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Archive for November, 2008

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More Facts On Irritable Bowel Syndrome – IBS

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

4) There are various and seemingly contradicting symptoms – Many people expect this type of illness to be diagnosed using a standard set of symptoms.

This means that many people expect to see the same set of symptoms in people suffering from Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, you should realize that each case of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be different in symptoms. Some people experience diarrhea while others may experience constipation. Only after a series of tests can a physician truly say that a person has irritable bowel syndrome.

5) Your diet affects it – Since irritable bowel syndrome mostly affects the digestive process, it is the case that what you eat can affect how you feel. When eating, remember that you need to have lots of soluble fiber. This helps stabilize your digestive process and prevent both diarrhea and constipation.
You should also try to avoid these foods:

a) High- fat
b) Alcohol
c) Carbonated Drinks
d) Coffee (even decaffeinated coffee is not good)
e) Dairy Products (even for those without lactose intolerance)

6) Not all types of fiber can help with it – There are different articles circulating around the web that promote eating different foods with fiber. They often cite fruits and vegetables as examples of what a person suffering from irritable bowel disease (IBS) should eat plenty of. However, people should realize the fact that these contain insoluble fiber that could worsen the symptoms of the illness. What people need to do is to take soluble fiber supplements together with these foods in order to balance the activity in the stomach.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – Some Facts

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is an illness that people know very little about. In fact, it was only in 1992 that a standard set of symptoms used to diagnose this illness was established. Here are certain facts about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) that you should know about:

1) It is not fatal – Many people need to be assured of the fact that they cannot die from irritable bowel syndrome. This is because of the fact that the first thing that comes out of most doctors mouths when they examine a patient with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the fact that the illness is incurable.

This, of course, upsets the patient and would make him or her think that he or she could die from irritable bowel syndrome. This is not true.

2) Not as uncommon as you think – About 10 -20 percent of the population today suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). People just attach such a stigma to any illness involving the bowels that those who experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) do not really have inclinations to talk about it.

In fact, almost all of the people suffering from Irritable bowel syndrome are surprised when they realize that they are not alone in their problems.

3) Its cause is still unknown – The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is still unknown. However, it has been established that the symptoms of this illness can be triggered by different things. Although there is no cure for irritable bowel syndrome, there are several things which a person can do to lessen the impacts of the symptoms.

Technically, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is termed as a functional disorder. This means that it is because of an abnormality in the way the body functions. This means that the physical structure of the body is the same, but it just works differently. One question that still baffles many people is, “how exactly does it work differently?”

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Common Diets For Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Friday, November 14th, 2008

Among the components of common diets for irritable bowel syndrome is the integration of larger amounts of dietary fiber to help eliminate one symptom, that is constipation.

With higher fiber content in your regular diet, your stools are likely to become bulky. So if you are seriously affected with constipation, the best way to combat compacted stool its to induce some volume. That exactly is how fiber works.

Problematic foods, on the other hand, are those known to trigger the symptoms. These are basically those with high fat content since this aids in slower digestion of foods. Fat itself takes much longer time before it is completely dissolved and stored.

One important thing to remember when following a diet for irritable bowel syndrome is the observance of regular meals. Irritable Bowel Syndrome lies in the abnormal function of the intestinal tract, or specifically the colon.

If you would practice eating at the same time everyday, your intestine will get used to the habit, which would regularize the bowel movement and the movement of the intestinal muscles more.

If you have diarrhea-dominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the best diet for you to follow is one that will allow the intake of meals in smaller pieces. And since diarrhea deals more on the presence of water in the stool, it is vital that you follow your dietician’s advice when it comes to the amount of water that must be taken.

In general, it is advisable to take as much fluid as you can. Alcohol works best. Be careful though that you avoid caffeinated drinks, carbonated sodas, and alcohol-based beverages. Caffeine will stimulate the intestines and can result to making diarrhea worse while carbonated drinks produce more gas, which further aggravates the condition.

