Naturopathic Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

IBS - The Not So Simple Diagnosis

So you have been diagnosed with IBS. Now what?

First of all, as your doctor or gastroenterologist may or may not have explained to you, IBS is called a "diagnosis of exclusion", which does not really give you any valuable information. Your condition does not fit into any of the specific categories of digestive disorders that are diagnosed by specific observable physical anomalies or laboratory value abnormalities.

It is not a specific diagnosis, rather it is more like a "non-diagnosis"; it does not describe a specific condition with specific patterns. A diagnosis of IBS is essentially a label that your digestive symptoms are in a realm where the mechanism(s) are not understood (a mechanism is generally required for a proper medical diagnosis or conventional treatment). This does not mean that your symptoms are insignificant, nor does this mean that you have to continue living with an "irritable bowel".

Really, IBS describes a constellation of symptoms that can fit into a gradient with severe chronic diarrhea on one extreme and severe chronic constipation on the other end. Another very common presentation manifests midway on this gradient, alternating diarrhea and constipation.

TOO LOOSE <------- TOO LOOSE + TOO HARD -------> TOO HARD

The one common experience shared by people suffering from IBS is that any one of the range of presentations will affect your optimal daily functioning and depreciate your quality of life.

Symptoms directly or indirectly related to IBS or other digestive disorders (Crohn's Disease, Celiac Disease, Colitis, Ulcerative Colitis) can include the following:

Digestion: abdominal pain, bloating, distension, gas, heartburn, rectal pain, hemorrhoids, blood in stools, malabsorption of nutrients, diarrhea, constipation
Dermatological: eczema, acne, rashes, hives, itchiness
Respiratory: shortness of breath, poor endurance, congestion, sinusitis, post-nasal drip
Musculoskeletal: joint pain, muscle cramps, muscle weakness
Psychological: anxiety, embarrassment, depression, lack of enjoyment, decreased functioning at school/work/home
Overall: fatigue, insomnia, frequent infections

A first step to improving any digestive difficulties (whether diagnosed or undiagnosed) is IgG Food Allergy Testing. This is different than the standard food/environmental allergy testing that may have been done by your allergist, an IgE allergy, which involves scratching the skin in a grid-like pattern and applying a drop of each test allergen. IgG food allergies develop in a delayed onset response over a few hours or days, thereby making them very difficult to isolate by observation alone. This type of food allergy can lead to chronic illness or inflammatory conditions, such as in IBS.

Comprehensive Stool Analysis is another test offered to directly examine parameters of your stool, which helps to rule out parasites, and determine if there are adequate colonies of probiotics ("good bacteria") and any excesses of dysbiotic ("bad bacteria") that need to be addressed. It can also determine the degree of inflammation in your digestive tract and whether you have malabsorption issues that also need to be addressed.

There could be several layers to your digestive health that need to be addressed. Makoto Trotter, ND, licensed Naturopathic Doctor, will work together with you to systematically treat your digestion with a natural approach, based on how your own individual condition responds and improves.