Irritable Bowel Syndrome|| Health and Wellness Series #2

Did you know that your mental health and gut health are intimately connected?

Some doctors say that the gut is the second brain. Studies have shown that poor gut health due to bad eating habits/diet can affect your mental health in a negative way and vice versa-mental health issues can affect how your gastrointestinal tract works.

Have you ever wondered why you may feel nauseous or have butterflies in your stomach if you are nervous about something?

It’s that brain-gut relationship! Sometimes our gut is telling us that we are stressed before we even realize it in our minds.

Today we are going to be talking about irritable bowel syndrome.

First of all, what is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

IBS is a functional gastrointestinal (i.e. stomach and intestines) disorder which composes of abdominal pain and altered bowel habit in the absence of a specific organic pathology (i.e. no tumour, infection, inflammation, nerve abnormality etc. is identified).

From as long as I can remember I’ve always had “stomach problems”. Growing up, in primary and secondary school, I would often struggle with periods of constipation and abdominal pains. And you see around exam time, cue the “runny belly” (i.e. diarrhoea) lol.

But as I mentioned last week I didn’t actually find out what was going on until I went to medical school. During my second year, I was really trying to go hard with my studies but I was so stressed and eating terribly. During exam time of first semester I had a lot of abdominal and even back pain and bouts of constipation and diarrhoea but I pushed through it, until I went to the doctor who shined some light on my situation.

I had to get a few tests done over time (which were normal) and change my diet drastically, like cutting out gluten, and dairy products, reducing my caffeine intake and eating more fruits and vegetables which really helped in the long run. Also, honestly I had to stop stressing myself so much over school, but please learn from mistake and don’t skip your classes’ lol.

So, what are some triggers or causes IBS?

Studies propose that it is caused by abnormal nerve activity of the muscles in the gut (poor gut motility), heightened pain sensation of the gut (visceral hypersensitivity) and or mental health illness such as depression or anxiety.

What symptoms should you look out for?

Changes in your bowel habit (constipation or diarrhoea or urgency after eating)
Abdominal pain/cramping (generalized, sharp, worse after eating, relief after defecating)
Abdominal bloating/distention
Nausea and/or vomiting
Heartburn
Urinary frequency or urgency
Worsening of symptoms around menstrual cycle

If you believe you may be having two or more of these symptoms with recurrent abdominal pain at least 1 day per week for 3 months you would be diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.

Also, as I said earlier various investigations such as blood tests and studies of your stool (I know… eww) should be done in order to rule out any underlying illnesses such as gluten intolerance, celiac disease, infection etc. So if you’ve never seen a doctor about it, mi ah beg you, please go find one now? Thank you. A general practitioner or gastroenterologist should be able to help you.

So how do we treat this disorder?

Management usually involves medications such as antispasmodics, anti-diarrhoeal, antidepressants and laxatives; dietary changes such as fiber supplements, probiotics and lots of water intake; and lastly counselling and relaxation therapy.

Let me just share a few practical lifestyle changes that have helped me to manage irritable bowel syndrome.

Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and superfoods. I personally like to make sure I eat fruits/vegetables with each meal, N.B. they should take up half of your plate. Or you can drink them in rich smoothies or soups. The high fiber content helps with healthy gut function. Also, superfoods such turmeric, ginger, honey, lemons, garlic, blueberries etc. have anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties which I have found to be very helpful in reducing abdominal cramping (even for my menstrual cycle)! Drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning and turmeric golden milk at night as really improved my digestion and much more. I’ll share a recipe below for “turmeric golden milk.”

2. Drink lots of water. At least 2 litres (eight 8 ounce glasses) per day. Water is just necessary for life yahh!

3. Avoid certain foods. Avoid coffee which worsens symptoms. Most beans/peas lack a type of carbohydrate which causes bloating and produces gas in many people. But lentil peas are special, they are for the win! Stay away from dairy products as much as possible and try to replace milk, cheese (my weakness!) and butter with plant based substitutes (e.g. almond or cashew).

4. Reduce processed food and carbohydrates. I personally have a weakness for pastries but bread is NOT my friend. Diets with high carbohydrate content can worsen constipation and abdominal cramps.

5. Take probiotic supplements daily. This has been proven to really improve my gut health. I personally take multivitamins which contain biotic cultures but you can also get it from yogurts (non-diary preferably), apple cider vinegar and pickles.

6. Address psychological stressors. So implementing some of the lifestyle practices to overcome anxiety as I mentioned in last week’s blog are really helpful. You may need to go to a counselor for cognitive behaviorist therapy (CBT) if you’re not seeing any changes.

So those are my few healthy lifestyle tips for treating irritable bowel syndrome. I’ve noticed that whenever I get too stressed, start struggling with mental health issues and start to fall into bad eating habits, the symptoms return. So healthy lifestyle practices are KEY to beating this!

Let me leave this short anonymous testimonial with you…

I like to call IBS, “Confused Bowel Syndrome” because one minute it’s incessant diarrhea followed by unforgiving bouts of constipation. Things that helped me included avoiding spicy foods, drinking lots of water, eating bananas and “lef anyone weh as stress you” LOL.”

I truly hope this helped you. Let’s take care of our physical health as much as we would our mental health and vice versa! Deal? Deal!

Have a blessed day and may you walk in wholeness today!

Yours truly,

Dr. Esther J Trotman

References:

Medscape

Harvard Health Publishing

Turmeric Golden Milk Recipe

Makes 1 cup of warm cosy goodness!

Ingredients:

1 inch piece of peeled turmeric (or 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder)
1 inch piece of peeled ginger
1 tsp of honey (or to taste)
1 ½ cups of almond milk (or oat milk or coconut milk)
A pinch of cinnamon
A pinch of black pepper (allows absorption of curcumin in the turmeric)

Instructions:

Blend together milk, turmeric, ginger and honey until smooth.
Strain (if desired) into a pot and warm up on a low fire while stirring.
Add the pinch of black pepper and cinnamon, stir and pour into your favourite mug and enjoy!