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.

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).

Stem cells and inflammatory bowel disease curing

Investigators from a hospital in Massachusetts have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model, allowing the regeneration of the gastrointestinal lining in mice with a genetic mutation leading to multiorgan autoimmune disease. In other words, this means that bowel related problems such as irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel diseases could be controlled using these stem cells.

"Our findings suggest that MSC therapy could become a useful treatment for inflammatory bowel disease," said Biju Parekkadan, PhD, according to EurekAlert. "Several previous studies have observed these cells' ability to inhibit specific subsets of T cells and relieve symptoms in particular autoimmune disorders. But this is the first demonstration of their ability to suppress a broad-based autoimmune reaction and protect gastrointestinal tissue."

Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system loses control over lymphocytes (white blood cells) that attack an individual's own tissues. Treatments for these diseases – more than 80 conditions, ranging from type 1 diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis to gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn's disease and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) – are primarily directed against symptoms; and even those that target the immune system do not completely suppress the out-of-control response. Found in the bone marrow, MSCs give rise to tissues supporting blood cell development and secrete factors that can modulate several immune system activities. Their use has recently received FDA approval to treat severe graft-versus-host disease in children, which means that the first step has been made and there is a huge possibility we'll see more in the future!

Analysis of the animal's lymph nodes revealed that MSC treatment produced a significant reduction in inflammation of the colon. Surprisingly, cell-tracking studies indicated that the MSCs – which were administered by infusion into the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity – moved into abdominal lymph nodes rather than to the intestine itself. The presence of MSCs was associated with a reduction of activated T cells and changes in other indicators of immune system activity, indicating suppression of the out-of-control immune reaction. Let's all hope for the best. Stay helathy!

Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

It’s time to talk a little bit about irritable bowel syndrome symptoms or IBS symptoms because there is one thing that should always be remembered when it comes to digestive system related problem like this one: symptoms can vary from person to person and only your doctor should exactly analyze them for you, in order to make sure you get a proper diagnosis.

However, there are a few symptoms of the irritable bowel syndrome that usually stand out of the pack and these are: bloating, constipation (or diarrhea) and abdominal pain or discomfort in the lower right part of the abdomen (or the lower left part). Since I am a constipation IBS “owner”, I can tell you out of my own experience that you can generally try to have a bowel movement without managing to eliminate anything and that’s a common thing. Also, you can have cramps or feel spasms of your bowel, but these things usually go away after defecation. However, it is common for people with IBS to leave the bathroom with the feeling of not emptying the waste (actually, this was one of the most clear signs for me!)

Other irritable bowel syndrome symptoms can be excessive bloating and swelling of the abdomen and even the need to pass more wind. Together with these might come other symptoms like headaches, tiredness, backache and muscle pains. After all, there are many people who associate stress with IBS and they might be right.

Any of these symptoms might come mixed up with others, too and they can also completely go away for a few months, just to return as if nothing happened. Actually, that is one of the main things regarding the irritable bowel syndrome: symptoms come and go and usually change in between, especially from constipation to diarrhea. But one thing is clear: even though you can generally tell for yourself, after reading the list above, if you have IBS or not, the best thing to do is to go and ask your doctor.

And, if you have the power to do so, watch a pretty funny Youtube video I found today which kind of goes hand in hand with our topic of symptoms for IBS. If you are easily offended, don’t watch it!

Look Into the Future: Early Gene for IBS Identified!

Apparently, parents will be able in the near future (hopefully) to know if their children have the risk to develop an irritable bowel syndrome and cure it before it starts becoming a real pain! Just imagine how much would this scientific breakthrough help our kids!

It was a study of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in children that identified a gene that influences whether children get these diseases early in life, and therefore points to a potential new target for treatment. The findings of the international team that performed the study were published online this week by the journal Nature Genetics.

While several genes that influence susceptibility to the two diseases have been found previously, this study is the first to focus on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with childhood onset.

Both genetics and the environment have an effect on the risk of getting inflammatory bowel disease – that’s a fact everybody knows. For example, if one identical twin suffers from Crohn's disease, the other has a 60 percent probability of getting it too. However, the incidence of disease has drastically increased over the last half century, because the environment has changed, as well as the way people lead their life today. So, please try to understand: we are doing it to ourselves and we have to stop. Because, the way it is now, the future does not look nice…

Anyway… back to the study and its IBS/ulcerative colitis findings: it compared the DNA of more than 1,000 children diagnosed with all sorts of inflammatory bowel diseases at the average age of 11 with 4,250 disease-free children, and confirmed the findings in a larger set of patients established by the British Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium - the authors used gene chip microarray technology to scan thousands of one-letter alternative genetic "spellings" spread throughout the patients' DNA. Most of these made little difference when it came to affecting the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, but a few stood out, and two had not been seen before. Just imagine how important! Because scientists were led to a gene whose activity they found was associated with the degree of inflammation in the colon. And there is encoded a protein that lengthens the duration of an immune response by regulating the longevity of activated white blood cells, meaning that it could be the answer for our problems! Let’s just hope that the doctors and scientists and researchers are able to create a good medicine to help our kids in the future. Although IBS could certainly be controlled in a more natural way: by living a healthy life!

