Irritable bowel syndrome natural therapy with vitamins, herbs, fiber and supplements info by Ray Sahelian, M.D. health food and healing information
Irritable bowel syndrome is a problem with the intestines. In people
with this condition, the intestines squeeze too hard or not hard
enough and cause food to move too quickly or too slowly. IBS is also called functional bowel
syndrome, irritable colon (the large intestine is also called the colon),
spastic bowel and spastic colon. It's not the same as inflammatory bowel
diseases like Crohn's disease.
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at increased
risk for migraine headache, depression or fibromyalgia.
Natural treatment for irritable bowel syndrome
by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Studies of some natural
alternatives have had promising results, but none are yet fully proven.
Thus far, research suggests that some nutrients may be beneficial in
reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in certain individuals. These nutrients include
artichoke leaf extract, psyllium fiber,
turmeric or curcumin,
fish oils, and certain probiotics. Food allergy elimination should also be tried.
Artichoke leaf extract has been studied for this condition
Artichoke leaf extract reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and
improves quality of life in otherwise healthy volunteers suffering from
concomitant dyspepsia: a subset analysis.
J Altern Complement Med. 2004.
Does artichoke leaf
extract lessen symptoms of Irritable
bowel syndrome in otherwise healthy volunteers suffering concomitant dyspepsia?
A subset analysis of a previous dose-ranging, open, postal study, in
adults suffering dyspepsia. Two hundred and eight (208) adults were identified
post hoc as suffering with irritable bowel
syndrome. Irritable bowel
syndrome incidence, self-reported usual bowel pattern, and the Nepean
Dyspepsia Index (NDI) were compared before and after a 2-month intervention
period. There was a significant fall in
irritable bowel syndrome incidence of 26% after treatment. A significant shift in
self-reported usual bowel pattern away from "alternating constipation / diarrhea"
toward "normal" was observed. NDI total symptom score significantly decreased by
41% after treatment. Similarly, there was a significant 20% improvement in the
NDI total quality-of-life score in the subset after treatment.
Artichoke leaf extract reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in a
post-marketing surveillance study.
Phytother Res. 2001.
A sub-group of patients with IBS
symptoms was identified from a sample of individuals with dyspeptic
syndrome who were being monitored in a post-marketing surveillance study of
artichoke leaf extract for 6 weeks. There were reductions in the severity of
symptoms. The vast majority of patients rated artichoke leaf extract as
better than or at least equal to previous therapies administered for their
symptoms, and the tolerability was very good.
Fish oils or eating fish could be of help
While you increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, decrease your intake of
fast foods, sweets, and simple carbohydrates.
Serum fatty
acid profile in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome.
Scand J Gastroenterol. 2010. Department of Medical Biochemistry, University
of Tampere, Finland.
We wanted to investigate subjects with IBS for signs of disturbed intestinal
absorption of fatty acids, as reflected in serum composition. Material and
methods. Serum samples were obtained from 32 adults with IBS, and from 59
controls. Serum fatty acids were analyzed by capillary gas-liquid
chromatography. Results. Especially the proportions of arachidonic acid (20:4
n-6) and the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 family
docosapentaenoic acid (22:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3) were
decreased in subjects with IBS. The proportions of unsaturated and
monounsaturated fatty acids were generally increased in IBS compared to
controls. Although organic disease has been ruled out in patients with IBS, they
presented signs of inadequate supply of long-chain fatty acids. Supplementation
with n-3 fatty acids may be implicated.
Peppermint oil
Enteric-coated peppermint-oil capsules in the treatment of irritable bowel
syndrome: a prospective, randomized trial.
J Gastroenterol. 1997.
To determine the efficacy and tolerability of an enteric-coated
peppermint-oil formulation (Colpermin), we conducted a prospective, randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in 110 outpatients (66 men/44
women; 18-70 years of age) with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Patients
took one capsule (Colpermin or placebo) three to four times daily, 15-30 min
before meals, for 1 month. Thus, in this trial, Colpermin was effective and well
tolerated.
Probiotic supplements
There is now increasing evidence linking
alterations in the gastrointestinal bacteria and IBS.
