Treatment of IBS
Although the cure for IBS has not yet been found, IBS patients can successfully relieve and control their symptoms. The treatment of IBS
may involve:
- diet changes
- medications
- stress managment
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is very individual, so you may have to
try a combination of things to see what works best for you.
Diet changes
Certain foods can trigger the symptoms of IBS; however, what causes
symptoms within one person may not necessarily trigger symptoms
within another. A patient suffering from IBS needs to determine
himself/herself what types of foods are the cause of his/her symptoms.
The foods that can trigger the symptoms of IBS include:
- fatty foods like fast or fried food
- milk products like cheese or ice cream
- chocolate
- alcohol
- caffeine (found in coffee and some sodas)
- carbonated drinks
If certain food triggers symptoms of IBS, you should reduce its
amount or eliminate it from your diet completely.
In order to find out which foods cause symptoms, you need to observe
your body systematically. Sometimes it is helpful
to make notes. You can keep a log where you enter daily information
about:
- what you have eaten during that day
- what symptoms occured during the day
- what type of food you introduced or eliminated on that day
- when the symptoms occured
After two weeks of systematic observation, you should be able to
notice certain recurring patterns or relations between the food
you consume and your symptoms, which will allow you to draw conclusions.
It is always helpful to consult your findings with your phisician.
Medications
The medications commonly prescribed by physicians to relieve the symptoms of IBS include:
- laxatives: to treat constipation
- antispasmodics: to slow contractions in the intestines, which
relieves diarrhea and pain
- antidepressants: to relieve effectively pain
The patient should strictly follow doctor's instructions while
taking these medications as all of them carry the risk of
depenency.
Sometimes IBS can be successfully treated or relieved with natural
herbal and fiber supplements and alternative therapies.
Stress managment
Although stress does not cause IBS, symptoms in some patients can
be exacerbated or triggered by stress.
IBS is not a psychological or psychiatric disorder: it is not "all
in the mind." However, stress is an important
factor, and successfull stress
managment helps reduce IBS symptoms.
Stress can increase the muscle contractions of intestines even in
healthy individuals;
therefore, in IBS patients, more susceptible to intestinal cramps,
stress is a powerful trigger.
Sleep loss is one of the crucial stress factors triggering or exacerbating
IBS symptoms. Sleep depravation results in
constant fatigue which significantly lowers stress tolerance, which
allows symptoms to be triggered more easily. A direct relationship
has been established between an onset or aggravation of morning
symptoms and the quality of prevous night's sleep.
Therefore,ensuring a quality night's sleep is crucial in reducing
or eliminating stress-related IBS symptoms.
Other highly effective methods of elimination or reduction of stress-induced
IBS symptoms include such alternative treatments
as yoga, hypnotherapy, and acupuncture. All of these tratments have
been proven to be very helpful in stress managment and highly
effective in the alleviation and even prevention of digestive distress.
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