IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrone
It’s literally a pain to manage...
You can’t function well at work or socially.
You’re always on the lookout for the next loo or can’t leave the house because you’re still on it.
Abdominal pain, gas, diarrhoea and constipation, generally feeling ‘half done’, more to come but when and how?!
There’s no question unpredictable gut habits are inconvenient, embarrassing and uncomfortable.
You feel unsupported, tired and unable to make sense of it!
There are no two ways about it, both Irritable Bowel Syndrome and loss of optimal bowel function is a real pain!
There is hope…
Problems in the gut with bloating, loose or infrequent stools, discomfort, pain, unpredictable and life-restricting bathroom habits, rumbling noisy tummy, incessant hunger represents a loss of function.
An optimally functioning digestive system is generally unremarkable in its daily processes; at regular and predictable times of the day usually morning, stools are produced in 1-3 motions in the day that are easy to pass, there’s little or no gas, no abdominal pain, they have good form, colour and consistency. Normal stools are 3 or 4 on the Bristol stool chart.
If you have had abdominal pain for 3 months with inconsistency of bowel movement either constipation or diarrhoea or a mixture of both your GP will generally put this down to irritable bowel syndrome or IBS.
Other tests may be recommended to check for bowel disease, especially if there are diseases like that in the family. Red flags including blood in the stools, sudden onset of pain, or a change in the quality of that pain, sudden changes in bowel habits, fever, unintentional weight loss, all should be investigated further
Where all tests have come back clear but you’re stuck with bowel habits you’d rather not have, as a diploma-trained nutritional therapist I can help out.
I’ll address the root causes of loss of function through a programme designed for you that’ll be easy for you to manage and which will make sense to you
7 Steps to IBS Relief
FREE 96 Page Guide To IBS Relief
Take your first small step to getting your life back on track and download my free IBS guide today…
What’s included…
FREE comprehensive 96 page guide to IBS relief
FREE downloadable food diary
7 simple steps you need to introduce into your life right now
Delicious recipes & tips to help alleviate your IBS
Where does it go wrong?
The gut should a sealed unit but it can become leaky and permeable. It needs to be sealed because what you eat has been exposed to pathogens and microbes which must be killed off to avoid causing infection and damage within us
The gastrointestinal tract is mainly a one-way system which is sealed by efficient entry and exit points called sphincters which are muscular, and as it is the first line of defence against unwanted microbes, (viruses, bacteria, fungi), parasites and toxins, it holds 60% of our immune system within it.
Occasionally the one-way system is reversed in emergencies by vomiting, to expel poisons or pathogens.
This unit both protects us and provides for us. It’s walls and their mucosal linings which contain villae, the finger-like projections that increase the area of absorption in the small intestine, also support…
The microbiome which needs to function well to break down nutrients to provide energy.
Supply hormones like those for reproduction, appetite, and neurotransmitters like serotonin.
Provide amino acids for protein to repair and rebuild the body.
Factors that affect the gut can be found in a faulty diet and lifestyle:
Unsuitable food choices
Lack of diversity of foods
Poor eating habits and irregular mealtimes
Eating too fast, insufficient chewing
Sugar and altered pH
Lack of fibre
Undue amounts stress create acidity leading to inflammation, medications and drugs; smoking; lack of exercise; late-night eating; illness; aging; pathogenic microbes; lack of sleep; allergies; infections; inflammation from many causes…
…there are many possible contributing factors which differ from individual to individual and the consequences can be varied also…
…diverticula may become inflamed, sore, swollen; may become stunted or sheered off reducing our ability to absorb nutrients.
Immune system strength is centred in the gut and a reduced microbiome affects our resilience to disease, energy levels, production of neurotransmitters for sleep quality and mood, hormone output for appetite control and reproduction so menstrual cycles alter and weight management becomes an issue
The micro-biome may not thrive if the intestinal wall is damaged leading to improper breakdown of nutrients, fermentation, build up of gases and disease-causing organisms which in turn create toxins as waste products.
Some of these bacteria, and fungi, have the ability to migrate to other organs, including the small intestine potentially setting up bacterial overgrowth there and ensuing discomfort
Sphincters can become weakened and damaged and fail to hold the contents of different sections of the gut in place, causing trouble there.
Professor Bruce Lipton in his book The Biology of Belief through his research into cell biology has shown that cells change their behaviour according to their environment. The chemical ‘wash’ or the pH of the spaces between and around cells, is best if alkaline rather than acidic.
Antennae or receptors on cells surfaces cannot function optimally if their environment is too acidic and this mean tissues and the organs they form don’t work properly, leading to disease via inflammation
Once the mucosal lining is damaged the gut walls can become inflamed leading to various irritable bowel diseases including Crohns, colitis, diverticular disease, but also cancer
Unlocking the puzzle can be a challenge for an individual and I am here to help unravel that puzzle
Why is a properly functioning gut so important?
A properly functioning digestive tract or gut, for short, is fundamental to good health contributing to lengthening not just your life span but also more importantly your health span.
What is the point in reaching 90 if your health has given up? This is the importance of working to achieve a good health span
An optimally functioning gut sends nutrients in the blood stream to body organs and systems like the brain, heart, ovaries, uterus, liver and kidneys to repair and supply energy to them
It is the processing plant for everything we eat or drink, so how we select food and drink and how we choose to eat or drink in terms of comfort or speed, organic/biodynamic, additive-free, fresh or processed, microwaved or steamed, local or flown-in has an influence over our health span like nothing else
Using an analogy of the body as a softly engineered machine would you consider it good, if your body was a petrol-engined car, to run it on diesel or vice versa?
So it applies to your body health. If it is given the right fuel/nutrients it has the best chance to function well and one of the fundamentals of this is a properly functioning gut
Life becomes easy again.
As a diploma-trained nutritional therapist, I search for answers to your health problems through functional testing using reputable labs going beyond basic freely available tests.
I look for food intolerances, leaky gut, optimal blood markers, presence of pathogenic microbes or absence of symbiotic microbes, inflammation, absorption markers, lack of key nutrients and I’ll help remove the fear around food and what to eat, discuss lifestyle choices and any other contributing factors.
The results will enable me to devise a therapeutic protocol targeted to you the individual.
I work with you to create a written programme that suits you and your lifestyle that includes how to choose food in your favourite shops that suits your body-machine, and as a cordon bleu trained cook, delicious I have developed recipes which will back up what’s on your plan.
With regular reviews at intervals that suit you and the programme you’re on, I can check how you’re getting on and support you to reclaim your daily routine so you can get on with your life socially, at home and at work.
The aim will be to support your return to optimal health.
7 Steps to IBS Relief
FREE 96 page guide to IBS relief
I’ve put a lot of time and effort into writing this guide specifically for you. I am sure it will provide you with a true understanding of IBS and show you how you can control your present discomfort through proper nutrition.
What’s included…
FREE comprehensive 96 page guide to IBS relief
FREE downloadable food diary
7 simple steps you need to introduce into your life right now
Delicious recipes & tips to help alleviate your IBS
