How Can I Avoid Irritable Bowel Syndrome? (feat. Dr Ali Zreqat)
- Dt. Rawan
- Dec 6, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 31, 2020
What is IBS?
It's a common chronic, episodic intestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits
How do I know if I have IBS?
There are some signs* and symptoms that can tell you if you have IBS, such as: abdominal pain/ cramping or bloating (typically relieved or partially relieved by passing a bowel movement)/ Excess gas/ diarrhea or constipation/ mucus in the stool.
Those sign vary, some people have severe pain that can last for several days at a time, while others have pain that is less disabling and lasts for shorter periods.
What causes IBS?
While it is not known what causes IBS, But some factors may be involved including:
- Genetic factors.
- Muscle contractions in the intestine: strong contractions can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. Weak contractions can lead to hard, dry stools.
- Inflammation in the intestines: Some people with IBS have an increased number of immune-system cells in their intestines. This immune-system response is associated with pain and diarrhea.
- Alternations in gut microbiota: IBS might also be associated with a surplus of bacteria in the intestines (bacterial overgrowth). Research indicates that microflora in people with IBS might differ from microflora in healthy people.
Some factors can trigger IBS, like:
- Diet: many people have worse IBS symptoms when they eat or drink certain foods or beverages, including wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, beans, cabbage, milk and carbonated drinks.
Dr. Ali indicates that many people may suffer from IBS due to their current diet, especially in winter, High fat food choices, High legumes intake, low vitamins and minerals diet, Moreover, consuming high stimulant drinks along with smoking all can increase this disorder.
- Stress: during periods of increased stress Most people with IBS experience worse or more frequent signs and symptoms
- Hormones: Women are twice as likely to have IBS, which might indicate that hormonal changes play a role. Many women find that signs and symptoms are worse during or around their menstrual periods
Diagnosis?
There's no test to definitively diagnose IBS. Your doctor is likely to start with a complete medical history, physical exam and tests to rule out other conditions.
(Your doctor may ask for additional tests if you have more-serious signs and symptoms like: Weight loss/ Diarrhea at night/ Rectal bleeding/ Iron deficiency anemia/ Unexplained vomiting/ Difficulty swallowing/ Persistent pain that isn't relieved by passing gas or a bowel movement.)
How can we treat IBS?
Dr. Ali says: mainly the treatment of IBS focuses on relieving symptoms so that you can live as normally as possible, either by medications (poxiduim, laprix, bisopan) or by modifying our diet.
There are 4 to 5 medications for IBS, the main idea is to reduce the severity of the symptoms. However:
Mild signs and symptoms can often be controlled by managing stress and by making changes in your diet and lifestyle.
So, How Could my Lifestyle & Nutrition Improve my Condition?
1. Eliminating High gas food from your diet such as: carbonated drinks, alcoholic beverages, caffeine, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and raw fruits. As well as eliminating Gluten (wheat, barley and rye) made improvement in diarrhea symptoms.
2. Try to: eat high-fiber foods, drink plenty of fluids/ exercise regularly and get enough sleep.
3. Avoids foods that tend to cause stomach upset and follow Low "FODMAP Diet"
Common FODMAPs include:
Fructose: A simple sugar found in many fruits, vegetables and added sugars.
Lactose: A carbohydrate found in dairy products like milk.
Fructans: Found in many foods, including gluten grains like wheat, spelt, rye and barley.
Galactans: Found in large amounts in legumes.
Polyols: Sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol and mannitol. They are found in some fruits and vegetables, and often used as sweeteners.
Dr. Ali suggest following the previous diet, as it is the most effective way to reduce the symptoms and improve the case.
4. Some people find relief by avoiding foods that cause flatulence, such as beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, celery, onions, carrots, raisins, bananas, apricots, prunes, and Brussels sprouts.
Dr. Ali suggests that consulting a dietitian is a must, in order to help you choose the right food choices in the right amounts, because there are individual differences have to be considered for each case.
What does New Studies show??
Nine randomized placebo-controlled studies have indeed found peppermint oil to be a safe and effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.
In contrast, in some of the head-to-head peppermint versus drug studies, some of the drug side effects were so unbearable that patients had to drop out of the study. This suggests it might be a reasonable approach to treat IBS patients with peppermint oil as a first-line therapy, before trying anything else.
Is Ginger effective for the treatment of IBS?
The real answer is, no, ginger is not effective for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Yet, ginger is one of the most commonly used herbal medicines for irritable bowel syndrome. Consuming it has no added benefit for IBS.
To contact Dr. Ali Zreqat :
https://instagram.com/dr_ali.zregatutm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=165zcz8057g0e
رابط الموضوع بالعربية:
https://theadigagirl.wixsite.com/nwwr-ar/blog/%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%83%D9%86%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D9%84%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B5%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%B2%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA
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