Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Emotional Connection & Natural Remedies

Thought this comic was pretty cute! Anyways, below you’ll find some useful info about IBS.

IBS – What is it?

It’s a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by some combination of:

• Abdominal pain/distention
• Altered bowel function (constipation/diarrhea)
• Hypersecretion of colonic mucus
• Flatulence, nausea, anorexia
• Anxiety/depression

Who Is it Affecting

It’s estimated that 15% of the population is affected by IBS, and is twice as common in women than men.  Its also the most common disorder of the GI system – 30-50% of all referrals to gastroenterologists.

Diagnosis Is Key

Proper diagnosis is essential in dealing with IBS and should be made by a physician.  Other conditions must be ruled out first such as:

• Cancer
• Dysbiosis (overgrowth of bad vs. good bacteria in gut)
• Diverticular disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Candidiasis
• Lactose intolerance
• Laxative abuse
• Malabsorption/Metabolic diseases
• Excessive caffeine or carbonated beverage consumption

Causes

The true cause(s) of IBS are not clear. It is a functional disorder, not a structural one like inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn’s.  IBS is related to:

• Mental/emotional factors (anxiety, depression, fatigue, hostile feelings)
• Food allergies/intolerances
• Bacterial overgrowth/infection

Emotional Connection

Studies have not determined whether IBS produces these mental or emotional symptoms or if the IBS is a result of them.  More research needs to be done.

But this theory, I believe, is not a far-fetched connection between our digestive system and emotions.  Our digestive system and nervous system are in fact deeply connected in a system known as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), also referred to as the “second brain”.  It contains about 100 million neurons all along our GI tract which is more than our spinal cord.  The ENS is partially connected to the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), this is our control system affecting heart rate, digestion, respiration rate, perspiration, etc.  Now to further confuse you, this system is again divided into the Parasympathetic (PNS) and Sympathetic Nervous Systems (SNS).  And here is where I make the connection – the PNS is the “rest and digest” system while the SNS is the “fight or flight” system.

What’s interesting is that stress, whether that be emotional or physical, turns on the SNS – which explains why stress can trickle down into the ENS and is known to exacerbate IBS symptoms.

Your body unfortunately responds to all stresses the same way: digestion is shut down, blood pressure rises, and our pupils dilate among other things.  All of these functions innately prepares us to fight for our lives or run for it.  This system is turned on no matter what the situation – if we’re running from a sabre tooth tiger or if we’re cut off in traffic.

Natural Remedies

Of course the number one focus should be stress management: develop a stress-reduction program that works best for you.  That may be yoga, meditation, counselling, tai chi, hypnosis, or some other forms of relaxation therapy. Exercise is also helpful for IBS.

Enteric-coated peppermint oil (or other volatile oils)  have been shown to be helpful in relieving IBS symptoms by calming GI spasms. Just a warning: a slight burning sensation might be felt upon eliminating – that is just the menthol in the volatile oils producing that sensation.

A Probiotic supplement containing at least 10 billion live bacterial cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus is also key in re-balancing microflora and in the gut.

Fibre is also key, and should be increased in the diet or supplemented.

References

1. Murray, Michael & Pizzorno, Joseph, Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enteric_nervous_system