ADVERTISING: Advertorial — HOLLY CARLING: IBS and IBD — turn off the faucet!
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD — which primarily consists of colitis and Crohn’s disease) continue to rise. There are an estimated 1.6 million people in the U.S. that have IBD according to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders states that 10 to 15% of people worldwide have IBS, with 25% of them classified as severe. Females make up 60 to 65% of sufferers, with 47 to 55% of those previously having had a hysterectomy or ovarian surgery.
Because I believe that most diseases are preventable in some way or another, we need to take a look at what causes breakdown in the digestive system that predisposes an individual to a bowel disorder.
The most important thing to remember when treating any kind of bowel disorder is to turn off the faucet. Let’s say one day you come home and your house is flooded. You trace the source and find that the bathtub was left running and water is overflowing the sides and that is where the flood started. You immediately get to work trying to sop up the mess with towels, a mop and anything you can find. However, you missed the most important step — turning off the faucet! You will never get ahead of the mess if you don’t first go to the source and stop it. Metaphorically, it’s no different from the body.
Treating a bowel disorder without first examining the up-stream issue is akin to not shutting off the faucet. Digestion, starting from the mouth, has to be addressed. I have studied many fields of medicine and have found really only one common denominator amongst them all — “Fix the digestion!” If stomach digestion isn’t fixed, you will always be chasing the disease. I don’t mean masking it by taking acid-reducing drugs — I mean fixing the problem.
Once that is done, or simultaneously, other factors have to be considered. While bowel diseases are generally considered functional disorders, there is likely more to it. We must ferret out the other causes or we will just be treating symptoms. Biochemical abnormalities such as bacterial overgrowth or an infection in the gut effects in the neighborhood of 84% of sufferers. Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is becoming a widely recognized underlying issue with many bowel disorders. Dysbiosis (an imbalance in the gut microbiome) is another concern, with 83% showing abnormal fecal biomarkers. This imbalance of good and bad bacteria, yeasts and other microbiota needs to be controlled with pre and probiotics. If the intestinal barrier has been damaged (generally by antibiotics, certain medications, coffee and other acids) and there is increased permeability, that is a structural change that needs to be ruled out. Psychosomatic issues (anxiety, depression, etc.) can increase the likelihood of digestive issues.
Runaway immune responses and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS - hypersensitivity to foods not severe enough to be Celiac disease, nor “just” an allergy) need investigation.
Bottom line: If you have a bowel disorder, please see a practitioner that will get to the underlying source and turn the faucet off!
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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with over four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective.”
She looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic.
Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.