Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder of the large intestine. It may cause abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. The condition is not life threatening in nature and does not make you susceptible to colon disorders such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and colon cancer, however, symptoms of IBS may act as deterrents in leading a normal life.

Symptoms
The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are: 
1. You may experience symptoms of constipation
2. Frequent episodes of diarrhea
3. Abdominal cramps especially on the lower part of the abdomen
4. Constant bloating
5. Abnormal stool structure 
6. You belly might stick out 
In some cases, you may experience sexual problems and urinary problems. In addition, if you also suffer from stress related disorders then it might aggravate the symptoms.

Causes
The primary cause is that the colon becomes very sensitive such that small stimulation may cause it to react. When the food passes through the colon, it tends contract strongly and leads to complications, such as bloating and constipation. It may also lead to weak contractions of the colon which leads to hardened stool.
There are certain things which may symptoms of IBS, they are: 

1. Stress: Any type of stress tends to aggravate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

2. Foods: Certain foods such as chocolate, spices, cabbage, milk and carbonated beverages may trigger symptoms of IBS.

3. Hormones: Hormonal changes such as the ones during menstrual cycles may aggravate symptoms of IBS. 

4. Illnesses: Various illnesses such as diarrhea or conditions such as overproduction of bacteria in the intestines may lead to symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Women are more likely to be affected by symptoms of IBS as are people who are below 45 years of age. If someone in your family has irritable bowel syndrome, then you are also likely to develop this disorder. It may also aggravate symptoms of hemorrhoids, along with aggravating symptoms of stress.

All About Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder that is diagnosed on the basis of its symptoms. It is characterised by intense abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating and change in bowel habits. One of the primary symptoms of IBS is abdominal pain. It may also be accompanied with frequent diarrhoea or constipation. There might also be a feeling of partial or incomplete evacuation. The symptoms are sometimes relieved by the proper bowel movement. Other symptoms, in this case, include depression and anxiety. In rare cases, there is also a possibility of sexual dysfunction and a reduced libido.

Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome 

The exact reason behind the occurrence of IBS is not known. It is a disruption of the brain-gut axis that is known to cause the problem. It is also caused due to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

Triggering factors 

IBS is intensified or triggered by the following factors:

Foods: Edibles like chocolate, milk and alcohol might lead to constipation or diarrhoea. One must also avoid carbonated beverages and some fruits and vegetables. These might lead to bloating and discomfort.

Stress: The condition gets worse with any type of stress.

Hormones: In women, the symptoms occur as a result of the hormones during menstrual periods.

Complications: It is not associated with any fatal condition. But it can lead to diarrhoea and constipation and aggravate hemorrhoids.

Adverse Impacts of the Disease-

IBS has an adverse impact on your lifestyle. It will limit your ability to get social or carry out your daily professional activities. You will find it difficult to cope up with the symptoms while living away from your comfort zone or home. You will not have a good sex life. You will get depressed and may even feel suicidal in extreme cases.

Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome-

IBS is treated broadly by bringing in certain changes in the lifestyle. To begin with, you are advised to check your diet. Include fibre in your diet, if you are suffering from constipation. Also, avoid oily, spicy and hot food items. Besides, you are prescribed medicines such as stool softeners and laxatives and antispasmodic drugs and proton pump inhibitors.

Homeopathic medicines-IBS requires prolonged treatment. Homoeopathy works best to get you relief from the symptoms and cures it, from the roots. Here are certain homeopathic remedies that are helpful in treating the disorder.

Argentum nitricum

Asafoetida

Colocynthis

Lilium tigrinum

Lycopodium

Natrum carbonicum

Nux vomica

Podophyllum

Sulphur

Aloe

It has to be kept in mind that these are just basic remedies. There are over 150 Homeopathic medicines that can be used for treating IBS. Thus, consult your doctor for the best remedy for you as per the symptoms.  

Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Homeopathy

Curd is a staple in every household in India; whether it is served with piping hot parathas or by itself after a meal. The simple food item is packed with a number of nutrients and helps in increasing the health benefits in your body.

