Can Digestive Enzymes Help With Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Irritable bowel syndrome is like an epidemic these days. Some researchers believe that 10-20% of the world’s population has IBS! Is it any wonder that new medications for constipation, diarrhea, and all the other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are paraded on TV day and night?

Irritable bowel syndrome is a sign that something is wrong with the delicate balance of the body. Characterized by symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, it wreaks havoc on the lives of many. Most people have their first IBS attack in their late teens or early twenties. They never know when an attack is going to happen and they spend their time worrying about it and going from doctor to doctor looking for a cure.

Conventional medicine only offers treatment for symptoms. Once IBS is diagnosed by a doctor, patients are instructed to take medication to treat diarrhea or constipation. Some doctors have started prescribing a class of psychiatric medications called SSRI medications. Oddly enough, these medications work, not because IBS is in the patient’s head, but because the intestine, specifically the colon, is actually the source of most of the serotonin produced in the body, and the medications seem function in a delicate balance. serotonin

Diet and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Many doctors also recommend that patients adjust their diet. Some recommend that patients try an elimination diet. This means eating a very bland diet for a while and gradually introducing foods that are typically problematic for IBS. By noticing when symptoms return, patients can tell their doctors which foods may trigger IBS symptoms. Common culprits include alcohol, chocolate, fatty or fried foods, and foods full of sugar.

Digestive Enzymes Help IBS Symptoms

Some doctors suggest taking digestive enzyme supplements for irritable bowel syndrome. Enzymes are catalysts or substances that change the rate of chemical reactions in the body. Your body has thousands of enzymes, and every second of the day the enzymes are doing their job: breaking down food into energy and working with countless chemicals to increase reaction speed. Although the body can make enzymes, adding enzymes to the diet seems to relieve some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Choosing a good quality supplement can be tricky. An easy way to increase the amount of digestive enzymes in your diet is to increase your intake of raw foods, such as fresh organic vegetables, fruits, and sprouts.

Why raw? When food is heated above 116-118 degrees Fahrenheit, the enzymes in the food are rendered useless. So to get enough enzymes in your food, it makes sense to eat more raw, live foods.

How to switch to a live food diet

If you have irritable bowel syndrome, it’s important to work with your health care provider any time you change or adjust your diet. Do it gradually and seek help from a holistic health expert or educator. Start with simple foods: a fresh salad added to a meal, fruit with or instead of breakfast. Green smoothies are great ways to add more live foods to your diet and can replace a meal or snack.

Another holistic method of treating irritable bowel syndrome is colon hydrotherapy. Using only water, waste and fecal matter are gently flushed out of the colon. In situations where such material has accumulated in the intestines, causing diarrhea or constipation, flushing the colon with water can relieve painful cramps that occur when the body increases peristalsis to expel waste.

There are many holistic methods to treat irritable bowel syndrome. Talk to your doctor to rule out more serious illnesses, and consult a health professional or holistic educator for a plan of action to help bring your body back into balance.

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