Natural Remedies for IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) www.carusohomeopathy.com
Hi! My name is Heather Caruso and I wanted to talk today about Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBF. I am a Homeopath from Guelph Ontario, Canada. I think a lot of people suffer from IBF needlessly. Some of the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or the alternation between diarrhea and constipation; cramps and spasm as well. The consistency of the stool can contain mucus, undigested food, be very watery, although the opposite direction is completely constipated.
Some of the causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are food sensitivities, an imbalance of good and bad bacteria, and we always do have good and bad bacteria in our intestinal tract. But if the bad bacteria is given the opportunity to overgrow, it will - if it's feed the right things, these bad bacteria can cause a lot of problems with gas; it can irritate the lining of the intestinal tract, make it a little inflamed. It can cause diarrhea, cramps and those sorts of things as well as constipation. So we want to make sure, we have a balance of both the good and bad bacteria.
A poor diet also causes irritable bowel, not enough fiber in the diet, eating foods like refined carbohydrates, sugar and that sort of thing, all the good stuff; anything moldy as well if you drink a lot of wine, or eat a lot of cheese sometimes that mold can feed bad bacteria. Sugary products like sweets, candies, baked goods as well yeasty things, like eating too much bread and beer will affect it as well. If you do enjoy those foods, it's best to have them definitely in moderation, if not avoid them.
So for food sensitivities; some people have food sensitivities, and they can be tested for them. There is a couple of different tests. There is a particular blood test that can check for immune reactions in the blood. There is electrodermal screening that some people like to do. There's a variety of things that you can do at the clinic to test for food sensitivities. Food allergies are a different test that you might like to get done by your doctor. But sensitivities give different types of symptoms. There's not an immune complement per se the blood. There's a more variation in the symptoms that you will see, such as an irritable stomach that kind of thing. It doesn't have to be full on anaphylactic shock to be sensitive to a food.
You can also supplement yourself by taking a good quality probiotic, it should be one that's kept in the fridge, that contains Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus acid- ophilus; these good flora help to displace bad bacteria that might overgrow. A lot of people feel really well when they take them. It's good to make sure you do get a fridge variety. If you get one that's just on the shelf, it might not be a live culture.
Also fish oil has got a lot of press to do with helping with irritable bowel syndrome. It helps to reduce inflammation in the system, and it helps to heal the lining of the intestinal tract. EPA, in the fish oil is anti-inflammatory as well. It has other healthful properties. It's good for cardiovascular health, it's good for skin. It's good all round for most people to take. So if you can take fish oil. If you can get in a 1000 EPA per day, that helps reduce the inflammation. But if you can't digest fats very well sometimes, you'll some burping of the fish oil, you can get an enteric coated one that releases in the intestinal tract.
There's more information about irritable bowel syndrome on my website. Go to www.carusohomeopathy.com and you can also look for my book called "Your Drug-Free Guide to Digestive Health" and it's a handbook of homeopathic, dietary and other natural remedies for common digestive disorders. In the book, you will find -- you can look up any digestive disorder like Acid Reflux, Crohn's colitis, irritable bowel, ulcers, Candida, food allergies, and it will give recommendations for what diets are good, what supplements, all natural remedies and you can find that on my website as well.
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