IBS

April is IBS awareness month.

Did you know that IBS affects 1 in 10 people? IBS is a functional gastrointestinal disorder distinguished by changing bowel habits along with abdominal pain. It is considered a chronic disorder of unclear aetiology. There are four areas that describe IBS. IBS-D diarrhoea, IBS-C constipation, IBS-M mixture of both diarrhoea and constipation and IBS-U un-subtyped abnormal stool consistency.

When diagnosing IBS you will usually be tested for other conditions first such as Coeliacs Disease, Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Fibromyalgia, Functional Dyspepsia and Intestinal Disease. These need to be ruled out prior to an IBS diagnosis.

The signs of IBS:

-Diarrhoea

-Constipation

-Alternating diarrhoea and constipation.

-Feeling of incomplete defecation

-Rectal urgency

-Flatulence

-Abdominal bloating, pain and cramping

-Exacerbated by emotional eating and stress

-Clear or white mucus

-Relieved with bowel motion

If you have IBS or you would like to investigate symptoms possibly relating to IBS, Naturopath Karyn Campbell is very experienced in the area of gut health. Karyn’s treatment of IBS includes identifying the underlying drivers, symptomatic support for the pain, treating bloating and can also help with regulation of bowel motions and hypersensitivity. The healing of the gut will help with reducing inflammation, improving the mucous membrane and promoting intestinal healing. Karyn can offer assistance with diet and food intolerances, supplementation, probiotics and prebiotics (to assist with the gut microbiota) and referral for microbiome GI MAP testing (by a stool sample to diagnose the bacteria and viral and fungal capacity of the gastrointestinal system).