Here are a few reasons why you should be eating curd, almost every day:

Probiotics help in digestion: Curd, being rich in probiotics (good bacteria), improves digestion as it kills all the harmful bacteria in the digestive tract and aids the proliferation of good bacteria. Probiotics also help in the prevention of various digestive issues such as cramps, bloating and abdominal pain caused due to Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Promotes weight loss around the belly: A hormone called cortisol, also called the  stress hormone  persuades the fat cells to produce more fat around your belly area. Consuming a cup of curd daily increases the amount of calcium in your body which limits the release of cortisol, thus, helping you lose weight. Curd also retains one-third of lean muscle mass which helps you maintain your physique post those dropped kilos for a longer time.
Curd strengthens your immunity system: A cup of curd is loaded with good bacteria which is essential for fighting off germs, thereby making your immune system stronger and more persistent. Making curd a part of your daily diet is a great idea as it is effective in preventing yeast infections around the vaginal area.
Toughens up your skeletal system: Like all dairy products, curd is rich in calcium which is necessary for strong bones and teeth. Apart from calcium, curd is rich in phosphorous and together, they quicken the bone growth process and helps in preventing arthritis and osteoporosis.
Helps in improving cardiovascular health: Eating curd helps in improving cardiovascular health as it discourages the spread of cholesterol around the arterial area, thus, reducing the risks of a coronary disease. Curd reduces hypertension which is a pre-cursor to most heart ailments.

5 Reasons You Should be Eating Curd Daily 

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common disorders of digestive system producing a spectrum of symptoms such as persistent and recurring abdominal pain associated with passing of motion, change of bowel habit (diarrhea, constipation, or alternating diarrhea and constipation), etc. without any apparent cause.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the disorder of function, which means that the bowel doesn't work, as it should. If one visualizes the bowel, it appears perfectly normal without any inflammation or other structural changes. In people with IBS, the intestines squeeze too hard or not hard enough and cause food to move too quickly or too slowly through the intestines.

What Are the Symptoms of IBS?

People with IBS have symptoms that can include:

Diarrhea (often described as violent episodes of diarrhea)

Constipation

Constipation alternating with diarrhea

Belly pains or cramps, usually in the lower half of the belly, that get worse after meals and feel better after a bowel movement

A lot of gas or bloating

Harder or looser stools than normal (pellets or flat ribbon stools)

A belly that sticks out

Stress can make symptoms worse.

How does Homeopathy treat IBS?

IBS can have significant impact on individual's social, personal, and professional life. Homeopathy offers proven treatment for the IBS which treats the Mind and Body connections. IBS calls for the treatment which should address the emotional stress, the stress coping system and the intestinal hypersensitivity. This is what homeopathy attempts doping exactly. The scientific and documented study shows that the homeopathic treatment helps achieve:

Soothing of mind

Slowing down of negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, frustration, hyperactivity, anger, restlessness, etc.

Helping body's stress coping system

Alleviating the abnormal hypersensitivity of the bowels

Relieving the symptoms of bowel hyper-motility

Enhancing level of joyous state of mind

Individualistic approach whereby every patient is treated based on one's case

Homeopathic Treatment-

The Homeopathy medicine works at the deeper level, bringing the deviations of harmony among various systems of body back to normalcy. The homeopathic medicine establishes a good communication between the brain and the gut, thus ensuring proper relay of signals. The positive outcome of this is that the motility of intestines becomes regular and rhythmic, thus relieving complaints of either diarrhea or constipation or both.

Moreover, Homeopathy improves the pain threshold of individual, thus alleviating symptoms of pain and cramps associated with IBS. Homeopathy medicines work at deeper level of an individual to root out root causes. The two factors that are triggering causes of IBS are emotional stress and exaggerated sensitivity to food items.

Homeopathy has very well perceived the influences of psyche on the physique of an individual. Homeopathy medicines positively influences the emotions and thinking of an individual so that the person can cope with stress optimistically. Homeopathy medicines have proven efficacy to manage mental stress and its offshoots like IBS. Homeopathy medicines aid in minimizing food sensitivities and allergies.

Homeopathy and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Bowel movement is one of the most important clues about an individual s health, as it gives a real idea of the gastrointestinal condition as well as overall health. One shall have to get familiar with the regular appearance of stool to spot the issues beforehand; however, the day to day alterations in the appearance does not mean that there is a problem with your health as one may notice short-term abnormalities based on what he or she is eating every day. 

