Can you heal from IBS? Understand Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Its Symptoms, and What You Can Do to Have Normal Bowel Movements.
What is IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal condition that results from the dysregulation between the central nervous system (the brain) and the G.I. tract (the gut). Its symptoms consist of one or a combination of the following: abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, or variations in bowel movement (alternating between constipation and diarrhea). Moreover, secondary symptoms of IBS can be psychological distress, depression, and anxiety. IBS can be a very debilitating condition for those who suffer from it, and unfortunately, it is not uncommon. It is estimated that about 7-21% of the world’s population suffers from it and affects women more than men on average.
IBS is now considered a biopsychosocial disorder, which means that its symptoms are connected to biological, psychological, and social factors. Let’s unpack that further:
Biological refers (in this context) to the state of your gut– if there is intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, inflammation, etc.
Psychological: the gut and the brain communicate via the gut-brain axis. When this communication is impaired, quality of life becomes affected, and even depression and anxiety can arise.
Social: social factors can trigger the onset of IBS symptoms such as socioeconomic status, family relationships, etc.
Note how none of the causes for IBS are actually food-related. Specific foods don’t cause IBS (so it’s not dairy or gluten’s fault). The reality is that once the body is inflamed and the gut-brain communication is disrupted, then certain foods can exacerbate the symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Foods that are most commonly associated with IBS symptoms are dairy products, legumes, grains, and certain fruits and vegetables.
IBS can be caused by many factors and it can get triggered by many different foods. Coming to terms with the fact that IBS is a complex condition is key to understanding how to effectively support it.
About the author:
Mariu Cabral is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) who specializes in the gut, particularly Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), acid reflux, and chronic gastrointestinal diseases. She is the creator of the online course 'The No Bloat Code' where she teaches how to naturally and holistically support IBS symptoms and acid reflux.
IBS: What it is not:
Do not confuse IBS with IBD. IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and IBD (irritable bowel disease) are different. IBD is a diagnosed chronic disease characterized by ongoing inflammation of the gut, particularly the colon. Common types of IBD are Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Symptoms of IBD are similar to IBS such as persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding/bloody stools, weight loss, and fatigue. The biggest difference is that IBD symptoms are more prevalent (chronic) than IBS, and could potentially send someone to the emergency room.
How do you know if I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Should you test for it?
First let’s understand what a syndrome is: in medical terms, a syndrome is a combination of symptoms grouped together. The term syndrome is used when the mechanisms of a condition aren’t clearly understood such as the criteria for diagnosis, the onset of symptoms, treatment, etc. What this means is that IBS is not a disease but a syndrome. You cannot medically “diagnose” IBS, therefore there is no such thing as a “cure” for IBS.
Because IBS is a syndrome (or a combination of symptoms) you do not need to test for IBS per se, but you can test for intestinal permeability, Candida overgrowth, SIBO, and/or dysbiosis. All of the aforementioned are potential causes of IBS.
Want an easy way to know if you have IBS? If you already experience changes in bowel habits, constipation, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain then you, my friend, have IBS. It’s that simple.
In my experience as a gut nutritionist, testing for IBS is not necessary to effectively support it.
IBS has no cure. Why?!!
You might have felt defeated and discouraged when you learned this fact either from your doctor or from articles on the internet. BUT, knowledge is power and not everything is lost. IBS is said to not have a cure because remember, it is a SYNDROME, not a disease. Only diseases can have cures (one might argue that this is only said because pharmaceutical industries haven’t been able to create a pill for it yet, but that’s a whole nother topic).
So, because IBS is a combination of symptoms, once you eliminate your symptoms, then you’ve eliminated your IBS (you may call this whatever you want: cure, healing, remission, etc). So, don’t be discouraged if you have IBS because it is not a life sentence.
Common Root Causes of IBS
Intestinal Permeability (Leaky Gut): a condition in which the intestines are permeable (leaky) and let food particles pass through into the bloodstream, resulting in an immune response characterized by inflammation (bloating, arthritis or swelling of the joints, pain, diarrhea, etc). Food sensitivities happen as a result of having a leaky gut.
Infection from parasites, fungi, and/or bacteria.
Dysbiosis: an increase in bad bacteria in the intestines
Stress
What the internet has gotten wrong about IBS
Researching ways to manage IBS can be time-consuming and exhausting. There is conflicting information left and right, and you might find that the treatments that most sources are in agreement with aren’t quite effective after you try them. If you have had IBS for a while, you might have tried probiotics, eating more fiber, and increasing your water intake. Let’s discuss why these are not effective treatments for IBS.
