Natural ways to ease IBS symptoms

Do you spend too much time on the loo in pain? If you are struggling with irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS, it’s important to know that you are not alone. It is one of the most common gut issues worldwide and IBS disrupts a vast number of people’s daily lives and can mean frequent trips to the bathroom and a horrible crampy tummy.

IBS is an umbrella term for a wide range of gastric symptoms that can be rumbling around in the background and persist for years, and it can affect both adults and children. It is usually diagnosed after ruling out more severe intestinal issues, such as inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. I understand how challenging this can be as I have had my fair share of tummy cramps and bowel problems in the past, only to be told by a top gastroenterologist “learn to live with it, love“‘“.

One story that you may relate to, is from one of our lovely NatureDoc clients. She had made numerous trips to her doctor, only to be told that her tummy pain was in her head, and that she might want to consider anti-depressants. She insisted the pain in her tummy… was in her tummy and not her head. So her medical team went on to offer an endoscopy, ultrasound and blood tests which thankfully did not come up with anything nasty; and they eventually suggested that it might be IBS. Frustrated with this outcome and still in a great deal of pain, she found us, and after running a gut microbiome stool test, we found she had an overgrowth of bacteria in her small intestine as well as a couple of pesky amoebic parasites. Diet and lifestyle changes were made, gut health supplements were introduced for a short period of time, and the great news is that she has been pain-free for over two years. This shows that there can be light at the end of the very long tunnel!

The struggle and anxiety caused by this condition can be overwhelming, and after countless trips to the doctor, and hospital for tests, it can be hard to know where else to turn, but I want to help you find a way through this. There are practical dietary and food supplement steps you can take to help manage and alleviate your symptoms. It doesn’t always have to be too hard, so let me guide you through what I know.

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How can IBS affect your life?

The key symptom of IBS is abdominal pain or cramps and it is often accompanied by the ongoing urge to poo and feeling like you haven’t really emptied your bowel properly. Other symptoms include gas, bloating and a mixture of diarrhoea, and constipation. Sometimes, it can be diagnosed if you see creamy white or clear mucus in your stool without raised inflammatory bowel markers. Many people with IBS would say that their bowel movements look different every time and the pattern and frequency is very erratic.

For people with IBS, simple tasks such as shopping or taking public transport can easily make them quite anxious. Understandably, a frequent and unpredictable need to dash to the loo can disrupt school, work and relationships and it can become very embarrassing. So, it is not surprising that up to a third of people with IBS also get anxiety or depression. This link with mood may also be due to the now well-established gut-brain link between the microbes in the gut and their influence on neurotransmitter production and brain health. It’s a point I make a lot, but unwanted bugs in the gut can influence your mood and vice versa.

As this condition affects millions of people, and there are very limited medical treatments, it is really important to understand more about the causes of IBS and to discover dietary and food supplement hacks to help ameliorate symptoms, so you can enjoy life to the fullest and not be dragged down by constant gut niggles.

Types of IBS you might have

Bowel Research UK found that somewhere between 10% and 20% of people may have IBS symptoms with one in 10 having symptoms that are so difficult to manage they need medical attention. Plus, the condition is twice as common in women than men.

There are four main categories of IBS symptoms that you might have. These symptoms can wax and wane and be caused by different things in different people:

IBS-D (Diarrhoea-predominant): Characterised by loose, watery stools and gut pain or discomfort. This IBS subset sends you dashing to the bathroom a few times a day, passing unformed stools much of the time (mushy, ‘cow pat’ or watery). Potential causes include parasites or bacterial infections, fructose intolerance (fruit and honey) or lactose intolerance (milk sugar in milk, yoghurt, cream and ice cream), or histamine intolerance (sensitivity to high histamine drinks and foods such as red wine, tomatoes, citrus fruits, avocado and spinach).
IBS-C (Constipation-predominant): Hard, lumpy stools and associated gut pain or bowel discomfort. You may feel that you never quite pass a full bowel movement, and you may need to pass stools several times each day to feel you have evacuated efficiently. Your stools may look like hard lumps stuck together, or ‘conker’ shaped balls. It can even look like tiny ‘sheep dropping’ type bowel movements. Contributing factors may include a lack of gastric juices, too alkaline stomach acid and low pancreatic elastase as well as slow motility due to hypermobility or slow peristalsis. It can also be due to dehydration and not enough dietary fibre as well as lack of exercise.
IBS-M (Mixed): You may alternate between loose stools and constipation, along with abdominal pain or discomfort. You could well experience days, weeks or months of one type of bowel movement and then switch to another type for no particular reason. This may be influenced by amoebic parasites such as Blastocystis hominis and Dientamoeba fragilis and symptoms can wax and wane depending on how active the parasite is at the time. It may also be part of a low-grade bowel inflammation picture, which has not progressed enough to warrant an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) diagnosis
IBS-U (Undefined): Symptoms are variable, and you probably do not fit neatly into the other categories. This subtype might look like stools which are very unpredictable and can be different in form, colour, smell or pain every time you go. If you can’t see a pattern in your bowel movements then consider IBS-U. Causes may include undiagnosed coeliac disease, food intolerances, anxiety and stress, overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, lower bowel dysbiosis, yeast overgrowth in the gut and chronic parasite infections. Sometimes IBS-U can come from the residual effects of treating amoebic parasites such as Giardia with antibiotics. It may be a temporary problem whilst the gut recovers from an operation or surgery.

