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Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Success Begins in the Gut!

Anyone who has experienced Irritable Bowel Syndrome knows how horrible it can make you feel. But did you know that you can help offset the symptoms by nourishing your gut? As with many other health issues, your gut health is an important tool in the fight against IBS. To find out why, let’s look a little deeper.

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What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

IBS is a collection of symptoms that often point to poor digestion, including:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Alternating diarrhea and constipation
  • Bloating
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Gas
  • Urgency

Those affected by IBS can also experience depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, fibromyalgia, belching, and sometimes nausea.

So what Causes IBS?

While the cause of IBS is unknown, there are several theories:

  1. Depression and Anxiety: Originally, IBS was no more than a psychological diagnosis—like depression or anxiety. Physicians could find no physical evidence of IBS. While emotional stress does activate the release of stress hormones and shuts down digestive function, it does not cause IBS.3,4
  1. Serotonin Imbalance: When we later figured out some of the biochemistry in the gut, researchers focused on a neurotransmitter called serotonin. Serotonin alone does not cause IBS, but controlling it with medication can provide short-term relief.5,6
  1. Gut Infection: After realizing that people with a history of food poisoning were often diagnosed with IBS, physicians began using antibiotic therapy. It worked. As it turns out, IBS may be the result of a gut infection.7,8
  1. Bacterial Overgrowth: IBS may be related to bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (otherwise known as SIBO). In support of this theory, we know that you can control IBS with a “low-residue” diet, which removes hard-to-digest sugars.

    Some of the most recent medical literature has connected the dots. We know that stress, neurotransmitters, the immune system, and the gut all play a role in the development of IBS.

    One hallmark sign of both IBS and bacterial overgrowth is gas and bloating. While stress will always irritate digestive function, research shows that both gluten and a leaky gut contribute to signs of IBS—and to bacterial overgrowth.9,10

 

THE GUT-BRAIN CONNECTION

Since the 1970s, physicians have labeled IBS as a psychological disorder. The reason is two-fold. First, IBS symptoms frequently worsen with the occurrence of stressful life events. And secondly, a physical exam shows no damage to the gut.

The gut contains more nerve tissue than the brain.

Over the last 20 years, research has revealed that the brain and our emotions share a strong relationship with the gut and the immune system. Dr. Sarkis Mazmanian, a Louis & Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology at the California Institute of Technology, found that the gut microbiome — where trillions of microbes reside in the human body — can actually interact with the brain. Your gut bacteria produces molecules that enter the bloodstream — it’s through these molecules that the gut communicates with the brain. They can even impact behavior, as Dr. Mazmanian discovered through his research on gut bacteria, gastrointestinal disease, and autism.1

Researchers say that the complex “second brain” in the gut can also influence emotion—gastrointestinal issues. They can affect not only digestion but mood and emotional wellbeing.

IBS has been called a “mental illness” of the second brain.2

IBS and Your Wounded Inner Ecosystem

Dr. Michael Gershon, chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Columbia University, helped to reveal that the gut and the brain are an interconnected network of nerve tissue. The gut is your “second brain.” And your “second brain” can give out orders, as well as the brain that belongs to your central nervous system. In fact, the gut contains more nerve tissue than the brain.11

Besides nerve tissue, a thin lining of cells along the gut wall protects your body from large food particles and bacteria. Beneath this cell wall is your immune system. Above this cell wall are bacteria and yeast. All together, this is your inner ecosystem.

When the inner ecosystem of the gut is wounded, there may be:

  • Too Little Stomach Acid. An infection or stress hormones can both impair the production of stomach acid. This brings the digestive process to a halt.
  • Enzyme Deficiency. The small intestine needs specific enzymes to keep food and bacteria moving along. When there are not enough enzymes, food putrefies in the small intestine.
  • Bacterial Overgrowth. The small intestine should be relatively free of bacteria—even good bacteria. The bulk of bacteria and yeast that make up your inner ecosystem is found in your large intestine. Large colonies of bacteria in the small intestine can cause cramping, pain, gas, and bloating.
  • Leaky Gut. A permeable gut lining allows yeast, toxins from bacteria, and large food particles into your bloodstream. This is also known as “leaky gut.”
  • Food Sensitivities. An inflamed and “leaky” gut will allow food particles to cross into the bloodstream. This activates a response from the immune system. One of the best ways to heal food sensitivities is to seal the gut. There are some foods that you may always be sensitive to—like gluten.12

The most current medical research tells us that IBS is the result of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. Also referred to as SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), this bacterial overgrowth is caused by low stomach acid, enzyme deficiency, and leaky gut. While some doctors may recommend antibiotics to improve SIBO symptoms, antibiotic use can often trigger a vicious cycle. Antibiotics can disturb gut flora and predispose some people to IBS.13

The vicious cycle continues. Bacterial overgrowth can lead to leaky gut.14 It can also contribute to the development of food sensitivities.

