Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common reason people consult with a digestive specialist. Common symptoms include gas, bloating, abdominal pain, bouts of loose stool, or constipation. IBS attacks both children and adults and affects approximately 45 million Americans.
In my 26 years of practice, I have found there are several treatable causes of IBS.
These include:
-Food sensitivities and refined foods
-Fructose or sucrose malabsorption
-Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome)
-Infections (yeast overgrowth, parasites)
-Gut bacteria imbalance (small intestine bacterial overgrowth, imbalanced levels of healthy flora)
-Poor stress management
-Poor breakdown of food
There are tests that I run with a patient that help to identify the root causes of IBS, which allows me to treat the causes very quickly and effectively. One of the causes I want to address in this article is the last one on my list, which is the poor breakdown of food. When one does not break food down properly, it leads to inflammatory reactions in the stomach, intestines, and colon. Food needs to be broken down properly into smaller particles so that it can be properly absorbed through the small intestine wall and into the bloodstream. So, one not only does one have IBS symptoms from reduced food breakdown, but it also leads to symptoms such as fatigue, foggy brain, unhealthy skin, joint aches, and other symptoms since it prevents nutrients from being absorbed.
Chronic illnesses, an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, and the effects of chronic stress often results in the decreased production and release of digestive enzymes. As a result, there is an increase in uncomfortable IBS symptoms. One of the quickest ways to help someone with IBS is to not only improve their diet but have them take digestive enzymes with meals.
Commonly available in health food stores, digestive enzymes help to breakdown most all foods, including those containing carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber, milk and gluten proteins, and lactose. With the right product, I find that patients can notice an improvement almost immediately. Modern digestive enzymes are grown in a laboratory and extracted and purified from certain types of fungi and probiotics. The enzymes harvested from aspergillus are called vegetarian, or fungal. These types survive stomach acid better than animal-derived enzymes.
A 4-week study of people with inflammatory bowel disease who also had IBS symptoms examined the difference of people receiving conventional treatment (mesalamine medication) or conventional treatment plus digestive enzymes (along with the supplements beta-glucan and inositol). The patients who received the enzyme formula had a better reduction in abdominal pain as well as bloating and flatulence. They also had an overall improvement in their condition of inflammatory bowel disease and IBS.
Look for additional articles in my upcoming News and Breakthroughs on natural ways to solve your digestive problems.
Dr. Mark Stengler NMD, MS, is a bestselling author in private practice in Encinitas, California, at the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. His newsletter, Dr. Stengler’s Health Breakthroughs, is available at www.markstengler.com and his product line at www.drstengler.com
Spagnuolo R, Ruggiero G, Cosco C, Cosco V, Garieri P, Gidaro A, Doldo P. 2016. Beta-Glucan, Inositol and Digestive enzymes In Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Associated With Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Digestive and Liver Disease 48:e162
