Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition. It can be both painful and embarrassing. For one of my clients, it significantly impacted her career because she was unable to do her job because of the travel required. You can imagine the difference it can make to people’s social life too.
Symptoms of IBS include:
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Alternating constipation and diarrhea
- Indigestion
- Reflux
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Gas
- Bloating
- Belching
Causes of IBS
There are a number of factors which could cause IBS. I have been working with this condition for many years both in my Surrey and Harley Street practices, as well as for those further afield, via Skype. And, in my experience, these are the main ones:
- Poor gut health
- Food intolerances
- Diet
- Stress
In my experience, it is a combination of these factors. But a good question to ask yourself is if the symptoms are worse when you are stressed. If they are, you know that you need to work on this level.
Another question is whether the symptoms are worse after eating a particular food. If so, you know to eliminate this specific item (remembering always to eat a healthy, varied and balanced diet). The main culprits are gluten, dairy, wheat, sugar and yeast.
Often though it can be because of something I call ‘toxic load’. This means that you may not be intolerant to a specific food, but too many of the wrong foods all at once could overload your body. For me this would be a pizza: wheat and cheese, though delicious, plays havoc with me. If I add an ice cream afterwards, there is hell to pay.
When working with clients who have IBS I take an integrative approach, looking at all these factors and conducting a food intolerance test too. We then come up with a plan to get your body back into balance.
3 Levels of Support for IBS
There are three levels of intervention you can have:
- Food intolerance testing
- General health assessment, including gut and food intolerance
- General health assessment, gut and food intolerance, and stress assessment with insights and strategies to support you.
Want to know more? Call 0345 130 0854 for an informal chat. You’ll be glad you did.