Dairy foods are also a must-avoid food in nearly all common diets for irregular bowel syndrome. Lactose intolerance is normally associated with IBS. If you are lactose-intolerant it is best that you supplement milk proteins with yogurt. Or better yet, use an enzyme product to facilitate the breaking down of lactose.

You may still continue consuming milk products. However, in some common diet for irritable bowel syndrome, it is suggested that lactose is totally removed. Be sure though that this is properly substituted with products that contain high content of vitamin B, calcium and protein.

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Diets for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Most patients of Irritable Bowel Syndrome find it important to keep track of all the foods that they have eaten. This does not only concern what foods but also the fashion by which it was prepared.

Say for chicken, you do not only indicate “chicken” in your food journal, you must be very specific with the terms. It is also important to integrate the time and your mood during eating a specific stuff. All these will play vital roles in distinguishing what triggers your symptom and what foods don’t have effects at all.

Your food journal must be filled regularly so proper tracking is made. The best time to gather details is during the night so that nothing would be missed out.

Remember that each detail is very important and should be given due attention. A candy bar or any relatively insignificant food will make the difference in determining what is the best diet plan for your Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Common diets for irritable bowel syndrome eliminate the trigger foods. Your dietician or physician should be able to build possible diet plan for based on the data written in your food journal.

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Causes of IBS for Women

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

For female sufferers however, findings have suggested that many have worsened symptoms during their menstrual period.

These are basically the commonly observed “supposed causes” of internal bowel movements.

The scientific and the medical communities are continually working on resolving the causes so as to create feasible treatment options that would help ease out the condition.

Nevertheless, people have already practiced a number of things to help provide temporary treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. Many of which entail the avoidance towards foods that normally cause the symptoms to reappear.

Many activities are also suggested to be avoided to limit the appearance of the symptoms. Such include large meals, caffeine from teas, colas and chocolates and abstention from alcohol and wheat-based products.

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Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

The Hunt for the Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is a condition that is relatively prevalent among people aged 20 years and above. It is one of the most commonly diagnosed syndromes yet one of the issues that people tend not to talk about.

Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by frequent cramping of the stomach, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation. These cause a great deal of distress and discomfort but will never lead to more aggravated condition since it does not cause permanent harm on the sufferer.

While there is a common pattern for most patients, still the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome vary from patients to patients.

Some may experience single symptoms, say constipation. Many people though report of having cramping or straining without any or minimal release of stool. These people experience mucus release along with their bowel too. Mucus is a fluid-form lubricant that helps moisten the digestive passages for easier release of digested materials.

Some patients, on the other hand, undergo diarrhea, which is characterized with frequent release of uncontrollable watery stools. But some endure alternate constipation and diarrhea.

The ceasing of symptoms does not imply the stoppage of the syndrome all together though. Many people find it more difficult to deal with irritable bowel syndrome after a few months of subsided syndromes.

While many cases of this syndrome are regularly reported worldwide, there are still no known causes that would determine the proper treatments. Many researchers agree that this may have a relation on the colon or the large bowel that is especially reactive to specific stresses and food elements.

Others argue that this is largely affected by the efficiency of the immune system.

Persons with this condition are known to have irregular motility or movement of the large colon. This is termed to as spasmodic but other patients display temporary cessation of intestinal movement.

IBS is frequently linked with bacterial infection found in the gastrointestinal tract. Researchers observed that people who have developed gastroenteritis have greater likelihood of also developing IBS.

In addition, it is found that irritable bowel syndrome heightens once susceptibility over anxiety and stress which in return aggravate the condition. Similarly, many symptoms of IBS cause depression and anxiety.

Other patients projected links with irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease, which is the inability of a person to digest gluten. Gluten is the substance found in wheat, barley, eye and flour that basically help in the coagulation of the bread. Patients of celiac disease have immune systems that respond to gluten by damaging the small intestine. The presence of celiac disease along with IBS can be checked through blood tests.

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