Nutrition advice - Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a complex and often misunderstood gastrointestinal disorder affecting millions worldwide. Despite its prevalence, there's still a lack of awareness and understanding surrounding this condition. In this blog, we'll delve into what IBS is, its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and most importantly, strategies for managing and living well with IBS.
As a nutritional therapist, I offer comprehensive support to individuals struggling with IBS, bloating, stomach pain, and digestive complaints.
Through personalised consultations, I work closely with clients to identify trigger foods, alleviate symptoms, and restore digestive balance. By crafting tailored nutrition plans and lifestyle recommendations, I aim to address underlying factors contributing to gut health issues, such as food sensitivities, stress, and gut dysbiosis.
With evidence-based strategies and compassionate guidance, I empower clients to make informed dietary choices, adopt gut friendly habits, and reclaim control over their digestive wellbeing, ultimately fostering greater comfort and vitality in their daily lives.
If you have IBS and are struggling to manage your symptoms, contact me here for a free 15 minute phone consultation to see how I might be able to help.
Understanding IBS:
IBS is a chronic disorder characterised by abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or both. These symptoms can vary in severity and duration, often causing significant discomfort and disruption to daily life. While the exact cause of IBS remains unknown, several factors may contribute to its development, including abnormal gut motility, an out of balance gut, oversensitivity to certain foods, stress, and genetic predisposition.
Symptoms of IBS:
The symptoms of IBS can vary widely among individuals, making diagnosis challenging. Common symptoms include abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, or alternating bouts of both. Additionally, many people with IBS experience non-gastrointestinal symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, and urinary symptoms.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosing IBS involves ruling out other gastrointestinal conditions that may present similar symptoms, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or celiac disease. A healthcare provider will typically perform a thorough medical history, physical examination, and may order tests such as blood tests, stool tests, and imaging studies to exclude other conditions.
Managing IBS:
Various strategies can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life:
- Dietary modifications: Identifying and avoiding trigger foods such as certain carbohydrates (FODMAPs), caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods can help alleviate symptoms. Keeping a food diary can be helpful in identifying specific triggers.
- Stress management: Stress is a common trigger for IBS symptoms. Techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and regular physical activity can help reduce stress and improve symptoms.
- Lifestyle changes: Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help manage IBS symptoms and improve overall wellbeing.
- Consulting a Nutritional Therapist, (that’s me!) who can spend time getting to the bottom of your symptoms. Exploring how your body developed IBS symptoms and if there is anything that could be aggravating them or causing them. Such as candida, SIBO, low stomach acid, dysbiosis, leaky gut, intolerance.
Living with IBS can be challenging, but with the right knowledge and support, it's possible to manage symptoms effectively.
If you have IBS and are struggling to manage your symptoms, contact me here for a free 15 minute phone consultation to see how I might be able to help.
Nutritional Therapy in Exeter.
Looking for a dietitian, nutritionist or nutritional therapist? Want to know what the difference is and how I can help you?
Want to find out how a change to your nutrition can improve your health? Contact me here for your free 15 minute nutritional therapy consultation.
Ready to book your nutritional therapy appointment, book your appointments in Topsham, Exminster or online here.
What is Nutritional Therapy?
Nutritional Therapy is a holistic approach to health and wellbeing that focuses on using food and nutrition to support the body's natural healing processes.
I provide personalised nutrition plans tailored to individual needs.
Whether you're looking to improve digestion, boost energy levels, manage weight, improve your nutrition intake, or address specific health concerns. Nutritional Therapy can offer valuable insights and support on your journey to optimal health.
My Nutritional Therapy diploma is held with the School of Health, and I am a registered Nutritional Therapist with the Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners.
What is the difference between a; dietitian, nutritionist and nutritional therapist.
Dietitian's - Dietitian's provide practical guidance to sick individuals to help them make appropriate, healthy choices for a specific medical conditions. They often work as part of a clinical team, including for example doctors, nurses, physiotherapists etc. They take a direct approach to the illness being presented to them, not the body as a whole.
Nutritionists - Registered nutritionists are qualified to provide information and nutrition advice about food and eating habits. They may take a similar approach to a Nutritional Therapist. Nutritionists normally operate out of private practices. Dieticians will normally operate out of the NHS.
In general, nutritionists provide evidence-based information and guidance about the impacts of food and nutrition on the health and wellbeing of humans
Nutritional Therapists - Nutritional therapists practice complementary medicine, taking a holistic approach to the symptoms that are presenting in the body, They provide recommendations for diet and lifestyle to reduce or prevent health issues and illnesses. They work on the belief that the body has underlying nutritional and biochemical imbalances that lead to poor health, including mental health problems.
You can view my online brochure, of the wellbeing services I offer in Exeter, here.
