Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, has no one known cause and is a symptom-based diagnosis relating to poor digestion. It is believed to affect between 10 and 20 percent of the adult population in England and is the most common gastrointestinal disorder. IBS sufferers experience, among other symptoms:
- abdominal cramping
- urgency in bowel movements
- bloating
- predominate diarrhea or constipation or both
- chronic fatigue
IBS sufferers may find help through osteopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, massage, herbal medicine and nutritional advice, all available at Well4ever.
Western medicine is unclear as of yet what causes IBS but it is believed to be a combination of factors, such as a lack of healthy bacteria in the gut, hypersensitivity to foods, the past experience/s of an infection in the gut and tends to coincides with high levels of anxiety, depression and stress.
Living with IBS can be frustrating and difficult, but there are ways to manage and reduce its impact. Experimenting with your diet to see which foods are easiest to digest can be helpful, as well as keeping a food diary. Many natural health care treatments, which consider the entire body and its interconnected functions can help treat IBS from the source.
For instance, acupuncture may be able to identify underlying health imbalances that conventional medicine cannot, such as a blockage of qi or deficiency in yin or yang or unsuitable and inflammatory dietary habits. (For more information on a Chinese medicine perspective on IBS, see here. Osteopathy and chiropractic may help relieve pain caused by IBS and reduce susceptibility to spasms by reducing tension in the abdominal area, diminishing swelling and and stimulating blood flow to the relevant bodily parts. IBS may be triggered by emotional stress in which case talking to a counsellor may also help.