The Mystery of an IBS Diagnosis and Natural Healing

Marilyn struggled with constipation and abdominal pain for as long as she could remember. As a child, she remembers having stomachaches. Her doctor diagnosed “irritable bowel syndrome” (IBS) and gave her a medication that didn’t work. Finally, after many years, a colonoscopy revealed she had a redundant colon. Marilyn discovered her IBS went away if she:

• Ate vegetarian whole foods
• Consumed foods with lots of fiber
• Avoided dairy
• Got a vitamin B12 shot every week

Mark was plagued with lower abdominal pain and diarrhea. He was unable to leave the house in the morning because he would have to use the toilet up to six times after breakfast. This made it very difficult to plan his day, and he was always uncomfortable. He heard about “intermittent fasting,” eating only between 10am and 6pm and decided to try it. Within days, his symptoms completely resolved.

Charlotte was told she had IBS from a “nervous stomach.” She would have times that she felt fine. But then the bloating would randomly return and make her very uncomfortable. After years of doctors and numerous medications, she only got temporary relief from her symptoms. But then she found a probiotic bacterial supplement that completely resolved the issue.

Finley was thin but couldn’t gain weight in spite of eating a lot of food. He always had mild stomach issues. The doctors told him he had IBS but didn’t offer any treatment that helped. On a business trip in China, he found his abdominal pain and bloating resolved. While he was there only a couple of weeks, he was able to gain ten pounds while eating fewer calories! He realized that the food in China had no gluten in it, so he decided to eat a gluten-free diet. The gluten-free diet worked for him and resolved his IBS symptoms.

When Joan was little, she complained of stomachaches all the time. Her mother took her to doctors, who told her to give the child milk to soothe her stomach. The milk seemed to work, but the symptoms always returned. She got obese on what she thought was very little food. She would get constipated, and then sometimes get diarrhea. There was no way to predict what was going to happen. She did tests for food sensitivities and found that she had milk intolerance. She went off all milk and diary products, and for the first time in her life felt normal. She was also able to lose weight without dieting.

Julissa had constipation, nausea and stomach pains for many years. Her doctors told her she had IBS, and tried anti-depressant medications. These worked for her. She was able to function at her high-stress job with much less distraction from her intestines. After years of being on the medication, she quit her job to work from home, and found that she didn’t need it anymore.

The most common diagnosis given by gastroenterologists, those who specialize in diseases of the intestines, is not a diagnosis at all. IBS is really just a collection of symptoms that people can have for a variety of reasons. Some have food allergies, others have infections, and still others come from anxiety. There is such a wide gap between all the causes of bowel symptoms that it is essential to find the roots of this one. If we don’t know the cause, we’re unable to treat it.

Where to Start 

Start with a diagnosis. Looking for the cause is both the hardest and the most rewarding way to begin. The diagnosis isn’t IBS, that’s just naming the symptoms, the real diagnosis must identify the cause. The cases above illustrate the importance of knowing why you have IBS. If you have a gluten sensitivity, and you treat your symptoms by avoiding all milk products, that’s not going to work. You must know the exact reason for your particular case of IBS before you can move forward and fix the problem.

As you peruse the list of possible reasons for IBS, consider which one or ones apply to you. You may even need to do testing in some cases to be sure, but mostly I’ll tell you how to proceed without testing.

Possible reasons for IBS:

• Dysbiosis – bad bacteria, too much good bacteria, or bacteria in the wrong place.
• Food sensitivity – this could be one, or many different foods.
• Anxiety, depression, or stress – the brain controls every inch of the intestines, don’t under-estimate the effects of stress.
• Toxins – Artificial sweeteners of all kinds can damage the intestines and normal bacteria causing cramps, bloating and diarrhea.
• Deficiencies – I have found that some people need shots, like Marilyn, to help the bowel to function because they don’t absorb certain nutrients well. Vitamin B12 is common.[1] Consider other B-vitamins as well.[2] Vitamin D has been shown to help IBS.[3]
• Genetic, or developmental abnormalities – some have a condition called Hirshprung Disease, where part of the colon doesn’t have proper nerve connections. This can be mild, moderate, or severe. It is diagnosed by biopsy of the colon, and often requires surgery to remove the affected bowel.
• Diet – some people don’t have sensitivity to food, but their diet feeds the bad bacteria in the bowel. Having a diet high in fruit and vegetables will help feed the good bacteria.
• Poor digestion – the inability to digest certain proteins, fats, or carbohydrates allows them to go into the large intestine and cause gas, bloating, cramps, and diarrhea.
• Slow reset – Some need more time to reset their bowels. Having 12 hours or more with an empty stomach allows the stomach to make acid and enzymes that can digest food properly and prevent IBS symptoms.

How to Systematically Relieve IBS

The first and most important thing to do is to restore normal function of the bowels. This will allow you to determine exactly what causes the symptoms.

