On The Irritable Bowel Syndrome: stuff to remember

To everybody suffering of irritable bowel syndrome, there are some things to keep in mind when dealing with it:

#IBS is a disorder that interferes with the normal functions of the colon. The symptoms are crampy abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

#IBS is a common disorder found more often in women than men.

#People with IBS have colons that are more sensitive and reactive to things that might not bother other people, such as stress, large meals, gas, medicines, certain foods, caffeine, or alcohol.

#IBS is diagnosed by its signs and symptoms and by the absence of other diseases.

#Most people can control their symptoms by taking medicines such as laxatives, antidiarrhea medicines, antispasmodics, or antidepressants; reducing stress; and changing their diet.

#IBS does not harm the intestines and does not lead to cancer. It is not related to Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

How Does Stress Affect IBS?

Stress is one of the factors which affect the bowel and can cause quite some damage in many areas. If you are wondering how can stress affect the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), we have some answers!

Stress (feeling mentally or emotionally tense, troubled, angry, or overwhelmed) can stimulate colon spasms in people with IBS. The colon has many nerves that connect it to the brain. Like the heart and the lungs, the colon is partly controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which responds to stress. These nerves control the normal contractions of the colon and cause abdominal discomfort at stressful times. People often experience cramps or “butterflies” when they are nervous or upset. In people with IBS, the colon can be overly responsive to even slight conflict or stress. Stress makes the mind more aware of the sensations that arise in the colon, making the person perceive these sensations as unpleasant.

Some evidence suggests that IBS is affected by the immune system, which fights infection in the body. The immune system is affected by stress. For all these reasons, stress management is an important part of treatment for IBS. Stress management options include:

* stress reduction (relaxation) training and relaxation therapies such as meditation
* counseling and support
* regular exercise such as walking or yoga
* changes to the stressful situations in your life
* adequate sleep

General Facts about IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS):

* IBS is one of the most common functional disorders seen in gastroenterological practice.
* It is characterized by abdominal pain/discomfort associated with bowel habit disturbances, bloating, and other symptoms usually defined as unrelated to any organic abnormality.

Diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome:
IBS investigators have identified a set of symptoms that provide physicians with guidelines toward a diagnosis of IBS. These are called the Rome Criteria.

The Rome criteria:
1. Continuous or recurrent symptoms of abdominal pain or discomfort that
A) may be relieved with defecation,
B) may be associated with a change in frequency, or
C) May be associated with a change in the consistency of stools.

2. Two or more of the following are present at least 25 percent of the time:
A) Altered stool frequency (greater than 3 bowel movement per day or less than 3 bowel movements per week)
B) Altered stool form (hard or loose watery stools or poorly formed stools)
C) Passage of mucous stools
D) Bloating (feeling of abdominal distention)

Many patients experience other symptoms that are consistent with irritable bowel syndrome. However, the Rome criteria do assist researchers and clinicians by correlating and describing symptoms uniformly.

Other important factors are the presence or absence of pain at night, gastrointestinal bleeding, fevers, chills, sweats, weight loss, etc. The presence of these types of symptoms suggest alternative diagnoses. These complaints do not exclude an underlying diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome but suggest other diagnoses that may have other treatments. Thus, IBS may be coexistent with other acute or chronic gastrointestinal illnesses.

Lab diagnosis (for physicians, students):

* patients with IBS have an increased number of inflammatory cells in the ileum and colorectum. These inflammatory cells have been documented to be closely apposed to nerves supplying the intestinal mucosa and to release a wide array of inflammatory mediators, thus providing a morphological basis for the hypothesis that inflammation may perturb gut sensorimotor function.
* The cause of the low-grade intestinal inflammatory response is as yet unknown and may involve a number of factors, including, for example, undiagnosed food allergies, changes in bacterial microflora, genetic factors (polymorphism leading to decreased anti-inflammatory cytokine synthesis), or bile acid malabsorption.
* A peculiar form of IBS has been related to a previous episode of acute gastroenteritis (i.e., postinfectious IBS).

