It’s a funny old thing being told you have ‘IBS’….
It’s a mix of ‘woooohoooo I finally have a diagnosis for my bloating and eye watering farts’....
….and then, on second thoughts…
‘Wait, what does it even mean? And why is my bowel ‘irritable’?’
You see, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a bit of an umbrella term, which actually doesn’t say very much about the cause of your symptoms or how you can finally say goodbye to the unpredictable bloating and ominous risk of accidentally shitting your pants at any moment.
An IBS diagnosis is usually accompanied with the standard treatment of a mebeverine prescription (or similar) and a ‘low FODMAP’ diet (eliminating an exclusive and confusing list of fermentable carbohydrates).
The medication to mask some of the symptoms and the diet to get you into such a muddle about what you can/can’t eat that you actually lose the plot and forget what you’re trying to achieve in the first place (cunning).
Seriously, have you ever tried to follow a low FODMAP diet? It’s like the rubik’s cube diet of hell.
And even if you do experience some relief in symptoms, this is often temporary and you often still aren’t any closer to WHY you can’t digest FODMAPs in the first place.
So this brings me to the key component of tackling ALL digestive issues (including ‘IBS’)…
… getting to the ROOT CAUSE!
Let’s look at some of the classical symptoms which get labelled as IBS…
Intermittent and seemingly random bloating
Constipation (if you’re not pooping EVERYDAY, this is not normal)
Diarrhoea
Excessive foul smelling gas (not fun for anyone involved)
Stomach cramps
Bagpipe bowels (imagine a quiet room and all you can hear is your guts gurgling)
And now let’s dig into some of the potential root causes:
Eating at break-neck speed (nothing good happens downstream when you don’t chew properly)
Low stomach acid (somewhere along the line stomach acid got a really bad reputation as the root of all evil, but it’s key to the cascade of digestion and you likely have too little of it, not too much)
A congested gallbladder (poor bile flow hinders fat digestion = loose stools and a feast for the microbes you don’t want to be feeding in your gut)
Liver congestion (often due to an overload toxins and a highly processed diet, again this hinders production of bile and digestion of fats)
Dysbiosis (a bacterial/fungal overgrowth in your gut)
Increased intestinal permeability (your gut is leaking)
Food intolerance/s (I wouldn’t bother with food allergies tests which will flag up everything you eat regularly, there is no strong evidence to support that the results are remotely accurate)
So how can you find out what is actually the root cause of your symptoms?
If you have some dosh to spend on testing, I recommend starting with a microbiome screen, this will give you so much invaluable information as to the health of your gut, from digestive enzymes to parasites, from bacterial overgrowths to bile flow. There is always a lot to action from these results which will help to flag up the root cause and have a positive impact on reducing your symptoms.
And if you don’t have cash to throw at this, here’s my go-to tips to help alleviate symptoms:
Be really REALLY mindful about slowing down at meal times, chew thoroughly and put your knife and fork down between bites
Add in lots of foods that will help heal the lining of the gut such as fatty fish, walnut/hemp/flax oil, collagen and bone broth
Where possible, try to avoid foods that damage the gut lining such as gluten, alcohol and artificial sweeteners (and processed food in general)
Consider following the Autoimmune Protocol for 30 days. And please note that the reintroduction phase of this diet is as important, if not more important, as the elimination phase.
Add in some beetroot juice to support bile flow from the gallbladder and diluted apple cider vinegar before meals to stimulate the release of stomach acid and digestive enzymes.
Avoid adding in lots of probiotic foods all in one go, such as sauerkraut/ kimchi/ kefir/ kombucha etc. This can overload the gut, so pick one source, and stick to 1 tablespoon/200ml serving per day.
Whilst prebiotic foods such as resistant starch may exacerbate symptoms, polyphenols are generally well tolerated and these help to feed the good bacteria in your gut. Good sources include: berries, pomegranate, cocoa and dark chocolate.
I recommend implementing strategies one at a time so you can see what’s having the most substantial impact. Even with testing, your symptoms are always going to be your biggest guide to finding the root cause and feeling better.
If this all sounds like a lot and you’re at your wits end with your symptoms, give me a shout and we can unravel your root cause together.
Drop me a message with the words ‘BLOAT FREE’ and we can jump on a call to see how I can help.
As always, I hope this article has been helpful and know that feeling bloated and uncomfortable doesn’t have to be your normal!
Coach Harri
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The content in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health.