Do you feel bloated and uncomfortable after eating, or throughout most of the day?

If you are a female between teen years and early to mid-adulthood, and these symptoms have persisted for some time, it’s likely that you have what’s known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS.

IBS is also known as irritable colon, mucous colitis, spastic colon, spastic colitis, and nervous stomach.  Symptoms include abdominal pain and cramping, changes in bowel movements (often alternating between constipation and diarrhea), flatulence, and occasionally mucus discharge.   When symptoms start, the frequency of bowel movements and the appearance of stools change, although symptoms tend to improve after bowel movements.  IBS patients with diarrhea will have frequent, loose, watery stools and may have difficulty controlling the urge to defecate.  Those with constipation may experience straining and cramping with bowel movements.  IBS patients may also lose their appetites due to the bloating sensation.  Overall, these symptoms tend to wax and wane over time for some patients, though for other patients they are constant.

If you didn’t already notice, the IBS symptom picture is highly variable.

IBS the most common cause of referrals to gastroenterologists in the US, and it is a diagnosis of exclusion.  That is because in patients with IBS, there aren’t any abnormalities in the structure of the colon itself, and all test results come back normal.  Within the traditional medical paradigm, therefore, not much can be done for it.  There is very limited data for the efficacy of any particular drug for this condition.

But fortunately, in naturopathic medicine, there is hope.  I take my time with my patients in order to discover the most likely root cause for his or her symptoms.  Some patients may have food intolerances contributing to their symptoms.  Others may have significant dysbiosis (overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in the colon).  Some may simply not have enough fiber and water in their diets.  Some women may have a hormonal imbalance – these patients find that their IBS symptoms significantly worsen around the time of menses.  There is almost always some component of emotional stress in the case — more than 80% of the serotonin receptors in the body are found in the gut, which may partially explain the correlation between IBS and depressive symptoms.

Sometimes symptoms that suggest IBS require further testing to rule out other conditions, and sometimes a diagnosis can be made clinically and treatment can begin immediately.  I have seen IBS patients improve dramatically with homeopathy, enzymes, some simple diet and lifestyle adjustments, and stress management techniques.

The bottom line – the cause and the symptom picture varies depending on the patient, and so the treatment must also be individualized.  Call for an appointment to determine the best treatment for you.

Dr Lauren Deville is board-certified to practice Naturopathic Medicine.  For appointments, please call Nature Medica at 887-4287, or for more information, please see www.drlaurendeville.com. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 2:12 pm and is filed under Natural Medicine Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.