Treatment of IBS

Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) includes changes in diet, changes in behavior and stress management and use of certain medications. The amount of fiber consumed, food intolerance and other dietary facts often play a role in IBS. The addition of fiber to the diet will often help constipation and alternating constipation-diarrhea forms of IBS.When the person only has diarrhea, fiber should be added even more gradually to the diet. The colon acts in a more coordinated fashion and requires less forceful contractions to move along the stool, which has more bulk that the fiber helps provide. It may take several weeks to see the benefit and there will be an initial accommodation to extra gas and flatulence that will generally be a side effect of the fiber. An example of a high fiber diet would be one that includes high fiber cereal, whole grain bread, 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day. Everyone’s colon has its own dose of fiber to make it work well so there will be some experimentation required.

Specific dietary factors can play into the performance of the intestine. In addition to lactose and gluten, other dietary sugars that create gas and diarrhea include sorbitol and mannitol that may be used as artificial sweeteners. Additives such as Nutrasweet, MSG and sulfites may be a problem for others. Caffeine is a profound stimulant to the intestinal muscles and contributes to nervous activity of the brain and the gut. Elimination of coffee, tea and chocolate will often go a long way to help reduce the symptoms of IBS. Reduction of fat in the diet is very important since it helps decrease the amount of cholecystokinin produced. Swallowing air may be a factor in bloating and occurs by rapid eating, talking while eating, chewing gum and drinking soda. Certain foods such as beans are naturally gassy because the fiber content does not breakdown and bacteria ferment it. Enzyme pills are available to help with this. The following fruits and vegetables are naturally prone to producing gas. Cabbage, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, prunes and apples are some examples. It is also helpful to eat at regular intervals and not to eat the majority of your calories at one time since this will lead to excessive stimulation of the gut. Increasing water consumption is important, especially when there is a tendency to have constipation.