But in case an unexplained change lasts for over a week or so, it is a sign of some strange happening in the gastrointestinal tract.

Hard pieces of faeces that are hard to pass: If the bowel movement is straining to pass, then the individual is constipated. Some people think that they are not suffering from constipation, but their stool is always hard and comes out in pieces rather than soft stool that passes out effortlessly. The most common reason behind such stool is a lack of fibre in the diet. According to general recommendations, an adult male must take at least 38 grams of fibre while an adult female must take about 25 grams of fibre. It is recommended to maintain a food journal to track the daily nutrients intake, and in case there is a lack of fibre in the diet, it can be stacked up with whole grains, fruits, beans and nuts.
Black or bright red coloured poop: If the stool has a deep red appearance, it would indicate that a part of the bowel is bleeding. In most circumstances, the blood in the stool is caused by the benign haemorrhoids, but it could also be due to some ulcers in the colon or stomach or even cancer. That is why it is extremely crucial to bring it to the doctor s notice. There are different types of over-the-counter medications which turn the stool into black colour. This sort of discolouration is entirely temporary and may stay along for a few days even after stopping the medicine.
A loose stool which is not diarrhoea: Loose stool but not diarrhoea may mean that the individual is suffering from celiac disease. Although the illness is quite uncommon, most people who suffer from it are not aware of the condition. The appearance of the stool is the largest and most reliable signs of having celiac disease. Individuals affected with celiac disease are not able to tolerate gluten, and it destroys the villi in the lining of the small intestine. As a result, the nutrients are unabsorbed, and the stool becomes loose. Switching to a gluten-free diet for about 2 to 3 weeks can aid in alleviating the disease.
If the appearance of the stool remains abnormal for weeks together, it is important to talk to a doctor to find out if there is something serious underlying. Bowel movement is the truest sign of the intestinal health, and thus, should not be ignored. 

Bowel Movement - What It Says About Your Health?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease needs to be controlled in the initial stage only so that severe symptoms can be prevented. There are a few easy treatments that need to be followed for getting instant relief and quickest recovery. 

What are the commonest signs of Inflammatory Bowel disease?

Fatigue and fever: Low-grade fever can be experienced, which might invite fatigue, tiredness and weakness. Your energy levels will become too low, and thus you will lose your concentration to work. 
Diarrhea: This is regarded as the commonest signs of all, and it can be quite severe in a few cases. 
Stool with blood: If you find blood with stool, then it is a serious case, and this sign confirms clearly that you have got IBD.
Cramping and abdominal pain: Ulceration and inflammation within digestive tract might invite both cramping and abdominal pain. Vomiting and nausea are the other two symptoms that are associated with the same.
Weight loss: Your digestive system can get disturbed as a result of which you might lose weight on a frequent note. On the other hand, your appetite will get disturbed, and you will suffer from malnutrition.
What are the best ways to treat Inflammatory Bowel disease? 

Lifestyle change: Proper diet should be maintained, and you should include foods with low fats, high fiber and others. Non-spicy and non-dairy foods are quite suitable in this case. Smoking, alcohol drinking and other bad habits should be curtailed from the diet. Eat healthy and drink water in abundance. 
Surgery: Only for dealing severe conditions, especially ulcerative colitis and crohn's disease, surgery is chosen as the best option but this decision is normally taken by the doctor. 
Medications: Specialized medications are being used like anti-diarrhoeal medications, pain relievers, and iron supplements, Vitamin-d and calcium supplements, vitamin-12 supplements and many more.
Home remedies: There are few commonest homemade therapies that can treat IBD, and they are meditations, probiotics, acupuncture, turmeric, aloe Vera, fish oil and others. These remedies are the safest of all, and thus no side-effects will be faced.
Doctor's assistance: Without doctor's help, you will not be able to get the quickest recovery from IBD. Therefore, you got to visit the clinic regularly in order to get the perfect treatment. There are a few therapists who can help you to get rid of unwanted emotional difficulties. A support group can also be joined for receiving moral support.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Symptoms and Treatment

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