About Colon Cancer

Colon cancer ranks second of all gastrointestinal malignant tumors, it is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Until now, several molecules have been reported to play an important role in gastroenterological tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis, but the molecular mechanisms involved tumor development and progression still remain unclear in colon cancer.

A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology refers. In this research, by using the combined methods of laser microdissection (LMD), P27-based RNA amplification, and polypeptide, They evaluated differentially expressed genes between early carcinoma and lymph node metastatic patients. Moreover, They further identified four differentially expressed genes in the progression of colon cancer in another group of 15 patients by means of semiquantitative reverse transcribed polymerase chain.

Their result indicated that the five gene expressions were changed in colon carcinoma cells compared with that of controls. Of the five genes, three genes were downregulated and two were upregulated in invasive submucosal colon carcinoma compared with non-invasive cases. The results were confirmed at the level of RNA and gene expression. Five genes were further identified as differentially expressed genes in the majority of cases in progression of colon cancer, and their expression patterns of which were similar to tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. These results not only reveal the differentially expressed genes in progression of colon cancer, but also provide information that may prove useful for identifying novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

A new alternative in treating short bowel syndrome

SBS is a clinical condition characterized by diarrhea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, malabsorption, and progressive malnutrition related to a wide resection of the small intestine. The most important therapeutic objectives in the management of SBS are maintenance the patient's calorie intake and nutritional status. However, some enteral nutrition (EN) products use for energy supports in order to reduce total parenteral nutrition (TPN) demand. The new treatment modalities alternate the current ones are still under research with the experimental and clinical studies. Chlorella is a species of green algae that grows in fresh water. It has been consumed as a food source for centuries in mainly Japan and other Far East countries, besides, it's healing properties has enhanced it's consumption too. Several EN products have been used for SBS.

A research article to be published on July 28, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team was led by Mustafa Kerem from Gazi University Experimental Surgery Center. In this original study, it has been seen that there's a positive effect of chlorella crude extract (CCE) on intestinal adaptation of rats which had undergone short bowel syndrome. Administration of CCE lead significant increase in intestinal villi height and villi width, intestinal protein and DNA amount, and serum citruline levels which is a sign of improved intestinal absorption. As being the first it's an important study. By this information algs which are easily found widely in salt and fresh waters and can be generated easily, can be used in clinical settings.

CCE has beneficial role in intestinal adaptation. It seems that it can be an alternative to the other commercial enteral and parenteral products.

How to diagnose and treat spontaneous colonic perforation

Spontaneous perforation of the colon is defined as a sudden perforation of the normal colon without any diseases such as tumor external injury. It is rare, often misdiagnosed and has a high mortality rate. A group led by Huai-Kun Ni from Fuding City Hospital of China investigated the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous perforation of the colon, and this will be published on July 28, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

They retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 10 cases of spontaneous perforation of the colon, observed at Fuding hospital from January 2004 to December 2007. Seven patients had a history of chronic constipation. All patients complained of sudden lower abdominal pain. The perforation occurred after coloclysis and administration of senna leaves in two patients. Nine patients had signs of peritoneal irritation. Seven cases underwent abdominal paracentesis, which was diagnostic in six. Only one case was definitely diagnosed prior to surgery. One patient underwent neoplasty of the colon, another a partial resection of colon, six a neoplasty of the colon plus sigmoid colostomy, and two underwent Hartmann surgery. All perforation sites were opposite to the mesenteric edge. The perforation sites were located on descending colon in one case, sigmoid colon in three cases, and rectosigmoid colon in six cases. In five patients, surgical pathological examination was consistent with the microscopical changes of colonic perforation caused by feces. Three patients died after surgery. This study may be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous colonic perforation.

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Reference: Yang B, Ni HK. Diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous colonic perforation: An analysis of 10 cases

Starting to Review Dr Natura's Colonix

Following a lot of delays from various reasons, today I will start using Dr. Natura's Colonix and post weekly updates on the product. I have only purchased a set for one month - since I have never done such a colon cleansing before, I did not want to go for the full three months package before knowing how my body reacts to it.

