IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. IBS sufferers have an irritable or spastic colon. Such colon troubles are often reported to physicians, and they are now known to result from intestinal spasms.
Cause Of Constipation And Diarrhea
Nerves control the movement of the muscles in the large intestine. Normally, when food enters the intestine, nerves send a signal to the intestinal muscles. Nerves from the brain send a signal to nerves in the intestine. Nerves in the intestine then signal the intestine’s muscular wall to move the food further down the GI tract.
The patient’s nerves can frequently malfunction if he or she becomes too anxious, nervous, or depressed. Often the nerves going to the large intestine will fail to work properly.
Sometimes unnecessary signals are sent by those nerves. Diarrhea can result due to such series of such signals. Sometimes the nerves cease to send the required signal. When that happens repeatedly, it causes constipation.
Both diarrhea and constipation are symptoms connected with IBS. Both diarrhea and constipation that plague IBS patients are produced by nerves that fail to function properly. The IBS symptoms can differ greatly from patient to patient, and yet the root causes for those symptoms can show remarkable similarities.
The malfunctioning of the nerves that go into the large intestine can be triggered by certain factors in the environment. Travel, changes in diet, and smoking are three examples of such factors.
Sometimes the physical aspects of the environment remain the same, but the demands put on the IBS patient by others create a stressful environment. That too can lead to a malfunctioning of the nerves that feed information to the large intestine.
IBS Diet
Not all IBS patients are similar; not all such patients have the same IBS symptoms. Therefore, not all IBS patients react positively to the same diet. For some patients, a high-fiber diet elicits a positive response.
Other patients find that their intestines do better when the foods in their diet are very bland. The physician should discuss the IBS diet needs with the patient. The patient should make the physician aware of the sort of foods that he or she usually eats.
Some patients come from cultures with foods that are unfamiliar to the physician. The physician should not make needed changes in the patient’s diet a source of added stress.
Stress
Undertake some type of behavior therapy is one way for the patient to decrease any stress in his or her life. Such therapy offers one way to keep unneeded stress out of the patient’s life. Such therapy helps the patient to respond calmly to any added demands.
Bringing in an added calming influence is another way to keep stress out of the patient’s life. Meditation can provide such a calming influence. Medication can help to treat the cause of IBS.
Related Posts
The information provided by the IBS guide is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, however, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on the site. Under no circumstance shall we have any liability to you for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of the site or reliance on any information provided on the site. Your use of the site and your reliance on any information on the site is solely at your own risk.