Irritable Bowel Syndrome Causes and Treatments

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1 Irritable Bowel Syndrome Causes and Treatments Oh heck. Gas, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhea, food cravings and abdominal pain. Your symptoms may be significant and cause you embarrassment and impact your ability to live the way you want to. What on earth is going on? Frustratingly, there may not be obvious lab or imaging test results to explain your symptoms. But clearly your gastrointestinal tract isn t functioning as it should, and it could very well be Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). How does IBS develop? IBS can be triggered by what we call Leaky Gut Syndrome. Basically the lovely lining in our gut that works to keep bad bacteria out of our bloodstream breaks down and stops functioning as it should. When that happens, our immune system kicks into high gear, resulting in inflammation everywhere, and making the gut an unhappy place. IBS can also be caused by the overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut, which produce huge amounts of gas as they break down your food. This results in that awful bloating feeling that so often accompanies IBS. [blockquote text= Stress has also been shown to lower the levels of the protective bacteria in our gut. text_color= #00a9de title_tag= h6 width= line_height= undefined background_color= border_color= show_quote_icon= yes quote_icon_color= #00a9de quote_icon_size= ]

2 And stress. Stress activates cortisol overproduction. When our fight or flight state switches on, blood shunts away from our gastrointestinal tract, meaning it stops digesting food properly. Stress has also been shown to lower the levels of the protective bacteria in our gut. In addition, chronic stress impairs slga, the antibody that lines the GI tract and maintains the immune function that wards off illnesses. When our immune function is compromised, our bodies get confused by what to fight off an infectious bug vs. a food protein, let say. This means we can develop food sensitivities. (To be clear, a food sensitivity fires up because of the compromised immune system. It s not the food causing the problem really it s the immune system s response to that food. So often a food sensitivity is an indication that the gut itself is in a bit of a mess and needs treatment.) Underlying Causes of IBS IBS can be partially identified through breath tests (one that measures the amount of gas being produced by bad bacteria in your gut and another that measures the presence of h.pylori bacteria which can also cause IBS) and/or a urine test (that measures water-soluble toxins produced by the metabolic process). There is an array of potential triggers, and my job is to discover during a thorough health history and physical exam what is happening for you individually and how we can change things. Common underlying causes of IBS include: gastrointestinal infections

3 dysbiosis (bacterial or fungal overgrowth in your gastrointestinal tract), specifically SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth) low stomach acid levels too many processed, refined and packaged foods food sensitivities and allergies stress medications including antibiotics, oral contraceptives, NSAIDS (ibuprofen, naproxen), antacids and anti-reflux meds excess coffee (more than two cups a day) alcohol and smoking Treating IBS With so many influences, often more than one comes into play when addressing the root cause of a patient s IBS. I create a strategy for change that encompasses the deciding factors in partnership with the patient. A whole-foods diet, minimized medication use, positive lifestyle choices and stress management are key. I may also recommend: Blood and stool tests for infection in the stomach and/or large intestine Addressing food allergies An antibiotic (rifaximin) that specifically targets the GI tract Probiotics I use only high quality, professional-grade probiotics that do not contain FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) Digestive enzymes Supplements including glutamine, fish oil, zinc and vitamin A IBS is complex, but we can find achievable ways to get your gut and you! functioning better.

4 The Gastrointestinal Tract The Centre of Your Health Let s talk about your gut, or the gastrointestinal tract. Patients come to see me with a host of gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, reflux and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. However, it s not uncommon for someone to have none of these conditions, but still have an undiagnosed gastrointestinal problem one that s causing things like headaches, depression, fatigue, joint aches, foggy brain, sinus infections, asthma and arthritis. This isn t quackery your gastrointestinal health is intricately linked to your immune system, and so it influences the functioning of your whole body. Getting the gut healthy can help almost any clinical disease and symptoms. The bottom line is this: By treating your gut, we can treat your whole body. The gut and its functions. Oh the gut. It is a wondrous system! It is the body s most dynamic and most sensitive organ and many factors can lead to gastrointestinal and whole-body dysfunction. Did you know The gut produces 3/4 of the body s neurotransmitters, including serotonin the happy hormone! It contains 2/3 of the body s total immune tissue and

5 regulates the immune system It holds 10 times more cells and DNA than the rest of the body combined 100 trillion! It has a metabolic activity greater than the liver, and rids the body of toxins It has a surface area the size of a tennis court It controls inflammation Its roles include: absorption of nutrients housing and supporting 70% of the immune system acting as a barrier to toxic substances harvesting and manufacturing certain vitamins and nutrients maintaining an integral layer of the gut wall So how is our immune system linked to our gastrointestinal tract? The gut is full of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. We call all this the microbiota, and the adult GI tract contains approximately 100 trillion organisms the most biologically rich niche we know of. It s an area of intense recent study because it s so fascinating. In biology, we refer to a symbiotic relationship as any different organisms that exist together and provide a mutually beneficial relationship. Our GI tract provides a warm, nutrient-rich environment for the microbiota, and in return they perform certain tasks for us: to process energy and produce certain vitamins from food, and maintain a healthy epithelial barrier the gut lining to prevent infectious agents (pathogenics) from invading the rest of the body. However, when the microbiota is out of balance, it can trigger what we call leaky gut syndrome and pathogenic bacteria enters

6 the bloodstream. This causes a massive inflammatory response, which is the body s immune system saying, Yikes, there s something here that shouldn t be. And inflammation is at the root of just so many conditions. [blockquote text= The bottom line is this: By treating your gut, we can treat your whole body. text_color= #00a9de title_tag= h6 width= line_height= undefined background_color= border_color= show_quote_icon= yes quote_icon_color= #00a9de quote_icon_size= ] What causes an unhealthy gastrointestinal tract? A diet lacking in fibre and fresh, whole foods, with heavy reliance on packaged and processed foods, condiments and sauces, refined carbohydrates and sugar Dehydration Toxins Inadequate digestive enzymes caused by things like medications or a zinc deficiency Medications including antibiotics, antacids, birth control and NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) Infection (viral, bacterial or fungal) in the gut or any part of the body Stress physical or emotional which triggers hypercortisolism, a state of heightened whole body inflammation Decreased slga (immunoglobin), an antibody which protects the epithelial barrier from inflammation and regulates its immune response Alcohol and smoking Sometimes a vicious circle happens, where stress and certain medications can cause increased opportunity for infections in

7 the gut, and the infections cause damage to the gut, which causes inflammation, which triggers more symptoms that result in higher stress and/or use of medications. What a mess. How do you treat gastrointestinal issues? Eat a whole-foods diet with lots of fibre vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruit Try to pinpoint any food sensitivities like gluten, dairy and eggs Treat infection Address stress management, and be tested for hypercortisolism Take probiotics and glutamine Identify deficiencies in micronutrients like zinc These are straightforward ways to treat conditions that may not seem to have a straightforward diagnosis. A healthy gut is a healthy you!