IBS - Overcoming Irritable bowel syndrome
IBS is a symptom of your digestive health, not the cause.
IBS is an umbrella term that describes the collection of symptoms that can occur when there is dysfunction in the gut microbiome, changes to gut motility, and food intolerances and sensitivities. To overcome your IBS, let us find and treat the cause so you can say goodbye to your IBS symptoms.
Natural Clinic IBS Consult: $75
Book your appointment with a qualified practitioner who will…
Work with you to discover imbalances in the gut microbiome
Reveal nutrient sensitivities and deficiencies driving your IBS
Provide expert dietary and lifestyle coaching to regulate your digestion
Give you access to practitioner-grade nutritional and herbal medicine tailored to you
Book here to take control of your IBS.
Book AppointmentTo learn more about why your digestive system is struggling, and how to get your bowels moving, read on for our Natural Clinic Clinical Guide to IBS.
Natural Clinic Clinical Guide for IBS
WHAT IS IT?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), an unpleasant and often debilitating condition, is characterized by frequent, recurrent abdominal pain as well as fluctuating constipation and diarrhea episodes. Further symptoms may include; nausea, gas and bloating , abdominal cramping, fatigue.
For IBS sufferers, the potential to experience indigestion can often feel like a terrifying event which could lead to excruciating pain, incontinence and humiliation. This can often lead to the omission of multiple trigger foods from the diet as well as a fantastic ability to scout out the bathroom in a new location.
The “syndrome” in irritable bowel syndrome, is an umbrella term and essentially refers to the “concurrence” or collection of symptoms that occur. This is important to differentiate from inflammatory bowel disease, which involves an immunological inflammatory destruction of the bowel wall. This can lead to a multitude of complications and may require pharmaceutical intervention.
This guide provides advice on how to treat the core foundations of IBS. We advise booking in with one of our Clinical Naturopaths for tailored, individualised support.
Remove the guessing-game and get results.CAUSES OF IBS & SIMILAR CONDITIONS
It is important to rule out other conditions which can contain a very similar symptom picture. These include:
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Irritable bowel disease
- Celiac disease
Thankfully, your doctor can help you screen for the above. You may also want to do some further functional testing for SIBO/LIBO with one of our naturopath’s.
If none of the above are true, by process of elimination you may have IBS.
While the exact causes of IBS are not clear, certain things are known to trigger symptoms. Some factors to consider with your naturopath include;
- Antibiotic use – disrupted microbiome
- Dietary triggers – gluten, processed foods, allergies or food intolerances
- Stressful life events
- Episode of food poisoning or gastroenteritis causing a lingering of symptoms and diminished gut function
- Certain mental health disorders – anxiety, depression, somatic symptom disorder
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), an increase in the number or a change in the type of bacteria located in your small intestine
- Certain medications
Managing your IBS
Pharmaceutical management can include the prescription of antispasmodics, anti-diarrheal, antidepressants and/or antibiotics. Although these may help manage your symptoms, they are not addressing the underlying function of your gut and often won’t be a long term solution for you.
Dietary and lifestyle changes can often be enough to improve symptoms dramatically. We recommend trying the following:
Eliminate your dietary triggers
Identifying your triggers is important. Eliminate any foods that cause symptoms. These can include foods high in lactose, fructose, preservatives and/or gluten, caffeine and alcohol. Often a low FODMAP diet can be helpful in the short term, while you work with one of our naturopath’s at healing and improving your gut function.
Reduce processed empty nutrient foods
These foods can be inflammatory and can exacerbate any intolerances or allergies to preservatives and additives. Not to mention the below average nutritional status (you deserve better!).
Improve your digestion
Do you eat on the run? While working? Driving? Or standing?
Consuming food (often convenient foods, low in nutrients), while in a busy huff can be quite insulting to your digestive system. Consider adopting some “digestive foreplay” techniques to get your body ready for food.
Natural treatments to manage your IBS
To assist in regulating your bowel motions. Useful in constipation and fluctuations between diarrhea/constipation.
For those with loose stools. Aid in bulking and slowing down transit time.
Containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species
To facilitate gut healing and decrease intestinal permeability
For the management of stress and anxiety
Tired of taking multiple supplements for your IBS?
Let us narrow it down to one that works.
IBS has multiple causes and that’s why you often need multiple products to get things moving.
We can compound one product that replaces all your existing products. Your very own, tailored nutritional formula with ingredients at dosages specific to your body.
Speak to one of our practitioners.
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