Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is characterised by symptoms which include abdominal pain, distension, constipation and /or diarrhoea, mucous production in the colon, indigestion, flatulence, nausea, anorexia, anxiety and depression. It can cause a great deal of misery, not least because orthodox medicine is not very good at treating it. On investigation there is no apparent cause of the problem .

The cause of many of the symptoms are muscle spasms of the smooth muscle of the intestinal wall, the cause of this tends to vary from one person to another. However 2/3 of IBS cases are caused by food allergies, mostly to wheat and /or dairy foods; additional symptoms for this include headaches, fatigue, sweating and palpitations. Other common causes precipitating symptoms are stress and female hormone problems.

Treatment of IBS therefore involves determining and treating the cause as well as treating the symptoms.

Herbal treatment may include:

  • Herbs to heal and soothe inflamed membranes – marshmallow, liquorice, slippery elm, chamomile, linseed, aloe vera
  • Herbs to aid digestion – ginger, turmeric, fennel, peppermint, caraway, aniseed
  • Herbs to stop muscle spasms – wild yam, cramp bark, chamomile, peppermint
  • Herbs to reduce inflammation – chamomile, meadowsweet, turmeric
  • Herbs to help with stress – skullcap, St Johns wort, hops, black cohosh – also possibly kelp and bugleweed
  • Herbs to help normalise female hormones – vitex is the most commonly used although there are several others

There are a several self help measures that will help relieve symptoms and prevent their recurrence. These should be followed alongside any herbal prescription otherwise improvement will only be temporary:

  • A few days fasting - just drinking juices, water and herb teas – is a good idea when you begin treatment or when you experience an attack
  • Banana mashed with slippery elm is a very soothing food
  • Probiotics which replace bowel flora can be very helpful – often IBS sufferers have low bowel flora which prevents them from digesting foods properly and causes many of the symptoms
  • Good herbs for teas include peppermint, ginger, chamomile and lemon balm
  • Sugar, coffee, tea and alcohol are very detrimental to IBS and should be avoided as much as possible
  • Have small meals
  • Once an attack is over it is important to increase dietary fibre – this should not be wheat – use fruit, vegetables, oats,pulses and especially psyllium
  • See if you are allergic to wheat or dairy by avoiding each for several weeks and then introduce a little to see what happens
  • Exercise is very helpful to reduce symptoms, also stress relief techniques such as meditation and yoga
  • Once you are symptom free it would be a good idea to do a bowel cleanse – this is not difficult and does not require a loo to be present at all times!

If you have any queries about anything referred to above please telephone – I can also supply all herbs, psyllium and bowel cleanse material.