According to NHS data, up to 1 in 5 people in the UK develop irritable bowel syndrome...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Today irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut disorder.

According to NHS data, up to 1 in 5 people in the UK develop IBS at some stage in their life. The synonym for IBS is allergic colitis, which makes the principal management of the condition the management of food sensitivities.

Symptoms can be quite variable and intermittent and include abdominal pain, bloating, bouts of diarrhoea or constipation, headaches, belching, poor appetite and heartburn. Craving and eating a specific food more than 3 times per week may indicate a sensitivity to that food.

Today’s western diet varies greatly from our ancestors’ diet. Stone Age people would eat everything that they could catch or find that was edible. This all led to unavoidable variety, freshness (as there was no refrigeration) and only seasonal exposure to fruits and vegetables. Today’s diet includes high fats, sugars and refined carbohydrates together with low fibre and frequent repetition of the same foods, which may all contribute to IBS.

Also, our ancestors dealt primarily with stressful conditions relating to temporary, physical threatened violence from other species and the need for ‘fight or flight’ responses. Today most of our stresses are perhaps from our own thoughts and may continue over an extended period of time.

Many of today’s stresses often relate to:

• Stressful conditions at work, with deadlines to meet
• Many worries from life events, such as death of a family member
• Divorce
• Financial problems due to house moving and increasing mortgages
• A new member of the family
• A change of job or redundancy
• A worrying nature

In such circumstances there can be diarrhoea and increased motility of the large intestine, or slowed motility of the small intestine and occasionally confusion between these in the function of the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes a tonic bowel and constipation will develop.

In this case the treatment programmes for constipation should be followed, in particular, high doses of pantothenic acid, potassium, magnesium and folic acid, together with fibre.

How Breakspear Hospital can help people

Understanding IBS may help you to be less anxious about the condition, which may help to ease the symptoms.

Some people with IBS find that one or more foods can trigger symptoms, or make symptoms worse (food intolerance or sensitivity). The commonest food intolerances that cause symptoms in the UK are:

• wheat
• dairy products
• coffee (and other caffeine-rich drinks)
• potatoes
• corn
• onions

At Breakspear Hospital, we use a food (and other allergies) management technique called antigen-specific low-dose immunotherapy (also referred to as provocation/neutralisation) to test and reduce allergic and sensitivity reactions.

Along with changes in diet, we will recommend supplementation to provide gastrointestinal support, which is essential when dealing with IBS. A daily dose of psyllium, which is a natural, water-soluble, gel-producing fibre extracted from the husks of blond psyllium seeds, wheat bran and linseed powder may be beneficial.

Herbal supplements including evening primrose oil, peppermint, fennel, wormwood, chamomile and various other natural digestive tract stimulators may also help.

We also perform lactose tolerance tests, bacterial overgrowth breath tests, urinary organic acid and stool analysis to allow our experts to get a clear picture of how your body is dealing with food. Gut motility is often under the control of the autonomic nervous system and can be affected by any disease in which the autonomic nervous system is imbalanced, such as stress-related conditions and chronic fatigue syndrome.

If you are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, make an appointment for a consultation with a Breakspear physician and find out which changes in diet, supplementation and treatment programmes may be best for you.