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The majority of the IBS sufferers I speak to have had a similar experience with their doctor.
After having other conditions ruled they've been told 'it's just IBS and you need to avoid the trigger foods'. But the reality is that the triggers are rarely known. It can be especially confusing when the healthier the food on the plate, the worse bloating and pain.
The truth is that IBS is an umbrella term that describes the symptoms but not the underlying cause. To resolve the symptoms of IBS, the underlying cause needs to be addressed.
Most people with IBS say it’s having a significant impact on their quality of life as well as their social life. It also plays a role in being one of the main reasons for people taking time off work. The bloating, altered bowel habits, pain, and anxiety that can come along with these symptoms can be truly debilitating. Furthermore, the bloating, altered bowel habits, pain, they all tell us how we might be feeling but not why.
Many people reach my clinic when feel they feel they’ve come to the end of the road after being told to self-manage their symptoms but today we know a lot more about what contributes to IBS than we did previously.
Can IBS Be Cured?
When we talk about gut health and the symptoms, we may be experiencing it’s important to remember that IBS isn’t a condition like diabetes or heart disease. In these conditions, there is a clear understanding of how they develop and how to test for them. In IBS things are less clear.
IBS is diagnosed on symptoms alone. The presence of bloating, cramping and altered stool patterns tell us a lot about how we’re feeling. However, they rarely get us any closer to understanding why we are experiencing them and more importantly what to do about them.
This ‘why‘ can be different for each individual but by understanding the gut we can work through the possible reasons and help to bring things back into balance.
Underlying causes of IBS
There can be many issues that combine to contribute to the gut being sent out of balance, therefore leading to IBS. When things go out of balance there is disruption, and this is what is leading to the symptoms. So, in order to ‘cure’ IBS, it is vital to identify which issues are most relevant to each person and their individual version of IBS. It’s by addressing these underlying issues that we can bring the gut back into balance.
Root causes of IBS
The underlying issues fall into 3 categories:
Lifestyle & Environment (stress, poor sleep)
Nutritional Factors (vitamin deficiencies, food sensitivities)
Functional Imbalances (gut bacteria imbalances, infections)
Within each of these 3 categories, there are a number of aspects that contribute to a disrupted gut.
IBS after food poisoning
In approximately 10% of those with IBS, it’s reported that symptoms started after a gut infection. This can be in the form of viral gut infections such as norovirus as well as food poisoning. Studies have indicated that the risk of developing IBS was increased by 4 fold in the 12 months following an infectious event. Following infection, there are changes in the gut that lead to symptoms continuing.
These gut changes include:
Low-grade inflammation
Microbiome imbalances
Intestinal permeability
Immune changes
For some, this can result in changes in the gut that are then diagnosed as SIBO, an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.
Is SIBO the cause of IBS?
Several studies have found that an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine (SIBO) is present in those with IBS. The number of those with SIBO as the cause of their IBS symptoms may be as high as 78%. SIBO is indicated by an increase in bacteria in the small intestine and this can result in many of the IBS symptoms. These include:
Abdominal pain or discomfort
Bloating
Flatulence
Changes in bowel patterns
To cure the symptoms of IBS and SIBO considering the factors that increase the risk of SIBO is important to help address these underlying factors.
The small intestine has several mechanisms that need to be taken place for a well-balanced small intestinal gut microbiome.
These factors are:
Secretion of gastric juice and bile (these have an antibacterial effect to help balance the small intestine)
Peristaltic movement prevents the adherence of bacteria into the intestinal mucosa.
A balanced immune response in the gut.
The production of beneficial and protective mucus inhibiting pathogenic bacteria.
Gut antibacterial compounds being produced in the gut.
A functioning ileocecal valve (prevents the backwards movement of bacteria from the colon to the small intestine.
These are required to be working optimally for the gut to be healthy. There are also factors outside of the small intestine which can lead or contribute to bacterial overgrowth and the symptoms of IBS.
These outside factors include the use of medications and drugs that either alter stomach acid secretions (antacids), the microbial balance (antibiotics) or small bowel motility (opioids)
As SIBO can be the cause of symptoms in many with IBS, understanding the factors that have led to SIBO development is important when working to cure IBS symptoms.
Treatment & Therapy
Rather than living on a restricted diet forever, there is another way. By identifying and addressing the underlying issue we can bring about lasting change.
Treatment and support include:
Short-term elimination diets to assess for food sensitivities
Strain-specific probiotic supplementation
Targeted nutritional supplementation
Testing to assess the gut bacteria
Supportive lifestyle recommendations
Gut-directed hypnotherapy
Food intolerances and IBS
The aim is rarely to find the single dietary culprit that’s causing the digestive issues. It’s more about supporting and rebalancing it so it’s more resilient and better able to tolerate what we put into it. However, short term elimination diets can be helpful to take a weight off the digestive system as the underlying issue is addressed.
Conclusion
So, can IBS be cured? In order to ‘cure’ IBS, we need to see it as a disease. In reality, it needs to be seen as a sign that something is out of balance within the gut.
The job at hand is to understand why the symptoms are there. By supporting the underlying issue we can restore the health of the gut.
Book a free Gut Health Review with me here to find out how I can help.
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