Drug Free Steps to Avoiding or Ending IBS

Drug Free Steps to Avoiding or Ending IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a condition that plagues as many as 20% of the population.  This is a condition that can be mild or very severe and even debilitating for people.  If you’re suffering from IBS, there are many things you can do to relieve the symptoms and get back to living a full life.

IBS Basics

IBS is a syndrome.  What that means is that it’s a collection of symptoms that are often found together and thought to have a common cause.  In the case of IBS symptoms include bloating, cramps, diarrhea, constipation and pain.

Many people who suffer from this syndrome are told that there’s nothing they can do about it.  Still others are prescribed medications or other treatments that simply don’t work.  But there are some things you can do to rid your body of these symptoms and enjoy life again.

Steps to End IBS

When it comes to IBS, you’re probably ready to just about anything to get rid of it.   There are some very simple steps you can take that are drug-free and can bring back normal function to your intestines.

Start with looking at food allergies.  You can go to a health practitioner to get tested for food allergies.  Many medical doctors will prescribe this type of test and you can also get it from naturopathic practitioners.  When you get the result eliminate the foods that test positive.

You can also try food elimination diets on your own for 12 weeks to determine what might be a problem for your system.  The typical culprits are diary, gluten, yeast, eggs, corn, soy, and peanuts.  And, by the way, these foods tend to be very common in the Western diet. 

Avoid these foods for about 3 months and then reintroduce one at a time to see if your symptoms return.  This can help you figure out which foods might be triggering IBS and help you to make better food choices.

Take out bad microbes.  You may also want to ask for a prescription of rifaximin and fluconazole.  These prescriptions help to get rid of drug resistant bacteria as well as fungal infections to eliminate bad microbes from your gut.

Invite good microbes.  Once you have eliminated bad microbial populations, you’ll want to invite good microbes back to your gut.  Taking a probiotic can help you to restore gut balance.

Add digestive enzymes.  Digestive enzymes can help you to break food down more efficiently and ease the burden on your gut.  Try taking fish oil, glutamine, or GLA to assist with this.