IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the importance of Digestive Enzymes

The only digestive enzymes that really work!

Minerals

IBS

Relief & Treatment

It’s not surprising that no “cure” has been found for IBS since it seems to be a collection of syndromes with a number of contributing causes. The first step in treating IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) may be close monitoring of the symptoms, your daily habits, and any other factors that may affect gastrointestinal function. It is strongly advised to work closely with a health care provider though many sufferers simply endure the symptoms because of embarrassment. A variety of symptom related treatments and therapies are available and they can be utilized and combined to effectively reduce the pain and intestinal distress

and to effectively “manage” IBS.

Dietary modification
People with IBS commonly describe food intolerances and, for many people, careful eating reduces IBS symptoms. Before changing your diet, the systematic elimination of particular foods can be helpful to determine the relationship between the food and symptoms. Keeping a record of food intake and discomfort can help you make effective changes to your diet. The danger in eliminating foods in a nonsystematic way is that it can erroneously lead people to eliminate important sources of nutrition from their diet. In addition, unnecessary dietary restrictions can further worsen the quality of life in patients who already have enough to cope with.

Many doctors recommend the temporary elimination of dairy products since lactose intolerance is common and can cause symptoms similar to IBS or aggravate IBS. People who avoid lactose should take dietary calcium supplements. Several foods are only partially digested in the intestines. When they reach the colon, further digestion takes place by bacteria, which produce gas as a byproduct of their digestion. As a result, these foods can cause gas and cramps. The most common are the legumes (such as beans) and cruciferous vegetables (i.e., vegetables that have a cross at their base) such as cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. In addition, some patients have trouble with onions, celery, carrots, raisins, bananas, apricots, prunes, sprouts, and wheat. An effective plant-based digestive enzyme supplement can help with the first stages of digestion and probiotics can insure the bacterial balance necessary to complete digestion.

High-fiber diets keep the colon mildly distended, which may help prevent spasms. Some forms of fiber also keep water in the stool, thereby preventing hard stools that are difficult to pass. Doctors usually recommend a diet with enough fiber to produce soft, painless bowel movements. High-fiber diets may cause gas and bloating, but these symptoms often go away within a few weeks as your body adjusts. Whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables are good sources of fiber but are not always convenient. Fiber supplements and high fiber meal replacers can be used in these cases.

Drinking six to eight glasses of plain water a day is important, especially if you have diarrhea. Drinking carbonated beverages, such as sodas, may result in gas and cause discomfort. Chewing gum and eating too quickly can lead to swallowing air, which again leads to gas. Also, large meals can cause cramping and diarrhea so eating smaller meals more often or eating smaller portions should help IBS symptoms. It may also help if your meals are low in fat and high in vegetables, fruits and complex carbohydrates such as whole grain breads and cereals.

Stress management
Worry, anxiety and other mental stress are major components in many IBS attacks. If possible, identify and avoid stressors that make your IBS symptoms worse. Making time to relax and spend quiet time alone can be therapeutic and rejuvenating. Yoga and meditation have been used for thousands of years to reduce stress. It is important to prioritize your daily tasks and not to overload your schedule. Besides improving your overall health, regular exercise can provide benefits that are especially valuable to people with IBS. It can help decrease feelings of stress and may help simulate rhythmic contractions of your intestines.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the intestines. Symptoms usually include abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea. It affects women three times more often than men. In this syndrome, the gastrointestinal tract is especially sensitive to many stimuli. Stress, diet, drugs, hormones, or minor irritants may cause the gastrointestinal tract to react abnormally.

Periods of stress and emotional conflict that cause depression or anxiety frequently exacerbate episodes of irritable bowel syndrome. During an episode, most of which occur during the waking hours, the contractions of the gastrointestinal tract become stronger and more frequent, and the resulting rapid transit of food and feces through the small intestine often leads to diarrhea. Crampy pain seems to result from the strong contractions of the large intestine and increased sensitivity of the pain receptors in the large intestine.

A physical examination by a physician often may not reveal anything unusual in an IBS sufferer, except maybe some tenderness over the large intestine. IBS is normally only diagnosed through extensive testing which can be frustrating to the patient looking for an answer. Proper diet along with enzyme supplements can often play a part in relieving IBS.

Lack of the proper digestive enzymes adds stress to the body. This stress usually comes in the form of:
1.) your body not being able to digest food properly and receive the nutrient value from food;
2.) your immune system becoming depressed handling the stress of not only the digestive disorder, but also the mental anguish;
3.) your gastrointestinal tract reacting to the toxins which then can leave the damaged intestinal tract and enter the blood stream in the form of undigested foods which are distributed throughout the body.

Taking supplemental enzymes to aid in the digestion of food, enhance the capability of the immune system, and help eliminate the toxins in the body can be an excellent way to relieve IBS symptoms. Some form of stress relieving activity must be sought for the IBS sufferer. The diet must also be closely monitored to not include too many starches, fats, red meat or dairy products, and include good sources of protein, fresh vegetables and some fruits. Regular physical activity is also very important to keep the gastrointestinal tract functioning normally.

NOTE: The following suggestions are based on the clinical experience gathered from the Enzyme Therapy Clinic, operated by Transformation Enzyme Corp. in Houston, Texas, and from other clinical observations Transformation Enzyme Corp. has compiled from its associated health care practitioners who utilize enzyme therapy as part of their treatment regimens. Both Transformation Enzyme Corp. and Enzyme Essentials, LLC, do not purport to diagnose disease nor do we have, or claim to have, knowledge of your medical history or your current medical condition. Therefore, we don't know, nor claim to know, if the digestive enzymes discussed here are applicable or appropriate to your current situation. We recommend that you seek the care and advice of a health care professional and that the information provided here be shared with that health care professional should you decide to act on any of this information.