Anyway, the idea is that, starting today, I hope to get rid of my annoying constipation and finally get it going and feel better with myself. Stay tuned as I will update my Colonix experience regularly and I will personally tell you if it is a scam or not. I truly hope it's not, because I'm running out of options with my IBS :) Stay healthy!

Colon Cleansing Tea for a Cleaner Colon

There are all sorts of means for people to try and clean their colon, but sometimes a herbal colon cleansing could prove to be better than any other diet or medicine. A colon cleansing tea, for example, has a few main advantages other types of so-called colon cleanser don’t: the most important of them all is that it is natural and it rarely has side effects (if any) for patients with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

So… why is colon cleansing tea better than other products, you might ask? Well, the colon cleansing tea primarily fights back the issues of body – irritable bowel syndrome, in our case - since it washes out the nasty stuff from our intestines. Cleaning your colon is the initial and crucial step before its curing and further more, maintenance. However, in order to make sure that the colon cleaning tea makes a good impact, it is always a good idea to maintain a vigorous and well-maintained diet chart, which includes protein rich vegetables, fruits, and intake of ample amount of water (I will talk a bit later about the importance of water in body detoxification).

The colon cleansing tea or herbal colon cleansing method as it is otherwise called, helps you clean your intestines with a mixture of select herbs and plants with properties that facilitate the elimination, removal of toxins and waste from the intestinal tract, and enhance the absorption of nutrients for the body. Which further means that it acts like a diuretic (eliminating constipation) and as a detox method, too. Colon cleansing tea should always be tried out before going to some more powerful cleansing methods such as medical colon cleansers, hydrotherapy and so on.

However, one should never consider a colon cleansing tea product something which should be taken lightly. Actually, this tea usually has a powerful effect on human body, and that is the biggest reason why a colon cleaning tea diet should not last over two weeks. Also, there is no “correct” number of cups one should drink per day for a fully optimized colon cleansing – it all depends on your own body, the state of your colon and the amount of waste it deposits (usually, as scary as it might sound, a typical male holds no less than 8 (EIGHT!) undigested meals in his colon!). However, it is better suited for any body to start out low and increase the colon cleansing tea dosage if effects fail to appear.

If you are interested in a full detox using herbal colon cleaning via a colon cleansing tea, you should look for products which have only natural ingredients like Stevia rebaudiana, Rubus idaeus leaf, Lobelia inflate and most important Psyllium. I know these things have no sense for you, but it is said that these, especially the latter plant, are the best. For example, this psyllium is said to be an essential part of a good detoxification program! So always be careful what you buy and stay as far as possible from scam, because you’re your health you’re playing with!

So, as a conclusion, I could say that even though the colon cleansing tea is considered as a trouble free and a natural product to clean the colon, you should always seek medical advice before buying the medicinal tea, which is readily available from herbalists and health food retailers, since you must stay away from scam and bad products, in order to have the best effect on your irritable bowel syndrome or general colon health.

Colon and Colorectal Cancer Based on Family History

For a person like myself who has irritable bowel syndrome and all sorts of problems related to the digestive system, it’s not at all pleasant to talk about (or even think about) colon or colorectal cancer, but it’s the information that matters in the end, so I have to do it, especially because it appears that some people might be a bit more lucky with the treatment of colon cancer.

According to health magazine Medical News Today, there is a lower risk of recurrence or mortality for patients with stage III colon cancer who have a family history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative. It appears that out of the people with colorectal cancer, about 20 percent have a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer, too. Although your parent or sibling having colorectal or colon cancer doubles the risk of a person developing the disease, the influence of family history on cancer recurrence and survival is improved. So, to put it in other words: it’s a 50-50 chance you’ll have it, but if you do, you’re more likely to cure it. Here are the numbers and the detailed story:

All these were found following a study that analyzed 1087 patients with stage III colon cancer (cancer that has spread from the colon to the lymph glands but not to other parts of the body) who were taking part in a clinical trial of chemotherapy. Rates of recurrence and death were compared over a median follow-up of 5.6 years in the 195 patients (17.9%) with a family history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative with the 892 patients without a close relative with the disease.