Testing and remedies

There is no cure for IBS, but some things can improve your quality of life and to help we need to start by finding out what could be causing it.

You can use stool tests and food intolerance tests to find out specific triggers and underlying gut issues driving your symptoms. The NatureDoc clinical team offers testing to help pinpoint what is going on. Depending on the result, we will then create tailored health plans to help you manage things much better.

But in the meantime, here are some natural remedies you can try to soothe your IBS symptoms.

IBS-D (Diarrhoea-Predominant) If you have a looser type of stool you could benefit from adding live bacteria in your diet such as the ones in live yoghurt or kefir. Saccharomyces boulardii or Lactobacillus live bacteriastrains can help restore gut balance and reduce diarrhoea.

Gel binders are quite handy in reducing diarrhoea and discomfort. These attach to toxic metals, chemicals, and biotoxins to deliver them out of the digestive tract. Binder products containing polymethylsiloxane polyhydrate are available over the counter.

IBS-C (Constipation-Predominant) Magnesium supplements can help relax the muscles of the intestines and over time help with peristalsis and the migrating motor complex encouraging a more natural intestinal rhythm. Unless you are under the care of a professional practitioner, children should have no more than 280mg of magnesium a day and for adults it is more like 350mg per day. Magnesium citrate is the form of magnesium that helps people ‘go’ more easily.

Meanwhile, adding fibre to your diet could do wonders for the bowel. Fruits like prunes and kiwi fruit, which are high in fibre, can promote regular bowel movements. Adding flaxseeds to your diet in yoghurt, cereal or porridge can also help with bowel regularity.

Similar to IBS-D, adding live bacteria supplements could improve your gut health. Bacillus Coagulans is one strain that can help with achieving complete evacuation and fewer cramps, according to child studies tracking children with IBS-C. The bacillus species of gut bacteria also helps to make serotonin, and this helps to perk up the mood, as well as helping with bowel transit.

For IBS-M (Mixed) and IBS-U (Undefined) For IBS-M and IBS-U you may be able to reduce your gastric pain and spasms with home remedies such as slippery elm, marshmallow root, and aloe vera. They are very soothing and calming on the gut and see these as a way to ‘kiss the gut better’.

Similarly, herbal tea can also help reduce abdominal discomfort and improve your digestion. A study shows that peppermint reduces the severity of IBS pain, as it is antispasmodic. Ginger root found in drinks, teas and food has anti-inflammatory properties, and can potentially relieve IBS symptoms. Often people with these more complex and varied versions of IBS do need to seek one to one support to help stabilise things.

Diet changes

You can also make diet and lifestyle changes to reduce IBS symptoms, especially if there is considerable bloating, gas and pain. For example, try following a low FODMAP diet, which can help to relieve symptoms quite quickly for some people. Foods high in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) such as wheat, high lactose dairy (yoghurt, cream, ice cream), beans and pulses, garlic and onions can exacerbate symptoms. Research found that this diet reduces symptoms of IBS in up to 86% of people. This is only meant to be a short-term intervention for a few weeks, and it you feel relief from this diet, then seek out support from a NatureDoc practitioner to help enable you to reintroduce these foods without symptoms returning.

Small habits, like staying hydrated, will also improve your gut health too. Adding physical activities throughout the day will also reduce stress, a common trigger of IBS symptoms. This can include gentle options such as stretching, yoga, and light exercise. Other stress reduction techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and breathwork can help too.

Round up

IBS symptoms could become debilitating when left untreated and you can feel lousy. Guts Charity UK found that those people with IBS are twice as likely to take sick leave, with 12% stopping work altogether.

If you or your child are struggling with IBS symptoms, and you are keen to work out why, then diet and lifestyle changes can make quite a difference. If you would like to explore the triggers for your IBS episodes, then a gut microbiome test plus a food intolerance test could give you some insight. With this vital knowledge, our NatureDoc team of nutritional therapists and naturopaths will craft your health plans individually for you to rebuild better gut health.

For the time being, I hope that my natural remedies and lifestyle suggestions may relieve symptoms and help to improve your quality of life. Who else needs to know this information?

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