Melbourne Holistic Health Group

Published in Articles - Digestive Health on 31 October 2011 by Melbourne Holistic Health Group

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and prevalent disorder that can be impacted upon by many different factors. Food sensitivities are thought to contribute to the development of IBS and repeatedly we see food triggering and perpetuating symptoms for our patients who often report that bloating, abdominal pain, flatulence and cramping worsen after eating. Not surprisingly, naturopaths at MHHG see a large number of people with the problem, and food restriction is integral in the initial management of IBS, to assist in controlling the painful and unpleasant symptoms of IBS, and in some cases, to reduce their incidence. It is important to remember; however, that not all people who suffer from IBS will have food intolerances as a component of their condition.

Sometimes people coming to us for help already know that when they eat certain foods, that their symptoms worsen. Others cannot pinpoint particular foods and suffer IBS symptoms almost constantly. These symptoms may be caused by food sensitivities (intolerances) or food allergies. Food intolerances, unlike allergies, do not provoke the immune system, but rather cause a functional disturbance in the gut that causes symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain and cramping as well as bowel irregularity such as constipation and loose stools and in some cases, fluctuations between constipation and diarrhoea. Examples of common foods which can cause intolerances include lactose, the sugar found in milk, fructose, the sugar found in many fruits and some vegetable; and to proteins found in wheat. Your naturopath will help you discover foods which are likely to be implicated.

When treating someone with IBS, our naturopaths carefully examine the patient’s current diet and assist them to identify the likely dietary triggers that exacerbate the IBS symptoms. Foods that provoke these hypersensitive responses in 1 person, don’t necessarily provoke any response in another IBS sufferer and the identification of trigger foods needs to be assessed on an individual basis. Finding all dietary triggers can be relatively straightforward, or can take some time depending on the complexity and extent of the problem. In some cases, your naturopath will ask you to keep a diet and symptom diary that will be analysed for a more thorough assessment of the likely triggers of your symptoms. Once identified, if the IBS sufferer reduces or eliminates those foods and follows the individualized dietary and lifestyle advice given by our naturopaths, it is common for symptoms to greatly improve, if not disappear altogether. Your naturopath may also suggest foods that help to regulate digestive function and bowel movements.
Our naturopaths will be happy to assist you if you suffer from IBS and provide you with dietary, lifestyle and supplement advice if necessary, to assist with managing the problem.

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• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - Indroduction 
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Stress 
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Probiotics
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