Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) treatment
What options do you have to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)? You can make simple changes to your diet and lifestyle to seek relief, such as:
- Add fiber to your diet over two weeks. If you introduce a fiber supplement, do it gradually. Drink plenty of water to minimize gas, bloating and constipation.
- See what foods make your bowel problems worse, and avoid them. It may help to keep a diary of your diet, and symptoms. The usual symptom-triggering suspects include chocolate, caffeinated beverages such as coffee, dairy products, and medications that include caffeine.
- Create a routine schedule for eating. This can help stabilize bowel function. For diarrhea sufferers, eating less food but more often may bring relief. For constipation sufferers, eat more food that’s high in fiber, to increase the probability of having a bowel movement.
- Reduce or eliminate dairy products. You may be lactose intolerant. You can experiment with an enzyme product like Lactaid. If you do eliminate dairy products, compensate by getting enough protein, calcium and B vitamins from other foods.
- Drink lots of liquids every day. Drink mostly water. Liquids that can make your problem worse include alcohol and anything with caffeine. These can trigger diarrhea by stimulating your intestines, and also produce gas.
- Increase exercise. 30 minutes daily is your target. Exercise stimulates your digestive system and aids it in working normally. Increase your amount of exercise gradually, to help avoid injury.
- Be careful if you decide to use laxatives or medicine that fights diarrhea. Use the lowest dose that works. Used for too long, they can throw your body off.
--AD
Sources:
- http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/CVMHighLight?file=/mrkshared/mmanual/section3/chapter32/32a.jsp%3Fregion%3Dmerckcom&word=IBS&domain=www.merck.com#hl_anchor
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=F32C84B7-11F3-4E9D-80A5AD5354F27F4E&dsection=8
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=F32C84B7-11F3-4E9D-80A5AD5354F27F4E&dsection=10
