Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS – irritable bowel syndrome – is often diagnosed when a person has recurring episodes of abdominal bloating and pain, often accompanied by diarrhoea and/or constipation, without any identified cause.  

Please note that if you have these symptoms and have not been diagnosed, it is advisable to see your doctor to rule out any other conditions.

...Read more /> If you have been diagnosed with IBS, it can be difficult to know where to turn for help.  The symptoms can affect your life significantly, yet you may just be told that you will have to “live with it”.  Yet there are things you can do to help yourself.  

First of all, it can be helpful to try to identify possible causes or “contributing factors” to your symptoms, which may include:

•    Stress: a single stressful life event, or chronic stress in any form
•    Use of certain medications including antibiotics that may destroy our “good” gut bacteria (do not stop taking prescribed medications without your doctor's agreement)
•    An unidentified infection of the colon – by a parasites, for example – or overgrowth of certain “bad” bacteria or yeasts in the digestive tract
•    Low stomach acid, or reduced secretion of digestive enzymes (that help to break down our food) from the pancreas or the intestinal wall
•    Food intolerances (which may also be a result of any of the above) – common culprits are wheat and dairy foods.  
•    Consuming too many hard-to-digest or “irritating” foods/drinks such as red meats, dairy foods, heavily spiced foods, sugary foods, coffee or alcohol; even nuts can be a problem for some people
•    Eating too little or too much fibre, especially in the form of wheat or wheat-based cereals or breads
•    Eating when not hungry, or too late in the evening
•    Not chewing your food properly

As it may be difficult to identify a cause on your own, it is often worth seeing a nutritional therapist on a one-to-one basis, who will be able to help you by looking for common triggers in your diet, medical history or lifestyle, and/or referring you for stool tests or food intolerance tests if necessary.  Basic food intolerance tests can also be done without seeing a therapist, if you feel that this is a likely cause.

Once a possible cause has been identified, this should indicate the next step towards solving the problem.  For example if stress is an issue, you can take steps to reduce stress in your life; if you think that eating wheat causes problems, you may want to find alternative foods to replace wheat, with the help of a nutritional therapist if required.

There are also supplements that may help to relieve the symptoms of IBS.  These can include probiotics (“good” bacteria), digestive enzyme supplements, peppermint oil capsules, artichoke capsules or tablets, or chamomile capsules.  Herbal teas can also be helpful – try chamomile, peppermint or fennel.

The products on this page have been selected by the Nutri Centre nutritionists.  To find the right choices for you, or if you are on any prescription medication, please give our nutritionists a call on 0207 436 5122.  

Disclaimer

All content of this website is for information only.  Our service is not intended to replace your usual healthcare professional.