Irritable bowels can be a very uncomfortable condition to have. Basically it involves the intestines and makes you bloat, have gas, diarrhea, constipation, blood in the stool and other gastrointestinal problems. It doesn’t stop there though, because you may have one symptom one day and several others the next, followed by days of no symptoms at all. It is actually very difficult to control, as you not know at all what you will encounter from your irritable bowel on any given day.
It is agreed that there is no cause for irritable bowels and there is also no full cure, however there are different degrees of the condition and each person is effected differently. For some it only comes on from certain foods, similar to celiac disease which causes problems when you eat wheats, such as bread or cereal. For others it doesn’t matter what you eat you are probably going to have problems with your bowel movements. And still for some there is the option of helping your irritable bowel by better eating.
For these people it helps a great deal to eat foods that are good for you. You want to eat a lot of fibers but also drink a lot of water to allow for the fiber to digest and not cause constipation. The correct diet can actually help a lot of people with irritable bowels because it helps the intestines to be used as they are intended. Unfortunately most people don’t take this into consideration and with the increase of overeating and obesity in our country, there is little reason to wonder why so many have problems with their digestive tracts.
One interesting aspect of irritable bowels is many people who have it also suffer from some kind of mental or emotional condition. Researchers aren’t exactly sure why this is, but they think it might be a link between the brain and the bowel, because one of the proposed causes of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a link, or lack there of, between the brain and the bowel to make the digestive system work correctly.
Some people however are treated for, and have symptoms of IBS because of the lack of healthy lifestyles. As described above they get relief from better diets. It isn’t clear if all of these people do not actually have IBS, or if they do, but it is corrected by following a better diet and lifestyle. More research has to be done to know for sure.
For those who don’t see an improvement from diet there are medications available. These medications will help with each of the different symptoms and you may have to take more than one to feel better.
The best thing to do if you are suffering from symptoms of irritable bowels is to consult with a doctor, he can decide if you need medication. They will be able to help you find the best relief so you can go on with your regular daily activities.