Results showed that cancer recurrence or death occurred in 29% of the patients with a family history of colorectal cancer, compared to 38% of those without a first-degree relative with the condition. The risk of recurrence was 26% lower in patients with a family history of colorectal cancer, while their risk of death was 25% lower.

The reduction in risk of cancer recurrence or death associated with a family history became stronger as the number of affected first-degree relatives increased. Compared to those without a family history, patients with one affected relative had a 23% greater disease-free survival, increasing to a 51% in those with two or more affected relatives.

Of course, you should note that generally it is said that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) usually stays there and does not evolve to cancer. So put all the good ahead and try to change your life – live if healthy and try to prevent!

Bioresonance, Best Thing Ever or Biggest Scam?

You have probably heard about the latest miracle of modern and alternative medicine: Bioresonance Therapy. Also, if you're suffering from a strange condition like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (just like I do), you probably start to wonder if other things could cure you or not. Let's see if Bioresonance Therapy can help your IBS or not.

What is Bioresonance? According to Wikipedia, descriptions are pretty obscure and there is no real definition about this Bioresonance: Usually electrodes, linked to a box, are applied to the patient's skin. According to the manufacturer of these devices, they emit alternating currents which are claimed to be healing. They describe cells as resonating objects (with unknown frequency and energy however) having a natural resonance (ie bio-resonance). Generally using PC-based technology, these machines are said to be "repairing" the natural resonance withing the cells and therefore cure the diseases. Without medicine, without pain – without feeling anything, actually. Which sounds really great!

I must admit that I went to such a clinic and I was pretty excited about the prospect of curing my Irritable Bowel Syndrome and live a healthy life, after all. The medic told me that for IBS, I need to go four times to the Bioresonance machine and I'll be cured. Also, the doctor told me she will give me a bunch of naturist medicine to help speed up the process. Everything seemed to be trustworthy and apparently there was nothing for me to lose.

Since my condition was pretty bad (just a couple of bowel movements per week and big pain in the abdominal area), I hoped for the best. Actually, after the first visit to the Bioresonance Machine (called BICOM 2000 if I remember well), I felt better: the pain was of a lower intensity and I felt the need to go and defecate! So I thought it was
working! But I was wrong, unfortunately.

My situation didn't go any better in the future, even though I kept taking the naturist plants for my colon and doing everything the doctor told me. When I went to my third visit, I had a conversation with the doctor. She said "So... any improvements?" I said:
"Absolutely nothing, I have the same problems, it's not better". And she said: "No, you are felling better. At least a little better. Just think about it: you are feeling a little, little bit better, right?" And I said yes – it could've been a tiny little bit better...

When I was ready to leave, the doctor did the ultimate mistake and fully convinced me that Bioresonace Therapy is nothing but a scam: she told me that, in order to solve my problems, I have to visit her at least one more time (but she'd suggest two more visits, just to be sure) and then at least one visit per month. Well... you know what? She only wanted my money and had nothing to do with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome! So I never got back!

The thing is that it might be all placebo and I doubted the whole thing from the start. Or maybe Bioresonance Therapy is not good for colon related problems, but it helps with others. Or maybe I just was unlucky and got a crook of a medic. I don't know, I'm not the one to say that Bioresonance Therapy is a scam, but I do know it did not help me, not even a little. On the other side, it cost me a lot of money and that really makes me wonder: how can some people play with somebody's life, if they know that they can't help? Some people have no heart, I tell you! So, if you want my honest opinion: stay away from Bioresonance Therapy if you have IBS or other colon problems!

Things to Know about Your Irritable Bowel Syndrome

When it comes to problems with your colon/intestines (just like with any other disease) it is best to know as much as possible about your problems, since that’s the first step into curing them. However, there are a few “must knows” when it comes to IBS – everybody has to start from somewhere, right? Here is a list with the most notable things you should know:

First of all, you can’t blame something specific for your irritable bowel syndrome: the causes vary. It can be anything from stress to a random way of living, to eating unhealthy food or lack of exercise.

It is necessary to have a specialist investigate your problems and make sure it is indeed an irritable bowel syndrome (I would recommend visiting two doctors, just to be sure you’re fighting against the right illness and you use the best weapons).