A "probiotic" preparation containing the beneficial microbe Bifidobacterium infantis relieves symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. In contrast, treatment with another probiotic microbe, Lactobacillus salivarius, appears to have no effect. Previous studies of probiotic preparations have been small and yielded inconsistent results. For the current study, 75 irritable bowel syndrome patients were randomly assigned to take L. salivarius or B. infantis mixed in a malted milk drink or the malted milk drink alone every morning for 8 weeks. Patients kept track of their symptoms on diary cards collected weekly for analysis. The B. infantis mixture was better than the malted drink alone at reducing overall symptoms, abdominal pain and discomfort, and bloating. In contrast, the L. salivarius mixture was no better than the malted drink alone in reducing symptoms. The investigators point out that the symptom relief achieved with B. infantis was comparable to that seen with Zelnorm (tegaserod) and Lotronex (alosetron), two drugs that have been recently approved for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology, 2005.
Email - I just thought you might be interested that after a year or more of suffering with irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, I tried probiotics and in two weeks have suffered no further symptoms.
Psyllium fiber should be tried
Psyllium is rich in dietary fiber, a common and effective treatment for constipation. A recent study tried to determine the effectiveness of increasing the dietary content of soluble fiber or insoluble fiber in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. The trial included 275 patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years with IBS who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: The first received daily supplements of soluble fiber (10 grams of psyllium), the second group received insoluble fiber (10g bran), and the third group received placebo (10g rice flour) for three months. Patients who supplements with psyllium experienced a 90 point reduction in the severity of their symptoms, which was almost double the levels observed in the placebo group. There was a reduction in the severity of symptoms in the group assigned bran, but this group experienced a high level of early drop-out following a worsening of IBS symptoms. It appears that adding soluble fiber to the diet may improve symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome, but insoluble fiber may worsen the effects at least temporarily. Soluble or insoluble fibre in irritable bowel syndrome in primary care? Randomised placebo controlled trial. BMJ. 2009.
Fiber testimonial
I suffered with IBS since childhood. A GI doc suggested eating a one cup
bowl of Fiber One or All Bran daily. Half cup didn't work for me. It
worked within about 6 days. I ate this daily for 6 years, rain or shine.
Brought it with me on vacation. Then one day got very , very weary of
Fiber One and I actually prayed for a different way! My answer.....
Calcium / Magnesium blend tablets after thinking about how much they
helped my menstrual cramps. I used Nature Made brand initially. I took 2
in the morning, 2 with dinner. My son has this same issue since early
childhood, and when I discovered the calcium / magnesium trick, I gave
it to him and he has no trouble unless he skips it.
Turmeric or curcumin
Turmeric extract may improve irritable
bowel syndrome symptomology in otherwise healthy adults: a pilot study.
J Altern Complement Med. 2004.
To assess the effects of turmeric (Curcuma longa) extract on
irritable bowel syndrome symptomology in otherwise healthy adults. Design:
Partially blinded, randomized, two-dose, pilot study. Subjects: Five hundred
(500) volunteers were screened for irritable bowel syndrome using the Rome II criteria. Two hundred
and seven (207) suitable volunteers were randomized. Interventions: One or two
tablets of a standardized turmeric extract taken daily for 8 weeks. Outcomes
measures: irritable bowel syndrome prevalence, symptom-related quality of life and
self-reported effectiveness. Results: irritable bowel syndrome prevalence decreased significantly in
both groups between screening and baseline (41% and 57%), with a further
significant drop of 53% and 60% between baseline and after treatment, in the
one- and two-tablet groups respectively. A post-study analysis revealed
abdominal pain/discomfort score reduced significantly by 22% and 25% in the one-
and two-tablet group respectively, the difference tending toward significance.
There were significant improvements in all bar one of the irritable bowel
syndrome quality of life scales of between 5% and 36% in both groups,
approximately two thirds of all subjects reported an improvement in symptoms
after treatment, and there was a favorable shift in self-reported bowel pattern.
