THE THIRD COMMON CAUSATIVE AGENT OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME IS FOOD SENSITIVITIES

One persons healthy food may be poison for another person. Even food which is regarded as being “good” for us may, in some people, be poorly digested, initiate an allergic irritation of the digestive system or feed undesirable intestinal organisms.

Intestinal damage from food sensitivities may take place even after eating an amount of food that is not large enough to cause an obvious rection. This damage usually results in diminished absorption and/or increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut).

HEALING YOUR GUTS

CONVENTIONAL DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Most physicians are unaware of the underlying factors that actually cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Doctors are taught to perform testing to rule out serious diseases like cancer, ulcers and colitis. These tests may include a sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, barium enema, upper GI series and an upper endoscopy. Although these tests are important to be sure that there is not a serious underlying medical disorder, in the vast majority of cases the results are within normal limits and provide little information as to what may be the underlying cause of the intestinal distress. After all the tests come back “normal” the diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is usually made.

THE LEAKY GUT AND BEYOND

How can intestinal imbalances produce symptoms throughout the entire body?

If our digestive system becomes injured by imbalanced organisms, hidden food sensitivities, or digestive insufficiencies it may not be able to properly perform it’s function of absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste products. Injured intestines may, like leaky sewage pipes in our home, leak waste material from our intestines into our blood and lymph systems.

Even though this leaking of waste products may occur on a microscopic level, the resulting negative consequences to our health are usually feelings of toxicity, fatigue, fibromyalgia symptoms such as stiff joints and/or muscles (especially worse upon arising), rashes and/or multiple food sensitivities. This phenomena of leaky intestines is surprisingly common and has been dubbed “leaky gut syndrome.”

ADVANCED ASSESMENT AND TREATMENT OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Probably the greatest breakthrough in Irritable Bowel Syndrome is the recognition that rather than being caused merely by “stress”, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be the result of specific intestinal imbalances.

The intestinal imbalances of one person with Irritable Bowel Syndrome may be very different from that of another person with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, even if they have the exact same symptoms. It is extremely important to determine the specific underlying reasons why Irritable Bowel Syndrome exists in any particular person in order to create the optimal treatment program.

Through a wide variety of laboratory assessments which are more sophisticated than the tests routinely performed in standard laboratories or hospitals, the underlying cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be determined for many people. Samples of stool, urine and/or saliva are used to determine if our intestines are out of balance and specifically, what is needed to bring them in balance. Many of the tests can even be performed at home and require surprisingly little time and effort when compared with hospital based tests such as colonoscopy or upper endoscopies.

The results of these tests can provide vital information for creating a treatment program which addresses your specific intestinal imbalances. This means a greater likelihood of a complete recovery and a decreased likelihood of relapse once the program has been completed.