Just Bought My First Colon Cleanser!

If you read my previous entries, you probably know I’m not really for using colon cleansing products… but sometimes, you should not follow your heart but what the medic says, especially if you have a very disturbing irritable bowel syndrome, like I do. (Well... it was just a figure of speech, since no doctor told me to go for a colon cleansing product, but I decided to do so after consulting with him and the almighty Internet).

So, the idea is that, after reading tons of reviews on the Internet about colon cleansing products, after checking every dark corner of each company, I have decided to go for Colonix from Dr. Natura simply because it received the most positive reviews. Hopefully, these were honest and not paid-for ones, since I know that happens pretty often nowadays, and it’s so un-ethical when it comes to health.

Anyway, I have ordered the program and today I received the colon cleansing program for one month (honestly, I don’t trust it does what it promises, so there was no point for me to order the recommended 3 months program for those who never did this).

I must say that the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw this product was: Hey! It’s much smaller than I had imagined! (You probably know the classic ad-picture of this product, and it seems to be huge. Well… it is not).

Colonix comes with an instruction guide telling you exactly what steps you should follow, how this colon cleansing product works and other stuff like that (which, if you have an irritable bowel syndrome for a while, you probably know for yourself). However, I must admit that the writing is pretty good and I am tempted to believe them. They promise to do a lot of good to your colon, and I don’t know why they would do something like that if it wasn’t true. So I’ll start and pray for the best…

However, my review on this product won’t come too fast – right now I’m undergoing a different detox program with microhydrin and lots of naturist stuff (things that kind of work, but are not great) but as soon as possible, I’ll come up with my review for Dr. Natura’s Colonix, so stay tuned!

Chew Your Way to a Healthier Life

Keeping your digestive system healthy is much easier than you think it is, as long as you follow a few simple rules and always care about your health. There are indeed more steps to follow to defeat nasty things like the irritable bowel syndrome or some gastritis, but this one I’m going to talk about today is the easiest of them all, is costless and, the most important: you have absolutely nothing to lose by trying it!

I am talking about chewing your food. Yes, that’s right! Experts say that, in order to maintain a healthy digestive system, a mouthful should be chewed 50 times – this way, saliva will mix with the perfectly chewed food and allow for both a better digestion and nutrient absorption.

This is not only good for living a healthy life, but also for helping treatment of gastritis, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome. And, as I said, it costs you nothing to try it: just chew your food 50 times before swallowing and soon, your digestive system will be very happy. Stay healthy!

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!

What Should You Eat if You Have IBS

Unlike the diet for gastritis, the irritable bowel syndrome died is quite tricky. Especially because, as I said before, there are two types of syndromes (diarrhea or constipation) and practically each person has a specific reaction to the same type of food. So it would’ve been better if you did everything you could to prevent it… but you are here now and you have to deal with it, right?

As I said, te influence of diet is unique to each individual and there is no generalized dietary advice that will work for everyone, unfortunately. A doctor can take a brief dietary history and with a 2-3 week diary of dietary intake, symptoms, and any associated factors (like daily obligations, stressors, poor sleep, medications etc) can help identify dietary and/or other factors that may impact symptoms.

Usually, there are a few rules of thumb when it comes to the irritable bowel syndrome diet:

Eating too much of some types of sugar that are poorly absorbed by the bowel can also cause cramping or diarrhea. Examples include sorbitol – commonly used as a sweetener in many dietetic foods, candies, and gums; and fructose – also used as a sweetener and found naturally in honey as well as some fruits.

Also, meals that are too large or high in fat, fried foods, coffee, caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes will never help improve your colon condition and ameliorate the IBS symptoms, so you’d better cut them off completely until you get the chance to go and see a medic to discuss with him about your diet. Keep your chin up and stay healthy!

Things to Do for a Happy, Healthy Abdomen

I kept saying it: preventing is much easier than curing. Trust me, please, even if you are young and nothing bad seems to be possible to happen to you. I was just like you when I started to destroy my life bit by bit and now, at only 24 years old, I am trying hard to get it back on track and enjoy a painless, colon-healthy life. So please, invest just a little time in reading the following tips and try to follow them and you will be thankful at 60, when everybody else will have lots of problems. Because a healthy abdomen can't be had without a bit of interest from you.

So, if you want to reduce the risks of colon cancer or other complications, as well as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), here are a few easy steps you should follow as often as possible:

• Healthy diet: All research suggests that eating a diet rich in fiber and calcium may help prevent colon cancer and other diseases. Whole grains from breads and cereals, as well as nuts, fruits, vegetables and beans may also have protective effects (even though consumption of these foods is not recommended if you are having colon problems).

• While the cancer-fighting mechanisms in various foods are not completely understood, researchers continue to work on the connection between cancer and diet, with promising results. Studies show that calcium, vitamin D and folic acid (which can be found in cabbage) may keep colon cancer at bay. On the other hand, a diet high in saturated fat combined with a sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of colo-rectal cancer.
  