Myth: Probiotics:
Probiotics are one of the most recommended supplements to support IBS symptoms. There is evidence of the benefits of probiotic supplementation for the health of the G.I. tract. Unfortunately, these benefits are often short-lived if noticeable at all. You might be one of those people who got probiotic supplements with the hopes of improving IBS symptoms but couldn’t notice much difference after all. This is because probiotics are live bacteria. If the environment that said bacteria resides in (you/your gut) isn’t optimal, then the bacteria can’t survive or thrive to do their job.
Moreover, having good bacteria in our gut is just one part of the equation when it comes to managing the symptoms associated with IBS. Stress, intestinal permeability, gut irritation, and previous infection are all possible causes of IBS that cannot resolve with probiotics alone.
Myth: Fiber for constipation and diarrhea.
Fiber is an important component of a healthy diet, however, there is such thing as too much fiber (or much more than your body can handle). In my experience as a gut nutritionist, people who suffer from IBS are the ones with the highest fiber intake. The #1 mainstream advice for those struggling with constipation is to add more fiber to the diet and people do so by adding more smoothies, big raw salads, and fiber supplements. In an already irritated gut, adding big amounts of fiber can create further irritation, pull too much water from the colon and make stools even harder to pass.
In the case of diarrhea, fiber helps because of that same mechanism of pulling water from the colon and giving stools some bulk, however for people with IBS-D (IBS that is predominantly diarrhea), this is not a sustainable solution. Experiencing diarrhea is incredibly debilitating in and of itself. It is important to get to the root cause (previous infection, food sensitivities, etc) to get you to passing healthy stools.
Remember that our bodies cannot digest fiber, so we need to make it easy for them by eating foods that are easy to digest and absorb. One simple trick is to avoid raw vegetables and focus on cooked ones instead.
Myth: drink more water to ease bloating and constipation
Fact #1: although dehydration can be a cause of constipation, IBS-C isn’t a hydration issue. I am sure that if you suffer from IBS have chug tons of water with little to no result, this is because IBS is complex, and no, just water cannot solve such a complex problem.
Fact #2: drinking too much water, especially before, during, and after meals can impair your ability to digest foods by diluting your gastric juices. I always advise my clients to avoid water during meals. Instead, do your best to chew well so you can emulsify the food with your own saliva.
The Low FODMAP Diet / “The IBS Diet”
If you’ve researched deep enough for a food-first approach to manage your IBS, you have probably come across the Low FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which are sugars that are digested in the small intestine. One or more of these are present in many fruits and vegetables such as plums, bananas, oranges, garlic, onions, leeks, grains, and legumes to name a few.
There is research that correlates the implementation of a low FODMAP diet to positive outcomes regarding IBS, however, this is a very restrictive diet that is hard to follow. In my experience, people who solely focus on eliminating foods without considering inflammation and/or intestinal permeability go back to experiencing the same symptoms when presented with trigger foods.
On the other hand, when the focus is put on sealing the gut lining, lowering inflammation, and improving digestion as a whole, (which is what The No Bloat Code online course is all about) people are able to enjoy their favorite foods such as cheese, beans, and bread without flare-ups.
All in all, it is NOT NECESSARY to go on a low FODMAP diet to relieve IBS symptoms. There are foods that need to be put on pause for a short period of time, but never healthy foods like fruits or vegetables.
Remember: It’s not the food's fault! It’s all in your gut (and luckily you can fix it!)
Is it possible to eliminate IBS symptoms without doing restrictive diets?
YES! You just need 3 things: food, lifestyle, and therapeutic nutrients.
Probably one of the most important things you should know about IBS is that it needs a multipronged, individualized approach. This means that IBS needs to be supported individually and by doing several things at the same time: lifestyle, diet, and therapeutic nutrients. Elimination of certain foods temporarily is almost always encouraged, but the foods that you eliminate, as well as the supplements and nutrients to incorporate, are highly-individual, which means you need to be assessed first before following a specific plan.
This is why other blog posts and articles haven’t helped you. These articles usually recommend doing one thing: either probiotics, psyllium husk, or a low fodmap diet, etc… but IBS is a highly individual condition that is driven by lifestyle– remember the gut-brain connection?
The No Bloat Code Students get an accurate self-assessment tool to know exactly what to do to improve their IBS symptoms. Learn more about the No Bloat Code here.
Tips for IBS
Here are 3 tips to improve your IBS, doesn’t matter who you are:
Eat whole, unprocessed foods most of the time: animal protein, cooked vegetables, and properly-prepared grains and legumes. To know how to prepare legumes properly, check this guide.
Avoid drinking water with meals to preserve gastric juices/stomach acid/
Improve your response to stress. Proper digestion can only happen in a parasympathetic (relaxed) state.
Remember, your gut health journey is unique to YOU. whatever plan you follow to support your symptoms should be catered to your specific needs and no one else’s.
To get a free preview of The No Bloat Code, the online course for IBS gals, click here.