The symptoms could last for entire years, even if you stick to the diet and help your body with medicine. Support from the close ones is necessary, since there will be many moments you’ll be ready to give up to temptations (trust me it’s like that – been there, done that :D).

Fortunately, the irritable bowel syndrome rarely kills – there are very few cases in which patients who followed the treatment and diet had any complications.
Basically, that’s the secret for a healthy colon (and abdomen): a balanced lifestyle, avoiding excess of any kind (such as drinking, smoking, unhealthy, greasy food), taking your time to relax and don’t work too much, plus exercise. All doctors will tell you that these few things will help your overall health dearly.

Constipation, a No-Good!

One of the most visible things that prove that there are problems with the abdomen is constipation. According to medical definitions, it is a of the digestive system in which a person experiences hard feces that are difficult to expel and sometimes even painful. Of course, you probably know that, since I doubt there is a adult in this world who had no such problems. However, we’re not talking about the occasional constipation here, but about that one which is presenting health problems.

Usually, constipation and colon health are strongly linked, since hard feces result out of a slow intestinal tract, which causes the colon to entirely drain the water out of the aliments. Even if it is not linked with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), constipation can have severe side-effects, the most severe of them being bowel obstruction.

However, constipation itself, if not caused or kept “alive” by other diseases, is pretty easy to handle and prevent. Consuming aliments rich in fiber (fruits, vegetables, and grains, both as solid food and as juice), magnesium salts or slow doses or laxative can do wonders for our body and digestive system. Also, exercises and practicing daily sports will help the bowel movements, thus facilitating digestion and elimination constipation.

Remember! It’s easier to prevent than to cure. Don’t let your life be destroyed by the belief that “I’m young, nothing can happen to me”. Health is the most important thing in the world. Trust me, now I know!

Medical Colon Cleansing (1)

Just like I said in the previous post, now is the time to take a look at the medical colon cleansing products and how they work. We’ll find out in this post what better alternatives there are to the medicine (I’m talking about naturist remedies which, as you will see, sometimes have much better results than the medical ones).

As I have said, Dr. Natura’s Colonix is one of the best known colon cleansing products. There are also products like OxyPowder, Almighty Cleanse, DualAction and lots (I really mean LOTS) of Chinese/Japanese products. What’s the general problem with most of them? You have no idea if they will work for you and if they are indeed able to heal (or at least help) you – some of these products could easily do MORE harm to you!

Usually, the most common judgment regarding a colon cleansing product is that it can be used by overweight people to lose fat – and actually, many obese persons use colon cleansing products just to lose weight. Which is not necessary a bad thing. But have in mind that, even though colon cleansing products might be used to lose fat, special products used to burn the fat faster are NOT a good alternative for a colon cleansing program!

Even though I have tried a few products to help me with my irritable bowel syndrome and even though these products did help me since I chose them wisely, I found the “natural” remedies even more helpful. Used in combination with medicine, a healthy diet can solve your abdominal problems forever. Scroll down to read more.

So here is what you should try to eat/consume more while on a quest to maintain a happy, healthy colon:

• Probiotics (usually found in pharmacies, these products are VITAL if you are using a colon cleansing program. These probiotics are helping the re-establishment of healthy, good bacteria on our digestive system – because, unfortunately, whenever we use colon cleansing medicine, these bacteria are eliminated. Therefore, in order to avoid the risk of getting other diseases, you should use probiotics. As I said, you can easily find them for cheap prices in pharmacies, but they can also be found in different yoghurts)

• Egg yolks and yeast flakes (these two are probably the best combination of food for both healthy and unhealthy people. They provide fibers, vitamins, proteins and all the minerals needed for a healthy life and, since these are the natural things, are much better than multi-vitamin pills. Not to mention the fact that vitamin C is very important to lessen the side effects of colon cleansing – such as tiredness, sadness and brain fog – all of these are temporary!)

• Fermented foods (with the help of probiotics mentioned earlier, you have to restore the healthy bacteria to your digestive system. One of the best ways of doing it is by eating fermented foods – Caucasian Kefir, fermented sauerkraut or any yoghurt with Bifidus ActiRegularis bacteria)

You probably had no idea about this latest part in the article – yes, colon cleansing is healthy, good and really necessary. But unless you know all the details about it, you could get other diseases and, of course, nobody wants that.