There were no significant differences between groups. Conclusions: Turmeric may
help reduce irritable bowel syndrome symptomology. Placebo
controlled trials are now warranted to confirm these findings.
Iberogast is a combination of several medicinal herbal extracts that has shown some early promise.
St. John's wort herb not
effective
A Mayo Clinic research study published in the January 2010 issue of the American
Journal of Gastroenterology finds that St. John's wort herb is not an effective
natural treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
I have heard some reports of people taking yacon to help with dealing with irritable bowel
syndrome
symptoms. Is there any research with yacon and
this condition?
I have not come across any research regarding irritable bowel
syndrome and yacon. A Medline search was done with these words and no research
studies came up.
Advice from the American
Dietetic Association
Create a schedule for meals, and stick to it.
Instead of three large meals, eat smaller meals throughout the day.
Chew your food carefully and eat slowly.
Eat foods high in fiber, such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
Drink plenty of water, while avoiding caffeine and alcohol.
Symptom
Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms — crampy
abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.
Irritable bowel syndrome diet
It's difficult to come up with a
diet that would work in most people with
irritable bowel syndrome. However, consider making some of the following diet
changes: cut back on sugar, cut back on dairy products, especially milk, and
consider eliminating certain foods.
People with
irritable bowel syndrome have high levels of antibodies that indicate they are
allergic to common foods like wheat, beef, pork, and lamb. The idea of food
allergy as a cause is supported by studies that systematically eliminated
certain dietary components and then reintroduced them to see how symptoms were
affected. In one study, researchers compared levels of antibodies to common
foods in 108 patients with irritable bowel syndrome and a comparison group of 43
unaffected "control" subjects. As well as the antibody measurements, the
researchers also conducted skin prick testing to 16 common foods including milk,
eggs, cheese, wheat, rice, potatoes, various meats, and soya beans. Antibody
levels to wheat, beef, pork, lamb and soya beans were significantly higher in
IBS patients, and tended to be higher for egg yolk and egg white. However,
there was no significant correlation between symptom severity and frequency and
antibody levels. Nonetheless, the researchers note that elevated levels of
food-specific antibodies have been seen in asthma, which suggests there could be
a similar process going on in irritable bowel syndrome. American Journal
of Gastroenterology, 2005.
Irritable bowel syndrome treatment
Many people turn to natural treatments to relieve irritable bowel
syndrome symptoms because there is no one treatment for irritable bowel syndrome
that works for everyone.
Cause of irritable bowel syndrome
Scientists have yet to pinpoint the exact cause of irritable bowel
syndrome, but food allergies are one possibility. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition causing
constipation or diarrhea (or sometimes both, cyclically), cramping and
generalized gut discomfort. Because no clear physical cause has been discovered,
it has been thought that stress and mental disorders play a role.
People who experience high levels of stress and anxiety appear to
be more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome following a severe gastric or
intestinal infection.
Rotating shift work can wreak havoc with bodily functions such as
sleep and bowel movements. Rotating work schedules may also increase risk for
this bowel condition. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2010.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) does seem to run in families. People
with IBS were three times as likely as people without the condition to have a
relative who also had the disorder. The American Journal of Gastroenterology,
2010.
Individuals with allergies are more likely to have irritable bowel
syndrome than do those without allergies. People with allergic conditions such
as hay fever, eczema, and asthma are more likely than other patients to have
IBS. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 2008.
A serious bout with a stomach bug can raise a child's risk of having irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS) later on. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2010.
Irritable bowel syndrome and
pelvic pain
Researchers have observed in rats that acute irritation of the urinary
bladder leads to increased sensitivity in the colorectum, and conversely,
irritation of the colorectum leads to sensitization of the urinary bladder.
There appears to be neural cross-talk and bidirectional cross-sensitization of
the colon and lower urinary tract. This cross-sensitization may account for the
substantial overlap of chronic pelvic pain disorders. Irritable bowel syndrome
and interstitial cystitis are two very common clinical conditions that affect
primarily women of reproductive age. While these two conditions are often
treated as separate entities, in actuality, as many as 40% of women suffer from
both conditions.