Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
It is tax season. Lois is staring at her computer screen and it tells her that the season is upon her and what lies ahead are long hours, and abdominal aches.
Many people experience alternating constipation and diarrhea, abdominal bloating, excessive gas and pain, usually as a reaction to stress. Other general symptoms that may accompany include heartburn, fatigue, headache, back pain, palpitations, and weakness. If you find yourself nodding in agreement, you’ll join the estimated 30 million Americans who suffer from IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional motility illness of the small and large intestines, in the absence of true structural damage to the intestines. The disorder does not usually lead to serious disease such as inflammatory bowel disease.
Aggravating factors surrounding the disorder include diet, drugs, hormones or, especially, emotional stresses such as depression, hysteria, obsessive-compulsive trait and resentment. Common psychosocial situations associated with IBS are marital discord, death of a loved one, worrying over children or job, or just excessive pensiveness over everyday matters. IBS is a disease predominantly of women (3:1 to men), and the average age of onset is 20-40. Proven modalities include those, which calm and soothe the mind and body. These include acupuncture, meditation techniques, yoga, stretching, and chiropractor.
General Eating Principles Include:
- Be careful with food combinations: especially avoid starch, sugar, protein combination (for example, cheesecake). Avoid eating too many types of foods at one time. Stick to one type of starch per meal. Eat steamed vegetables rather than raw ones.
- Emphasize a high complex carbohydrate, high fiber diet.
- All foods must be eaten slowly, chewed and salivated well; eat in a calm atmosphere, do not read or watch television while eating
Recommended Foods:
- Potato broth, cooked carrots, okra, steamed and mashed parsnips, squash, pumpkin, figs and flax seed tea, steamed zucchini and squash, papaya, grated raw apple, applesauce, ripe peaches without skin, banana, rice porridge
- Miso soup, slippery elm gruel, psyllium seed powder, flax seed powder. Diet is an obvious component of our comprehensive treatment program for IBS. Other modalities such as acupuncture, herbal medicine and stress release techniques, all contribute to promoting the healthy functioning of the digestive tract. Without a good digestive system, you will be robbed of the energy and quality in your life.
- www.mayoclinic.org
Posted In:
Acupuncture
Abdominal Distension
IBS
