Have you been suffering with chronic diarrhea, constipation, or abdominal pain or cramping that affect your ability to do your daily activities? There are several digestive problems that can cause these symptoms; some can be as simple as changing your diet, but others can require more attention, including healing of the digestive tract. It is possible that you might have an intestinal or a colon problem that affects the cells of your digestive tract. Today I will look at irritable bowel syndrome and the difference between that and inflammatory bowel disease.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a characterized by inflammation of the small or large intestine. There are two major diseases that fall into that category: Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a not truly a disease, rather it is a group of symptoms that can be caused by different reasons. Doctors are not sure of the underlying cause of IBS; what is clear is that the intestines are not working properly and causing symptoms. The symptoms generally include abdominal pain sometimes with constipation, diarrhea or a combination of the two. Bloating or gas, stomach cramps, or mucus in your bowel movements can also occur. The important distinction for IBS is that it does not affect the cell layers of the intestines, so it will not get worse or more destructive over time. This is good news as we look at treatments.
As a naturopathic physician I always want to treat the underlying cause of the problem and since IBS doesn’t have a specific underlying cause we have to look at all the symptoms, eating habits, lifestyle habits, sleeping patterns to learn the main issues that affect the intestines. IBS is an example of a disease that a naturopathic physician can have great success with because of the way we address the patient as a whole instead of just giving meds for the symptoms. Contributing factors to IBS can be identifying any food allergies, too much high processed foods, or poorly managed stressed. Since IBS has a inflammatory component we have to look at reducing inflammation by eating a whole foods diet and drinking plenty of water. The digestive tract is second only to the brain in the number of nerve endings, so whenever we look at healing the digestive track we have to think about treating the nervous system too. This means treating stress with appropriate techniques for your lifestyle. Exercise helps with appropriate bowel function and stress management too. It is a great place to start!
Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae
Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.org
Dr. Dae's book: Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living can be purchased @ www.amazon.com or www.healthydaes.org
Dr. Dae's Bio:
Daemon "Dr. Dae" (pronounced Dr. Day) Jones is a Naturopathic Physician who completed her training at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine. She is certified as a General Practitioner by the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE). Dr. Dae provides tailored treatment to meet the unique needs of every individual she sees in her practice. She also provides specialized support for persons challenged by nutritional deficiencies, weight problems, hormonal and reproductive system disorders, attention deficit disorder and those experiencing chronic diseases. Dr. Dae is an adjunct faculty member for Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts. She is the author of Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living, The Healthydaes Newsletter, and is a regularly featured writer for the Elite GoogleNews Website empowher.com where she shares her personal and professional vision for living whole and living well. To learn more about Dr. Dae, her products and services, please visit her on the Web at www.Healthydaes.org