reason why people sometimes turn to alternative Irritable bowel syndrome treatment. Alternative therapy consists of various treatments not included in western medicine. Here are some examples:

a) Acupuncture – acupuncture is one of the most effective types of alternative irritable bowel syndrome treatments available today. Acupuncture works differently for many sufferers of Irritable bowel syndrome. This is mainly because of the fact that practitioners of this art treat this illness on a case-to-case basis. How does acupuncture work as an irritable bowel syndrome treatment?

Well, acupuncture tries to release blockages in a person’s Qi or life force. This is done through placing needles in various points of the body. Don’t worry because acupuncture needles are specially made to be so thin that they cannot cause any pain. Mainly, the benefit of acupuncture is the alleviation of pain caused by the symptoms of Irritable bowel syndrome.

b) Yoga – As said before, studies have shown that stress has a huge effect on symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Many people turn to yoga in order to help them calm their minds and thus, eliminate stress from their lives. Although yoga treats no specific aspects of irritable bowel syndrome, this treatment is recommended to prevent those symptoms by making sure that a person is in a relaxed state of mind.

c) Herbal – As we all know, modern medicines have a history going back to old herbs. Herbal treatments today are known to treat a variety of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Treatments are also made on a case to case basis. A person suffering from irritable bowel syndrome would tell the herbalist the symptoms that he or she is suffering from and the herbalist would give him or her the combination of herbs that would help.

2) Medical – People who have Irritable bowel syndrome often turn to doctors in order to help them with the symptoms. This type of irritable bowel syndrome treatment is often more convenient to people. It is also widely trusted mainly because people do understand it better. There are two main types of medical irritable bowel syndrome treatments:

a) Drug Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome – People suffering from irritable bowel syndrome are given prescriptions of various medicines to help them cope with the symptoms of the illness. Often, these drugs are used to alleviate pain, stabilize the digestive process, and stop depression. People often need to take a combination of these drugs as part of their irritable bowel syndrome treatment.

b) Psychology – Many agree that proper counseling is still the best type of irritable bowel syndrome treatment today. People who suffer from this disease often only make it worse by worrying constantly about it. Psychological counseling would do wonders as a part of a patient’s irritable bowel syndrome treatment.

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Alternative Healing for Irritable Bowels

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Irritable bowels can be quite disturbing to the pace of life. Although it is not fatal, the fact that it is incurable can be hell on a person’s lifestyle. This is because the symptoms associated with irritable bowels are quite uncomfortable and often need the immediate attention of a person.

People sometimes turn to modern medicines in order to relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

However, some people prefer to go the alternative ways and use traditional healing in order to rid themselves of the discomfort caused by irritable bowels. Here are some types of alternative healing being used by people today:

1) Acupuncture – This art is based on the knowledge of life energy known as Qi (pronounced as chi). It is said that a blockage or imbalance in one’s Qi can cause various illnesses in a person. Acupuncturists attempt to remove this blockage through the use of small needles. The needles are used to stimulate various pressure points in a person’s body. This stimulation then makes it possible for a person’s Qi to become balanced.

Acupuncture is also used to relieve stress and induce relaxation in an individual. Some people may wonder how sticking needles into one’s body can relieve stress and pain. However, the procedure is actually painless. This is because the needles used in acupuncture are too small to actually cause pain to nerves. However, if you are queasy about needles, you could always turn to acupressure. Acupressure stimulates nerves and pressure points through specialized massage and not needles.

2) Herbalism – Many people have found that certain herbs can be very beneficial in relieving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. There are two main forms of herbs that are used in treating symptoms of irritable bowels:

a) Teas – Herbs are often boiled or steeped in hot water to make teas. The process of steeping the different herbs in hot water releases various enzymes and nutrients that are needed to soothe the symptoms of irritable bowels. Thus, when a person drinks the tea, he or she is assured to get the nutrients that he or she needs from the various herbs. It is often the case that different types of herbs are used in making a type of tea. This could be to improve the efficacy of the tea or to improve the flavor.

b) Capsules – Several types of herbs are also taken in the form of capsules. These capsules may either contain the essential nutrients of a certain herb or it could contain the essential oils of various plants.

Why do they need to be encapsulated? Well, oil can be very irritating to the digestive system. It can trigger the symptoms of irritable bowels even before it reaches the stomach. By coating the herbs in a capsule, the nutrients would be able to pass through the stomach and work its effects on the intestine. In this way, it can help relieve the symptoms without causing an irritation.

3) Hypnosis – It said that the state of a person’s mind can affect irritable bowels. Some people undergo hypnosis in order to help them find the proper mindset and so they can control the symptoms of irritable bowels. Hypnosis is used to try and control a person’s subconscious and allows him or her to release stress. This hypnotherapy treatment is recommended for people who have mild cases of irritable bowel syndrome.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome: How To Fix It

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Any condition, disorder, disease and syndrome with no known cause are almost lacking of an effective cure. The best resolution though is to help relieve or eliminate the symptoms to suppress the condition. But this does not imply that the condition is already treated. Only, the symptoms are for the moment, stopped.

