Supplements
There are quite a few supplements that you can use to help manage your condition, with some of them focusing on things that we have already dealt with, whilst others are more herbal in nature. I will therefore highlight the latter in the next section.
However, you already know that including soluble fiber in your diet is essential. Some people choose to do this by using supplements to top up the amount of soluble fiber they ingest in the food that they eat. One recommended supplement to consider is Ready Fiber whilst there is a list of several more supplements of this nature here.
Another supplemental source that is often effective for dealing with IBS are Probiotics such as acidophilus. These are cultures that help to control the growth of gastrointestinal flora which in turn helps to regulate the behavior of your stomach, helping to prevent the worst effects of irritable bowel syndrome developing.
Probiotics work particularly well when teamed with Prebiotics as the latter encourage the growth of the former (hence prebiotics), so if possible, you should therefore try to use the two in combination for best results.
Digestive enzymes like Beano can be very helpful when taken with a meal, especially if that meal contains more fat then you are used to eating or an excess of insoluble fiber foods. Digestive enzymes of this type help your body to break down the sugars present in your food, which prevents these sugars being deposited in your stomach undigested. If this happens, it presents the sugar with the opportunity of fermenting, thus producing gas, discomfort and other unpleasant side-effects.
Many IBS sufferers are deficient in trace minerals, particularly magnesium and calcium. However, because these two trace elements are counteractive of one another, it is important to know which you are deficient in before taking mineral supplements.
For instance, whilst calcium has a constipating effect, magnesium acts as a laxative. As long as you have a suitable balance between the two, your gastrointestinal tract will also remain in balance. If however one predominates over the other, then you have an obvious problem.
Herbs for irritable bowel syndrome
Peppermint oil is commonly used as a treatment for IBS as it is believed to reduce the bloating and abdominal pain often associated with the condition. This is believed to be connected to the fact that modern Peppermint contains a high concentration of menthol and methyl salicylate which both have noted antispasmodic qualities.
Peppermint oil is available in many different formats but if you plan to take this particular herbal supplement, be sure that you only do so in the form of enteric coated capsules. These capsules will stay intact until they arrive at their intended destination within your body, whereas using peppermint oil in any other form risks indigestion and heartburn (which is really not going to help anyone who suffers IBS).
Ginger is a herbal remedy that has been used for thousands of years and over those years, Ginger has established itself as a very effective substance for dealing with a wide range of digestive and gastrointestinal problems. For example, studies have indicated that Ginger is very capable of reducing the nausea associated with morning sickness or the after-effects of chemo or radiotherapy.
Caraway has been used for hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of years as a treatment for indigestion, colic and some nervous disorders.
Furthermore, caraway has anti-spasmodic and anti-microbial characteristics that enable it to help calm your stomach whilst also stimulating the proper production of gastric juices. It is also believed that chemicals in caraway seeds can help to soothe your gastric tract whilst helping to get rid of excess gas too.
Chamomile has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic characteristics, as well as being a natural sedative. Most commonly, the majority of people drink extract of chamomile as a tea, with plenty of research in recent years adding additional evidence for the calming and soothing effects of chamomile.
Fennel was used as a herbal remedy thousands of years ago in ancient China, with plenty of European evidence as to its efficacy as well. Once again, fennel is known to possess strong anti-spasmodic qualities.
In addition, the volatile oils in fennel make it extremely beneficial for anyone suffering from gastrointestinal problems, bowel irregularities (studies have indicated that it helps to control contractions in the small intestine), colic, heartburn and indigestion.
Fennel is one of the strongest herbs for reducing gas and bloating, which represent a couple of the more upsetting or uncomfortable characteristics of suffering from IBS. Furthermore, as you can drink fennel as a tea as well – it has a very pleasant mild licorice taste – it is another herbal remedy that it is easy to live with and use.
Oregano contains two volatile oils that are known anti-spasmodics. Including oregano in your diet will therefore help to reduce the painful stomach cramps that are commonly associated with suffering an IBS attack.
Anise has been used as an aid to digestion since the time of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans, and it was so popular in mediaeval England that a special tax was levied on it!
The active ingredient in anise is a volatile oil called anethol which helps your stomach to digest rich foods that you might otherwise struggle to digest. It also helps to settle your stomach and through the stimulation of gastric juice production, it helps to regulate the whole digestion process as well.
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