Medical Colon Cleansing

One of the most famous colon cleaning techniques are the ones backed up by so-called medical background. Although some of these products might be true about their promises and really be able to clean the colon and bowel, one should be really careful when deciding what product to choose and how to use it because, just like the enemas, colon cleansing product may turn into really dangerous medications.

First of all, it’s worth noting that one post is not enough to debate all the effects, pro’s and con’s of the colon cleansing products, because we have so many of them and there are quite some people in each side on the boat.

However, out of personal experience, I can say that the one product I used seemed to do its job just as it should – I did quit using it, though, because I found out some other treatment means (I will talk about them in another post) which were 100% natural.

Now… back to the colon cleansing products. If you are reading this blog and especially this post, it means that you have finally got to the point were you believed there is nothing able to help you but some medicine. You are feeling constipated, you probably haven’t defecated for a long while and, all in all, you feel like you’re going to explode any minute now.

If you will head to any official website of a colon cleansing product – like the ones listed on the right – you will see that they all promise all the good in the world and, even more, by judging from their “testimonials”, they are real treasures. Are they – this is the question you should ask yourself.

If you would like to know a person who is anti-colon cleansing products, you should check this long and funny material here, called The Colon Cleansing Prank. Of course, as you will see, it is not exactly a scientific method of proving anything, but at least it is a place to start – the particular product used (and the one that probably enjoys the biggest marketing campaign, DrNatura’s Colonix) seems to be doing its job. Please read it and be ready for the next post, where we will take an in-depth look at the colon cleansing products. It is going to be quite a series of posts!

Please note: the image below is not an add. It does not promote Dr. Natura's product (nor it suggests it is a bad product)

Enemas

Let’s stick to the colon cleansing process a little bit and try to debate one of the most common urban legends still alive: the enemas (“cleaning” your colon with liquid, usually water). Many people consider and many others claim that the enemas are a good TREATMENT, but they are far from being right. Of course, enemas might be able to cleanse our colons once, but its effects are short and potentially dangerous for our health.

First of all, you should all know that if you’re planning on trying this procedure, you should NEVER attempt to do it without medical supervision – the best place to do it is a hospital – and a good hospital, nevertheless. Because enemas can go wrong – they can lead to ruptures of the bowel or the entire colon, rectal fissures and internal bleeding! Also, they can result in amebiasis, which is very dangerous to one’s health. So, if you ever plan trying it just to convince yourself that enema is NOT a treatment, do it with caution and as responsible adult.

If you have other beliefs or experiences, please feel free to share them here. But unless you hear it from a doctor (as it happened in my case when I was forced to do an enema for a colonoscopy – and the doctor explained all these to me), don’t even try to do it. There are other ways of keeping your colon clean or treating the irritable bowel syndrome. But we’ll talk about a few natural and medical treatments like that in another post.

This is how an enema made for home use looks like. Do not try to use something like that:

Premise

There are more reasons behind my decision to start this blog. First, it is because I am an egoistical creature who wants to find out tips and tricks and as many ways as possible to keep my body healthy (because, unfortunately, it is not!). Second, because I unfortunately have a lot of experience when it comes to abdominal diseases. So I might have a few tricks myself to share with the world. Third - because I am only 25 and I'm already struggling with irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, haemorrhoids and duodenal ulcer. Hopefully, just that :)

Why do I have all these problems? Because the 21st century human beings have an absolutely random, noxious and, in the long run DEADLY lifestyle. We have to change that. We have to change that just to be sure that our kids will have a better life and won't live on medication, pain, hospitals and ambulances forever. We need to change our lives in order to change theirs. We need to keep our minds and souls healthy, of course, but we also need a healthy abdomen.

Of course, the best thing to do would be to visit a doctor. However, a few advices on keeping a happy stomach, a clean colon and some generally good intestinal traffic - advices on these are always welcomed. So let's try and use this blog both as a way of learning about our abdominal health, as well as sharing with the world our knowledge.