Overcoming Irritable Bowel Syndrome -

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - a.k.a. IBS, Mucous Colitis, Spastic Colon, Intestinal Neurosis. Pretty common in younger women.

Symptoms - Abdominal cramping, diarrhea and constipation (alternating), gas/bloating, nausea, vomiting.

It was my sophomore year of college and I was truly enjoying the college life - that is, when my stomach was under control. One day I'd be buckled over due to constipation, and the next day, well you probably already guessed it, I couldn't stop going. What made this situation so difficult is that it would happen at the most inopportune times (if there was an opportune time). For example, a trip to the amusement park could pretty much assure that I'd have a problem in the morning. Too much excitement always led to my having a problem. Stressful situations such as exam time would also send my stomach into a tizzy. Oh yes, and travel would also almost ensure a bout or episode of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

As I stated, I first really recognized the problem in college, although looking back, I can remember it starting as early as junior high. While on spring break of my sophomore year, I went to see my doctor. He was a devout vegetarian and he immediately determined that red meat/ pork were the culprits and convinced me to stay away from them. From that time on (and even now), I stopped eating red meat and pork and ate only poultry and fish. For a while this seemed to help the problem and I thought that I'd found the solution.

Two years out of college the problem flared up again. Because I was working, this became a real problem. It was especially difficult because I was teaching. I'd be in the middle of a lecture and in desparate need of going to the bathroom. This time the doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist (doctor who deals with digestive problems). The first thought was possibly Chrohn's disease (which can be somewhat serious) or colitis. In order to be sure, they scheduled me for a sigmoidoscopy (a procedure in which a tube is inserted in the rectum in order for the physician to get a full and complete view of the rectum and the colon - not a very comfortable procedure).

Praise God it was not Chrohn's disease or colitis. The doctor asked me to come into his office and he told me the diagnosis was "spastic colon" or "irritable bowel syndrome". I'd never heard of it and began to do some reading on my own.

The interesting thing is that at that time there was not a lot of information available about irritable bowel (known as IBS). Now I see commercials on about medications and treatments all of the time. From my reading/studies I quickly learned that both my diet and emotional well being had a major effect upon the onset of IBS episodes.

I now consider myself to be free of IBS, have been for about 8 years. Having been diagnosed with it about 15+ years ago, here are some tips that helped me become cured.

1. Determine what your "trigger foods" are. What did you eat 24 hours or so before the IBS episode? For me trigger foods were whole grain cereals, cow milk (I now drink only almond, soy and/or rice milk) or products made with cow's milk, coffee, eggs, orange or apple juice, and processed meats. Once you determine what are your trigger foods, it's simple - stay away from them! Eliminate them from your diet. Find substitutes and refuse to compromise. Don't say, "I can eat it just this one time", it's just not worth it. I also believe that your stomach/colon are strengthened when you minimize the number of IBS episodes that you have thus leading to your being free of IBS.

It is also vitally important that you eat a well balanced diet. Be sure to include lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. Eating a lot of junk food and fast food is sure to keep your stomach and colon out of whack.

2. Try not to eat large meals. Eating 4-5 or so small meals will really help aid in your digestion and thus cut down on the number of IBS episodes you experience.

3. Consider fiber therapy and drink plenty of water. If you are constipated drink fiber with 8-10 ounces of water, followed by 8-10 more glasses of water throughout the day. Water will help rid you of constipation and help keep you regular. If you have diarrhea, take fiber with only 4 ounces of water. This will help to tighten up your bowels. Some products to consider are Citrucel and/or FiberCon.

3. The most important advice I can give you is to control/manage stress in your life. This is one of the biggest triggers for IBS attacks.

I read a book once that stated that most IBS sufferers were perfectionists, people pleasers and extremely ambitious types. The conclusion is that you need to "lighten up". It also went further to explain that IBS sufferers typically had a parent that was an alcoholic or drug addict and/or they came from a broken home. I don't know how true all of this is, but their conclusion was that the person may have practiced tightening their stomach muscles as a result of lots of stress.

Whether the books findings are true or not, I know that both good and bad stress were triggers for me. First I learned to manage my eating when under stress (i.e. traveling and/or going for a job interview, etc). I found foods that were "safe foods" for me and I'd eat them while on the road or the morning before the interview. Some safe foods for me are nuts (pistachio, peanuts, cashews, etc.), simple soups (nothing with a cream base), toast, and crackers with peanut butter. This simply means that I mostly "snack" instead of eating a full meal when facing stressful situations.

A change in my spiritual life truly brought about my healing/cure from IBS. I came to peace with a lot of things from my childhood and came to an acceptance of who I was. This was vitally important and as I stated was probably the main catalyst in my coming to a point of healing.

4. An exercise routine such as walking, bicycling, etc. will also help in the management of IBS. Of course we know that it helps with stress, but I also believe that it helps in the regulation of the bowel (although I'm not a doctor). Don't overlook this step. You'd be surprised how much it will help. I especially enjoy walking outdoors even on cold days. I just enjoy my surroundings and it helps me to relax and I even pray while I walk.

5. If someone hasn't experienced IBS they don't know how debilitating it can really be. You know when you're about to experience an episode so deal with it immediately. At the onset try drinking a cup of tea (some that have worked for me are peppermint, chamomile and ginger teas), or take a nice relaxing walk. You may also want to try a warm compress on the belly, and/or take peppermint oil mixed with olive oil and massage or gently rub it onto your belly. A nice relaxing bath or hot shower will also help. I've also had wonderful results with taking 15-20 minutes to just stretch (it especially helps to stretch the stomach and abdomen area and hold the stretch).

It also helped for me to get somewhere and be still. After stretching or taking a walk, grab you a cup of tea and lie down with a good, relaxing movie until the threat of an IBS attack passes.