• Exercise regularly: Scientific evidence supports the conclusion that regular physical activity can reduce the risk of several cancers — particularly colon cancer — among men and women. A 1997 study by the Harvard School of Public Health determined that regular moderate exercise, such as a daily hour-long walk, reduced the risk of developing colon cancer by almost 50 percent. However, it was recently discovered that the so called “good" walk right after dinner, is actually a real pain for your abdomen and digestive system and actually harms both digestion and colon. So try to take a little break between eating and walking.

• Quit smoking: Countless studies and researches have linked cigarette smoking to colon cancer (among other types of cancer, of course). The studies also found that smoking at a young age increases one's lifetime risk of colorectal cancer. And since your risk increases the longer you smoke, it's never too late to stop. Not to mention that, among with the decrease in IBS or other colon related problems, you will also reduce chances of getting other problems related to smoking.

• Limit alcohol drinking: Excessive alcohol consumption may increase your risk for colon cancer. Alcohol has also been linked to other gastrointestinal cancers. So if you drink, do so only in moderation and try to stay away from very strong alcoholic beverages.

• One aspirin: People who take aspirin regularly to keep their hearts healthy may reduce their risk of cancer. Taking an aspirin every other day for 20 years may cut the risk of colon cancer almost in half, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. In addition, research conducted by doctors from St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York shows that a combination of aspirin and cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins may nip cells in the earliest stages of cancer.
  

So, as you can see, it's nothing too difficult: just a few easy steps that can be done if you care at least a bit about your health. And trust me, you should: it's much easier to prevent than to cure! I know.

Image credit: hypnofitmaui.com

My Quest to Be Healthy

I have decided to tell you about my personal fight against my abdomen related problems. I have had lots of problems during the past years, even though I am apparently too young to have all these problems (I’m 24).

I have had problems with gastritis, duodenal ulcer – these two kind of managed to get away following countless nights of pain and lack of sleeping and a healthy dose of diet, exercise and medical treatment. However, I now have another abdominal-related problem which also very hard to come by: I have incredible pains and discomfort because of an irritable bowel syndrome which is bugging me for quite a while and, because I kind of lost interest in my health for a while, started to get worse.

But I began to take care of my IBS and, thinking about the fact that I’m too young for unnecessary complications, I started to follow a diet, kind-of detox programs, get medicine and hope for the best. My quest is not an easy one, but I will keep everybody updated with the things I do. Let’s hope for the best and let’s stay healthy!

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.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Pretty Expensive!

One would believe that smoking is a habit that no only harms the body, but also costs a lot of money. Basically, the IBS can be as costly as any other bad habit. Another proof of the fact that health is the most important thing in the world!

The aggregate cost of irritable bowel syndrome in the United States only has been estimated at $1.7-$10 billion in direct medical costs, with an additional $20 billion in indirect costs! This means that, on an yearly basis, $30 billion are spent by people suffering from the IBS. Just take a second and think what the US (or any other country) could do with so much money and healthy people!

A study on Medicaid costs conducted in 2003 by the University of Georgia's College of Pharmacy and Novartis found IBS was associated in an increase of $962 in Medicaid costs in California, and $2,191 in North Carolina. IBS patients had higher costs for physician visits, outpatients visits, and prescription drugs. The study suggested the costs associated with IBS were comparable to those found in asthma patients.

So, I repeat: try to prevent! It’s not only good for yourself and your finances, but it also takes a lot of pain from friends and family! Live a healthy life, keep your body healthy and your colon happy!

Got the Symptoms? Not Necessary Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Usually, the symptoms for irritable bowel syndrome are: discomfort or abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea (in some cases these can alternate). Also, after defecation there is usually a feeling of incomplete evacuation, following by bloating and more abdominal pain. Also, headaches and unusual need to urinate can follow and bug the patients.

However, there is some good news for you: if you have these symptoms, it doesn’t necessary mean that you have an irritable bowel syndrome! Here are a few things you should take into account if you have these symptoms:

Infectious diseases – there are so many microbial agents, pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa or parasites that they can literally affect any given part of a human’s body, including the entire digestive system. There are some parasites that can provoke similar symptoms, but usually they come with other symptoms, too, which have nothing to do with the irritable bowel syndrome, so they are pretty easy to eliminate.

As strange as this sounds, lactose intolerance could be one of the problems for your colon and intestines, especially because, as people grow older, there is a natural decrease in lactase activity in the body. It is generally hard do diagnose as a standalone disease without medical consultation, but there are hints about it: if, after drinking some milk, eating a yoghurt or butter or cheese you don’t feel too well, it’s probably this and not an irritable bowel syndrome.

However, it is usually celiac disease which has the same symptoms as the IBS and it is generally mistaken with it. The only early signs hinting towards a celiac disease and not an irritable bowel syndrome is mouth ulcerations and predominant diarrhea.

So, as you can see, it’s pretty hard to have a clear insight on the problems all by yourself and, for the best results, it’s better to consult a medic on the situation. Also, after having the confirmation of an irritable bowel syndrome, regular medical consults are needed just to be sure there is not a celiac disease. Good luck and stay healthy!

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)

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.