Can You Get Rid Of IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, also known as IBS, is a condition that affects an estimated 16% of the US population.
For those struggling with IBS symptoms, it can significantly impact their quality of life.
Leaving many individuals wondering, can you get rid of IBS?
So in today's video, we will be discussing what is IBS,
What is IBS-C
And what is IBS-D?
What are some of the most common symptoms and causes?
Can you get rid of IBS?
What can you do to heal IBS naturally?
And lastly, how do you improve gut health and digestion?
[Video Transcript Below Video]
Hi, I'm Katie Bailey. I'm a gut health dietitian at Oswald Digestive Clinic, where we help individuals improve and resolve their bothersome gut issues.
If you're interested in learning more about gut health, I'll link our free guide here: 5 Ways to Improve Your Gut Health.
Alright, let's get started on today's topic.
What is IBS? What is IBS-C and what is IBS-D?
So IBS is a condition that is characterized by abdominal pain as well as changes in bowel movements such as diarrhea or constipation.
With IBS, there are no abnormal physical findings on a colonoscopy and is usually diagnosed using the Rome four criteria.
This is once they've ruled out all other possible GI conditions.
With the Rome criteria, it requires that you have recurrent abdominal pain for at least one day each week over the last three months, and is associated with a change in the frequency in the form of your stool.
So basically IBS is just a collection of different symptoms and this is going to vary from person to person.
Now there are multiple types of IBS.
The first one is IBS-C, which is the constipation subtype where individuals experience frequent constipation, which is usually accompanied by abdominal pain and bloating.
The second one is IBS-D, which is the diarrhea subtype where people experience frequent diarrhea, which is accompanied by abdominal pain and urgency.
And the last one is IBS-M, which is the mixed subtype where individuals experience frequent constipation and diarrhea and they alternate between the two.
What are the most common symptoms and causes?
So all those symptoms are going to vary from person to person.
There are some common symptoms, and these are going to be abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, constipation, gas and bloating, nausea and indigestion.
And these symptoms can worsen with stress as well as specific trigger foods, which are going to vary from person to person.
And although there are many different causes for IBS symptoms, the most common include things like gut dysbiosis, which is that imbalance in the good and the bad bacteria in the gut.
Poor gut motility, insufficient pancreatic enzymes as well as SIBO, which is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
And research has shown that individuals with IBS, about 80% of them actually test positive for SIBO.
So the question that everybody wants to know is,
Can you get rid of IBS?
And ultimately the answer to this is that it is possible to get rid of IBS and I'll explain why.
So IBS is a disorder where there's no structural abnormality in the digestive tract.
Instead the issue lies in the way the gut is functioning, which is what causes those symptoms.
So when you think about IBS as just a collection of symptoms, ideally if we can determine what the root cause of that symptom is and address that, then it's possible for the symptom to resolve.
So the thought behind it is, since IBS is classified by symptoms, if you no longer have symptoms, then you may no longer have IBS. And a lot of times symptoms are multifactorial.
So there may need to be multiple things addressed in order to resolve the symptom.
And it's important to understand that there's no one size fits all solution.
And the key to managing or resolving IBS symptoms lies in determining the underlying root cause which may vary from person to person.
Okay, so now let's talk about:
What we can do to naturally heal IBS?
So ideally we want to determine the underlying root cause and address that in order to get lasting results.
But in the meantime, there are a few things that you can do to help relieve some of your IBS symptoms.
The first is getting regular physical activity.
Now activity is going to help to improve your gut motility as well as reduce stress.
Getting adequate sleep is helpful as quality sleeps helps also to reduce stress, getting adequate hydration. Drinking enough water during the day is going to help promote regular bowel movements and prevent constipation.
The use of peppermint, ginger, and fennel have been used to help soothe the digestive issues and provide relief for IBS symptoms.
Also, practicing stress management.
We know that stress is going to make those IBS symptoms worse.
So practicing things like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing can all be very helpful. And then lastly, diet modifications.
You may need to avoid your specific trigger foods or follow a low FODMAP diet temporarily as a way to relieve your symptoms while working on the root cause.
With IBS, it's important to focus on gut health and digestion.
What can we do to improve our gut health and digestion?
Here are a few things.
The first is eating a foods nutrient dense diet while limiting our processed foods as these are going to damage our gut lining, promote inflammation and negatively affect the diversity of our gut microbes.
Eating a variety of fiber rich foods is going to be helpful as this is going to promote regular bowel movements as well as support a healthy gut microbiome.
Eating probiotic rich foods like keefer yogurt or sauerkraut or incorporating a quality probiotic and or prebiotic is going to help restore the balance in the gut as well as promote digestion.
And like I mentioned before, practicing stress management, getting adequate sleep and regular exercise are also going to help positively impact our gut health.
And then lastly, it's important to remember that we do need to get to the underlying root cause and address that to figure out why we may have some gut dysfunction in the first place, whether that's inadequate stomach acid or digestive enzymes, poor gut motility or gut dysbiosis.
Just to name a few to wrap up our topic for today.
Resolving IBS symptoms is possible.
IBS management often lies in finding the right combination of strategies to address an individual's root causes or underlying imbalances, their triggers as well as individual needs.
If you're struggling with IBS and you don't know where to start, I highly recommend that you work with a professional who can help you get to the root cause of symptoms and find lasting relief.
That's it for today's video. If you like this video, please hit the like button and subscribe for our nutrition videos. I hope you found this video to be helpful.
And if you're interested in working with our clinic, you can click the link here to schedule an appointment.
We do take insurance and you can find more information about that on our website.
Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time.
Bye.
If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic. We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.
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