How to Tackle IBS: 4 Quick Steps

We can address both IBS and bacterial overgrowth with steps that maintain a healthy inner ecosystem:

  1. Support the production of stomach acid. Signs of weak stomach acid and bacterial overgrowth include heartburn. You can prevent heartburn by boosting the production of stomach acid with HCl, as Assist Dairy and Protein was designed to do.
  1. Support pancreatic enzymes in the small intestine. Remember, researchers now believe that IBS is the result of bacterial overgrowth. While stomach acid activates enzymes, you must also make sure that there are plenty of enzymes in the small intestine. Otherwise, food sits stagnant in the small intestine and feeds bacterial overgrowth. Assist SI is formulated to work specifically in the small intestine.
  1. Ensure that good bacteria outnumber the bad. One of the best ways to eliminate a gut infection and maintain a hearty inner ecosystem is to crowd out the bad guys. This means plenty of probiotic-rich fermented foods or a high-quality probiotic liquid with specific strains of bacteria and yeast.Both delicious and highly nutritious, Vitality SuperGreen is another excellent choice for your gut. It helps heal your intestines, boosts your energy, feeds the friendly microflora in your gut, and can help your body detoxify. Designed to maintain and nourish the inflamed mucosal lining of your colon and continue to keep it healthy, this alkaline, nutrient-rich, green drink is Body Ecology’s most popular product and the healthiest green drink on the market today.
  1. Eat a “low-residue” diet. In addition to the Body Ecology Diet (sugar-free, casein-free, and gluten-free), you may want to begin by avoiding foods that contain fiber and hard-to-digest sugars. These foods fall into a category known as FODMAPs. They can be eliminated from the diet and then slowly reintroduced—as your gut heals and based on your unique level of tolerance.

What To Remember Most About This Article:

For decades, many physicians have considered IBS to be a psychological disorder since symptoms can be aggravated by stress. Irritable bowel syndrome may cause issues like gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain. IBS sufferers may experience insomnia, anxiety, and depression.

While the exact cause of IBS remains unknown, medical research links bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine with IBS, often triggered by enzyme deficiency, low stomach acid, and a leaky gut.

You can find IBS relief by taking these steps to boost your inner ecology:

  1. Support stomach acid production and beat heartburn with Assist Dairy and Protein.
  2. Support pancreatic enzymes in the small intestine to keep food moving with Assist SI.
  3. Eliminate a gut infection by balancing the digestive tract with friendly bacteria from fermented foods or a probiotic liquid.
  4. Follow Body Ecology Diet principles and eat low-residue foods that are easier to digest.

REFERENCES:

  1. “Mounting Research Shows Gut-Brain Connection.” Psych Central News.
  2. “Think Twice: How the Gut’s “Second Brain” Influences Mood and Well-Being.” Scientific American Global RSS.
  3. KR Jones, et al. Systematic review of the comorbidity of irritable bowel syndrome with other disorders: what are the causes and implications? Gastroenterology. 2002; 122 (4): 1140–56.
  4. F Taguchi, et al. Brain-gut response to stress and cholinergic stimulation in irritable bowel syndrome. A preliminary study. Clin. Gastroenterol. 1993; 17 (2): 133–41.
  5. PS Masand, et al. Atypical antipsychotics as a possible treatment option for irritable bowel syndrome. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2013 Mar 19. [Epub ahead of print]
  6. MD Gershon, et al. Neuropeptides and inflammatory bowel disease. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology: November 2009; 25 (6): 503-511.
  7. C Lam, et al. An Update on Post-infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Role of Genetics, Immune Activation, Serotonin and Altered Microbiome. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2012 Jul;18(3):258-68. doi: 10.5056/jnm.2012.18.3.258. Epub 2012 Jul 10.
  8. M Pimentel, et al. The effect of a nonabsorbed oral antibiotic (rifaximin) on the symptoms of the irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized trial. Intern. Med. 2006;145 (8): 557–63.
  9. M Simren, et al. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. 2007; 56 (6): 802–8.
  10. M Pimentel, et al. The Prevalence of Overgrowth by Aerobic Bacteria in the Small Intestine by Small Bowel Culture: Relationship with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Dis. Sci. 2012; 57 (5): 1321–29.
  11. MD Gershon. The Second Brain: ‪The Scientific Basis of Gut Instinct and a Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1998.
  12. AR Zinsmeister, et al. A Controlled Trial of Gluten-Free Diet in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Diarrhea: Effects on Bowel Frequency and Intestinal Function. 2013 Jan 25. pii: S0016-5085(13)00135-2. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.01.049. [Epub ahead of print]
  13. “Gut Bacteria and IBS.” org.
  14. M Secondulfo, et al. Cellobiose and lactulose coupled with mannitol and determined using ion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection, are reliable probes for investigation of intestinal permeability. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2003; 783: 349–357.
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