By Dr. Lisa Morse
Digestive Distress is a common condition – it’s estimated that 10-15% of people suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I’ll admit this isn’t a pretty topic to talk about – gas, bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. But these symptoms are plaguing too many people, causing pain and discomfort, an inability to eat without fear, and even limiting a person’s activities in life. I suffered for many years with IBS and I’m happy to say that I’m past it and passionate about helping others get past it, too. IBS is often multifactorial and it’s important to address all the causes in order to get relief.
One of the major factors in IBS is the health of the small intestine. Did you know that the small intestine is lined with millions of finger-like projections called villi? There are approximately 6000-25,000 villi per square inch. The small intestine is 25 feet long – that’s a lot of villi!
On the surface of those villi are little hairlike projections called microvilli. Those microvilli contain digestive enzymes that are important for digesting your food. If the microvilli are damaged, you won’t be able to digest your food! As a result, the bacteria in your digestive tract will digest the foods, leading to gas (particularly trapped), bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation. If you have digestive discomfort, it’s important to improve the health of your villi and microvilli.
If you have been diagnosed with IBS, your naturopathic or conventional doctor may have investigated and diagnosed you with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) or SIFO (small intestinal fungal overgrowth). This is when there is too much bacteria and yeast growing in the small intestine. We want those bacteria to be in the large intestine. Oftentimes, treatments for SIBO will be aimed at trying to kill the bacteria or yeasts using antibiotics or herbal antimicrobials. While this can be helpful temporarily, it doesn’t fix the villi or microvilli, and the symptoms often come back after treatment.
In order to move past the symptoms of IBS, you have to repair the villi and microvilli in your gut so that you can digest your foods properly. Then the yeasts and bacteria will not be able to flourish and cause you discomfort, allowing you to gain freedom from IBS.
Another major contributor to IBS is a disruption of the gut-brain axis, which is a communication system between your digestive tract and your brain. This pathway is bi-directional, which means that your gut sends signals to your brain and your brain sends signals to your gut. When there is an imbalance in this communication, symptoms of IBS are more likely to occur. Normal sensations of food moving through the digestive tract can be interpreted as pain or discomfort.
One reason for a disrupted gut-brain axis is the health of your microbiome. The microbiome is the collection of bacteria, yeasts, and viruses that live in your intestines. If the gut microbiome is imbalanced, the chemicals produced by the bugs in your gut can travel to your brain. This is why conditions like anxiety and depression often coexist with IBS. It’s hard to say which one comes first – the mood disorder or the imbalanced microbiome since the communication is bi-directional. In any case, addressing the health of your microbiome can help with both IBS and mood disorders.
One of the biggest reasons that the gut-brain axis can become imbalanced is due to excessive stress. Stress can come from daily life or past traumatic experiences. When you get stressed, a certain branch of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system gets activated. This causes the release of stress hormones, which diverts blood away from your digestive tract to your heart, lungs, and muscles in order to respond. This can result in diminished digestive function and symptoms associated with IBS. Stress can also cause changes in motility of the gut, which can result in diarrhea or constipation. It cannot be overemphasized how essential it is to address stress as part of a treatment plan for IBS.
In summary, addressing the health of your small intestine, gut-brain axis, microbiome, and stress are all important for helping overcome IBS. These are most certainly not the only things to consider, but some very important factors. If you are suffering from IBS and need help, I would love to support you on your healing journey. Even if you have been suffering for decades and have tried many things, I am confident that I can help you find lasting relief from the nagging symptoms so you can finally enjoy eating again without fear, feel truly comfortable in your own body, and reclaim joyful moments with friends and family.
Dr. Lisa Morse is a Naturopathic Physician who has been helping patients for over 10 years with various medical conditions. She specializes in IBS and is passionate about helping patients get to the root cause of their symptoms so that they can live the life that they desire.
To find out more, contact via her website www.drlisamorsend.com or via phone at 206-693-4143.
