Irritable Bowel Syndrome, more commonly known as IBS, now affects 1 in 3 people. However, you may be unlikely to hear about how common it is as it is such a personal issue that many sufferers do not like to discuss.
The medical profession first ‘diagnosed’ IBS well over 200 years ago and yet they claim that they still do not know exactly what causes IBS and they tend to advise IBS sufferers that there is no cure. Or that their IBS is ‘stress related’. That old chestnut!
A lot of women feel fobbed off by the medical profession and get fed up with the lack of support and being used as a guinea-pig for trial and error medications. With no tangible results in terms of IBS reduction. This can lead to many other health problems as the root cause of the IBS isn’t being addressed and at best some of the symptoms are merely being masked.
But What Is IBS?
There may be some confusion as to whether you have IBS. Statistically it takes between 18 months and 3 years to get a diagnosis of IBS from your doctor and even after being diagnosed, this means very little in terms of getting any relief.
Most women then spend a further 3 – 8 years trialling meds, waiting for appointments with specialists, getting further diagnosis, wasting time with faddy diets and trying anything and everything that someone on a Facebook group recommended… It can easily cost thousands. With no actual results.
If you think you may have IBS but are not really sure, let me save you some time. Below I have listed most of the IBS symptoms that I work with on a daily basis. IBS can be any number of these symptoms. Some women only have one of these symptoms. Some women have most of them. There are no rules as to how many of these symptoms equal an IBS diagnosis. However, if you have three of these symptoms bothering you, then there is a good chance you have IBS. Which is relatively easy to fix. Despite what the doctors tell you.
Here’s a selection of common IBS symptoms:
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abdominal pain and cramping, which may be relieved by going to the toilet
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a change in your bowel habits – such as diarrhoea, constipation, or sometimes both
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bloating and swelling of your stomach
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excessive wind
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experiencing an urgent need to go to the toilet
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a feeling that you have not fully emptied your bowels after your bowel movement
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passing mucus
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lack of energy
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nausea
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acid reflux
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backache
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sharp pains in the right or left side of your abdomen
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bladder problems
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pain during sex
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incontinence
Your Overall Health & IBS
IBS is no joy ride that’s for sure. It can affect your confidence, your clothing choices, your ability to work, intimacy in your sex life, freedom in your social life and even quality time with your family. IBS can negatively impact every corner of your life… It’s the condition that just keeps on giving…
Not only that but IBS can directly lead to bowel cancer. IBS sufferers have 18% more chance of getting bowel cancer.
Digestive health is so important as it is the system that absorbs energy and eliminates waste. Without a properly functioning digestive system the energy doesn’t get absorbed and the waste doesn’t all get eliminated. This causes malnutrition. This weakens the entire immune system, allowing other illness and disease to take hold.
Feeling Like An Emotional Wreck?
The stomach is known as our second brain and as such, it holds onto a lot of emotion.
Many IBS sufferers also suffer with depression, anxiety, stress and can feel uncomfortable in social situations as a result of feeling bloated and gassy or needing to go to the toilet all the time.
It can be quite lonely suffering with IBS and partners and families of IBS sufferers often making allowances. Proper advice and guidance will show you how to feed your brain as well as reduce your IBS. The two go hand in hand. Once your brain has the nutrients it needs these feelings disappear and the real you can shine through again.
The Good News!
Since 2015 I have been teaching women how to become IBS free. I created The IBS Freedom Method which is specifically tailored to help women with IBS to become IBS free.It does what it says on the tin.
The IBS Freedom Method is an online 12 module video series with practical worksheets and proven to work, tasty IBS free recipes. You can also benefit from optional 1:1 Accountability Coaching and an extensive Dietary Health Check to provide the benchmark for tailored the course specifically to you and your bodies needs.
My inspiring ladies achieve 85-100% symptom reduction in just a few weeks and are able to maintain this well into the future having gained the knowledge of how to self heal and look after their gut health. Learning to trust your gut is an enormous relief after years of IBS…
The IBS Freedom Method
I hope you have enjoyed this article and if you have any questions or if you are affected by IBS, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Helen Waddington at info@helenwaddington.com