Natural Home Remedies for Irritable bowel Syndrome or IBS are your best options as the condition has no cure in the medical science. Sticking to a proper diet and stress relieving activities play a vital role in managing symptoms of IBS.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder. It is sometimes referred as spastic colon. IBS symptoms are generally discomforting and can be embarrassing. Most people with IBS will feel abdominal cramping or pain, bloating, gassiness, and alternating periods of diarrhea and constipation . Since it is a chronic condition, these symptoms usually recur. But IBS doesn't cause cancer or shorten your life.
The symptoms of IBS differ from person to person and from bout to bout. You may have symptoms off and on for many years or may go months and years without having any symptoms. There are no constant symptoms so the next bout may have different symptoms.
Roughly 10% of American population and much higher percentage globally suffer from IBS, but most people with IBS don't see a doctor about their symptoms.
Since there are no known causes of IBS it is diagnosed as a possibility after ruling out all other possible gastrointestinal complications.
Home Remedies for IBS
There are a number of food items that can reduce your IBS symptoms and give you relief. Most of these home remedies will give you instant relief from IBS but you will also have to change your lifestyle and dietary habits for a long term solutions and reducing recurrences.
1. Yogurt
Yogurt is always the first choice for most stomach related conditions. It balances out the bacteria in the stomach. Any IBS related diarrhea will be immediately controlled with yogurt. Its live culture which is nothing but friendly bacteria works on bad bacteria and removes the toxins from the body.
- Eat 200gms of organic Yogurt daily
- Make smoothie if you do not prefer to eat only yogurt
Regular eating of yogurt on a daily basis will also reduce the future bouts of IBS. Go for yogurt all the way.
2. Ginger
Ginger is a great remedy for bloating and gas. One of the benefits of ginger is that it reduces inflammation so it will relax the intestine muscles and your IBS symptoms will reduce. The best way to take ginger is in the tea form, but you should also add ginger in your daily food preparations to get the best results.
- Peel skin of an inch of a ginger and grate it
- Add grated ginger in a glass of boiling water
- Steep it for 10-15 minutes
- Let the Tea cool down to acceptable temperatures
- Drink and enjoy the ginger tea
Ginger tea will relax your intestinal muscles and you will not get abdominal cramps and pains that are associated with IBS. Gas and bloating will also stop and you will feel relief.
3. Bananas
Bananas are rich in fiber and help to absorb liquid in the intestine. Bananas will reduce diarrhea induced by IBS. The potassium content of banana helps to reduce bloating and gas. Overall Banana will reduce may IBS related symptoms and give you relief in a very short period.
- Eat one ripe banana 2 times a day
- Make smoothie and drink it
A combination of banana and yogurt is an excellent remedy for IBS.
4. Carrots
Eating raw carrot may not be as comfortable as drinking its juice when you have IBS. Carrots are good for both diarrhea and constipation. Drink a glass of carrot juice daily.
5. Flaxseed
Flaxseed rich in Omega3 fatty acids and fiber are very good to boost the immune and digestive system of the body. You can take a tablespoon of freshly grounded flaxseed daily in any way you want it. You can sprinkle it on salad or add to your smoothies.
Lifestyle Changes for IBS
Since irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic condition you will have to not only look at home remedies that gives you immediate symptomatic relief but you should also look for long term solutions to reduce its recurrence. This means making some simple lifestyle changes.
A. Stress Relief
Stress is one of the main triggers of IBS flareup. It therefore, becomes necessary to manage stress well to avoid IBS bouts. Learn and practice yoga, meditation and breathing techniques which will help you to reduce stress. These techniques will calm you down and your anxieties which are the main cause of stress will significantly reduce.
Yoga meditation and breathing techniques will improve your overall well being. If your stress is reduced then your blood pressure will also come down. Blood pressure under control will keep your heart and brain healthy. At the same time relaxed muscle cells do a better job of keeping you fit and in a good mood. When some or all these aspects of well-being get disturbed your stress levels increase and you increase the probability to get IBS attack.
B. Exercise
Exercise improves blood and oxygen supply to the entire body. More oxygen supply to the brain and digestive systems will improve bowel contractions. If you have been inactive for months or years then it is a good time to slowly begin exercising. Exercise will also reduce stress and depression.
C. Diet
Diet is very important for your digestive health. What you eat and what you avoid is very important to manage IBS. The food that gives less load to the intestine is a better food.
- Gradually increase your fiber intake. Fiber reduces constipation but increases gases and bloating so you need to carefully increase fiber contents
- Drink plenty of water to avoid gases and bloating
- Eat smaller portions more frequently
- Eat on regular timings every day and do not skip meals.
- Avoid spicy and fried foods
- Cut down on caffeine
- Stop smoking
If you take care of all these lifestyle changes and stick to a disciplinary life you will significantly reduce recurrences of IBS.
If you have other chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes or any other condition then your primary focus should be cure those diseases and anything that helps IBS but conflicts with those underlying diseases should be avoided.