IBS: How To Manage It

If you have to deal with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, it can be extremely frustrating and embarrassing. Having constipation, diarrhea, or a combination of the two, is inconvenient. It can also be harmful to your health, particularly if you aren’t properly absorbing nutrients. At the Gut Authority, we can help get to the root cause of your IBS and help you manage it. We can show you how to ease symptoms and help you live a happier life.

Tips to Manage IBS

Dr. Mashner’s approach is a holistic one, taking into account the whole body. When the body is given the correct support, it wants to return to a state of homeostasis in health. The first step in managing IBS is to determine what is causing the distress and irritation to your bowels, Is it stress, a food intolerance, or some other factor? Once the root cause has been discovered, inflammation can be addressed. For example, by eliminating food triggers, many patients notice improvement in their symptoms.

Discovering Triggers

While everyone’s digestive system reacts differently to foods, there are some more well-known triggers such as gluten, dairy, soy, and corn. Some people may find symptom relief just by eliminating these groups of foods. Other people may find they need to eliminate other food groups like nightshades, histamines, or oxalates.

For people that deal with constipation, some foods may make constipation worse, including:

Breads, cereals, and whole grains
Alcohol, soft drinks, and coffee
Processed foods
Dairy products including milk and cheese

Those that deal with diarrhea may find that their triggers include:

Dairy products, especially those containing lactose
Fatty and fried foods
Caffeine, chocolate, alcohol
Carbonated drinks
Meals on the larger size

Testing for Root Causes

When you work with a skilled practitioner, he or she can perform testing to help uncover root causes of your illness. If you have been experiencing symptoms but your medical doctor said everything is fine according to your lab work, a functional doctor can run additional tests to help you figure out exactly what is going on. We dig deeper to discover what issues could be triggering your symptoms.

Stress and Anxiety as a Trigger

Many people will discover that their irritable bowel syndrome is affected by stress and anxiety. When they are able to get a better handle on relaxing their nervous system, they find that their symptoms greatly diminish. There are many modalities available to help the body deal with stress including herbs, neurofeedback, and mindfulness exercises to help support the body naturally

Restoring the Gut

Many people nowadays deal with what’s referred to as “leaky gut”. This involves permeability in the gut lining. Just living life with the environmental factors, food quality issues, and everyday stress can cause the gut lining to become compromised. There are many ways to restore gut health, and after we uncover your root cause, we can help to get you on the path to healing. While working with many patients over the years, we’ve been able to develop modalities to help address the individual needs of our clients.

Balancing the Digestive System and Body

Once we have identified your triggers, helped you clean up your diet, and worked on restoring gut health, we can help start to balance the digestive system. We can work to restore the natural balance of gut flora with certain products and foods. After we’ve put out the “fires” , you can really work on getting the digestive system and your whole body back in balance. When the body is given the right tools to heal, it can begin to repair itself.

Call Us Today

If you’re ready to take the next step in helping manage your irritable bowel syndrome, give us a call. We love helping our patients in the gulf coast areas of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, including Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Don’t suffer a moment longer!