The Elimination Diet for IBS

The simplest way to restore bowel function is to go on a special cleanse called the “elimination diet.” This removes all foods that might cause symptoms. This is not always easy because some will need to eat only green salads, but others will get worse on only green salads. The key is to eat just one kind of food for as long as two weeks, or until your symptoms resolve. Examples include:

• Bone broth only
• Green Salad only
• Fruit only
• Juice only

You can combine these foods and add whatever you like, but the more you add, the less likely you are to get good results. Your initial goal is to restore normal bowel function.

Once you have relieved all the symptoms of IBS, it is time to start adding things back into your diet. I have found over many years and hundreds of cases that there is rarely a question about what’s causing the symptoms. People almost always say, “When I added _______ my IBS came back with a vengeance!” You don’t need to wait any specific amount of time, just be very aware of all that you’re eating. If you add prepared foods to your diet, you’re never sure which of the ingredients caused the reaction, so just add one thing in at a time, one day apart.

Probiotics for IBS

In spite of all the advertising to the contrary, there is no one probiotic formula that works for everyone. I had one case of a man with IBS to whom I recommended probiotics. He went to the health food store and bought the most expensive one in the refrigerator – because he thought it would be better! Meanwhile, his wife, who was in the consultation, saw some probiotics while shopping in the grocery store and bought the cheapest one. You guessed it! The expensive probiotic didn’t help him, but the cheap one did! You may have to try many different types of probiotics. I have one patient now who can use different brands, but finds he needs 200 billion to keep his bowels normal.

Prebiotics for IBS

The fiber that feeds the good bacteria is called “prebiotics.” This helps the probiotics grow. Mind you, probiotics only stay in the bowel for about 2 weeks. So you need to continually replenish the supply of probiotics. But prebiotics help probiotics to be more abundant and slows the growth of “bad” bacteria. Prebiotics include fruit and vegetables. A high-fiber diet feeds the “good” bacteria while carbs, protein, and fat feed the “bad” bacteria. Thus, it’s best to eat a low carb, low protein, and low-fat diet that is high in fiber.

Fasting for IBS

The intestines are able to clean out only when they’re empty. When your plumber comes to repair your sewer line, the first thing he says is, “DON’T FLUSH!!!” (…and the first thing the kids do when the plumber is down in the hole with the open pipe…) Likewise, your intestines will not clean out until you stop putting things in them. The two best ways to do this are:

• Intermittent fasting is having a window of eating of about 8-12 hours. I only eat between the hours of 9am and 6pm. The rest of the time I drink water.
• Periodic fasting is having days off from eating. In England it is popular to fast for 2 days every week. Those days you eat about 300-500 calories and eat normal amounts of good food the other five days.[4] Valter Longo at the USC Longevity Center recommends fasting five days in a row every month, giving more time for the body to repair.[5]

• Pinterest

IBS Supplements

B-vitamins seem to be important for bowel function. I have had several cases where vitamin B12 shots have helped, as with Marilyn, above. This is because with diarrhea, or any inflammation of the bowel vitamin B12 may not be absorbed well. Vitamin B6 is also important but can be taken orally.[6]

Magnesium is also a common deficiency,[7] and is needed to prevent spasms of the bowel. Take about 400mg twice per day for 90 days, then take 1000mg per week. It’s best to eat dark green vegetables to get magnesium.

Vitamin D is a common deficiency and should be supplemented by everyone. I prefer a weekly dose of about 50,000 IU.

Consider improving stomach acid with Betaine HCL – about four capsules with every meal. You can decrease the dose if you get any burning.

Summary

• Do the “Elimination Diet”
• Eat high fiber and low calorie meals
• Try different probiotics
• Fast – try different ways
• Take a B-vitamin
• Get Vitamin B12 shots
• Take Betaine HCL with meals

By working systematically, you will be able to know what works for you, like the cases above. And, if you find no relief, it may be time to consult a gastroenterologist to see if you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s Disease, parasites, or some other infection that requires medical treatment.

 

Something else that will help your IBS symptoms: Getting more vitamin D. Or, you could have SIBO.

 

 

 

Sources:
[1] https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/consultations/is-ibs-more-common-in-vitamin-b12-deficient-patients/article/208035/
[2] https://www.naturalnews.com/039939_IBS_vitamin_b6_intestinal_distress.html
[3] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125110806.htm
[4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/05/17/hot-new-fasting-diet-from-europe-hits-the-u-s/#158151467327
[5] https://news.usc.edu/116479/scientifically-designed-fasting-diet-lowers-risks-for-major-diseases/
[6] Format: Abstract Send to Nutr Res. 2011 May;31(5):356-61. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2011.04.001. Epub 2011 Apr 30. Low intake of vitamin B6 is associated with irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. Ligaarden SC1, Farup PG.
[7] http://healthandscience.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=646:magnesium-helps-against-constipation-and-irritable-bowel-syndrome&catid=20&Itemid=198&lang=en