This condition applies to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. While many cases had been studied by the medical and scientific communities, the subject still lead us no near to any cure. And so we are left with making the most of the resources available to us.

Some facets of the disease’s nature though has been discovered. For instance, we all know that the intestinal tract regularly contract and relax to facilitate the proper digestion of food. When their contraction and relaxation is disturbed, people may either feel bloated, or may experience constipation or diarrhea, depending on the speed and irregularity of contraction and relaxation of the muscles. Thus, we know how Irritable Bowel Syndrome occurs.

Nevertheless, the exact causes are yet to be found. Many leads seem to shed light on finding an effective cure but since the disease is basically a functional disorder, treatments can best be unraveled through knowing in full how the whole system works.

Here are some tips to help fix Irritable Bowel Syndrome:

Since stress is directly related with this syndrome, patients are often advised of staying away from stressful situations or atleast create a plan of managing stress. This advice is based on the reports that most patients experience attacks of symptoms after a stressful activity or during a stressful meal.

This can further be helped through practicing yoga, meditation and deep breathing.

The reasons for these are not clear. Though the scientific community knows that the digestive system is partly associated with the autonomic nervous system that controls the voluntary muscles and actions in the body.

Reports on Irritable Bowel Syndrome attacks suggest that certain foods and beverages that cause chemical interaction in the intestinal tract or can help change the movements in the colon may also trigger the symptoms.

Fatty foods are also known to trigger the symptoms. It is best to minimize the intake of foods such as ice cream or any kinds of cream-based foods, chocolate and chocolate products, substances that contain caffeine such as coffee, tea and sodas, carbonated drinks and artificial sweeteners.

To keep track of foods that irritate your colon, you can keep a journal of your daily food intake and check which foods seem to trigger the symptoms. If there are foods that cause the flare up of symptoms, you can adjust your intake and supplement them with other foods that do not have the same effects on your disorder. This activity will provide your doctor with substantial information that will lead to a well-designed treatment based on your personal needs.

Your dietician will help largely in creating a balanced diet for you while getting around the possibility to triggering attacks.

Apart from avoiding problematic foods and stress management, you might also practice healthful drinking. Drinking plenty of water along with an increase of fiber intake proves to be helpful in lessening your susceptibility to reoccurrence of symptoms. This is most effective when the prevailing symptom is constipation.

Once the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome is fixed, it is likely that there would be a temporary stoppage of symptoms. Please seek your doctor’s advice to cerate a more feasible plan of discontinuing the occurrence of the disorder.

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Understanding Irritable Bowel

Sunday, October 19th, 2008

Many people find it surprising to be diagnosed of a syndrome that has been with them for years. This is often the case with irritable bowel syndrome for which many people are only diagnosed and treated after several years of suffering over the disorder.

It is not surprising though that this is the case. People often think it normal that they visit the comfort room 5 times or so a day for a couple of weeks.

Or say, abdominal cramping may become a normal occurrence after experiencing it for quite a time. People learn to get used with such discomforts after some time and many will then ignore these once it reoccurs.

This is basically the nature of irritable bowel disorder. Many may experience mild symptoms that would trigger various aches in the abdominal muscles followed by a period of absence of abdominal irritation.

10 to 15% of the general population suffers from irritable bowel disorder. It is the most common disorder diagnosed by gastroenterologists who specialize in conditions linked with the intestinal tract.

While irritable bowel may often be mistakened for colitis or mucous colitis, spastic colon, spastic colitis, ulcer, irritable colon or nervous stomach, many of its symptoms is relatively different from that of these diseases.

It is generally classified as functional disorder which means that the disease can be referred only through careful examination of the physiological function rather than identifiable biochemical or structural causes.

It is characterized by an abnormality that cant be dealt with using conventional methods of diagnosis such as x ray, blood tests and examinations. Sometimes, even colonoscopy fails to work.

Colonospcopy is the use of a flexible tube that is inserted into the anus of the patient. This has a small camera on its end that is used for closer examination of the colon tissues. The image that is captured by this camera will then be transferred to the screen projector that physicians use for visual examination.

Irritable bowel syndrome is considered to be a multi-faceted condition. It is understood that irritable bowel is a product of the disturbance in the interaction between various bodily components.

These are the intestines or the guts, the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for controlling voluntary muscles including the lining and the components of the intestinal tract, and the brain.

Irritable bowel is characterized by a number of symptoms wherein the basic factor is determined by abdominal discomfort or pain that is associated with changes in bowel pattern such as frequent bowel movements, or loose and watery stools.

Symptoms vary from person to person, specifically in the frequency and intensity of “irritation”. Most people experience mild abdominal distractions while others endure disabling attacks.

While there is still no cure yet for irritable bowel, treatment options are available in wide spectrum.

From medications to changes in lifestyles, so long as the treatment works for your case, it is applicable. While some treatment may work for other people, other patients are less responsive to treatments. The same goes true with problematic foods that trigger the attacks.

Some foods may cause other people to experience abdominal irritation while others may not feel any sensation at all.

To create a more comprehensive plan for treatment, it is best that you seek medical help. A dietician may also assist in formulating a feasible plan that is adaptive to your case.

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