Controlling Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common diges­tive disorder seen by physicians in the U.S. It is estimated that about one in five adult Americans has symptoms of IBS, although fewer than half of them seek help for it. This disorder is also sometimes called intestinal neurosis, mucous colitis, spastic colitis, or spastic colon.

There are many symptoms and signs of IBS. Many natural solutions have proved very useful to identify and address the root causes of this disorder, with many clients obtaining complete relief. This issue of the Walking Along the Natural Path Newsletter will be devoted to telling you more about IBS, what you can do to alleviate some of your symptoms, and where you can go for further information. Be sure and see our website where you can learn more about IBS and find out What You Can Do to help your body heal from this often times debilitating condition.

Controlling IBS

Eating the correct diet, using supplemental fiber and nutrients, and drinking plenty of quality water are very important in con­trolling IBS. Early recognition of the disease, good nutrition, and a positive outlook help minimize complications. A prudent program for IBS will involve what is typically referred to as the four R's: Remove, Replace, Reinocculate, and Repair.

Remove

We must first remove any offending agents from the diet (see the Diet section for more details). In addition, we need to determine if any parasitic or pathogenic bacteria are present; a comprehensive digestive stool analysis with parasitology (CDSA 2.0) will help determine if these are present. You may also want to use our online Health Appraisal Questionnaire to provide more information. If pathogenic flora, yeast or parasites are found, specific measures need to be taken to remove these microorganisms.

Replace

Next, we want to replace any deficient enzymes or stomach acid to promote optimal digestion. Start with chewing your food properly; you should chew your food 30-50 times before swallowing. In other words, everything you put in your mouth should be chewed until it is a liquid. This will greatly facilitate digestion and absorption of nutrients. If this is not enough, we generally recommend a digestive enzyme supplement: Ortho Digestyme or Spectrazyme (vegetarian).

Reinocculate

The third thing we need to do is re-establish proper flora balance in the small and large intestine. Flora imbalance is very often associated with the onset and/or the progression of IBS, so reinocculating the intestines with 'friendly flora' is very beneficial. We typically use two products:Ultra Flora Plus DF and Florastor. If diarrhea predominates, we will also add Probioplex Intensive Care.

Repair

And finally, we need to repair the damage done and speed healing through targeted nutritional therapies. In the clinic, we use specific therapies based on testing and personal evaluation to customize each individual's program. However, several medical foods and supplements have shown nearly universal benefit in cases of IBS. They include: UltraInflamX, Endefen, and Intesol.

Getting on With Living

Many of our clients come into the clinic feeling that life as they knew it is over because of the debilitating effects of IBS. Using targeted therapies, most of these people leave our clinic within months with a new outlook and a new lease on life. Be sure and visit our IBS Health Department and find out how you to can get on with living along the natural path to optimal health.

Yours in Health along the Natural Path,

Chad Oler, ND

© Natural Path Health Center - 2940 Chapel Valley Road Madison, WI 53711
Phone: 608.274.7044 - Toll-Free: 866.888.6721 - Fax: 608.274.6614