These are the typical symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is estimated that about 10-25% percent of the population in western industrialized countries suffer from this syndrome.

If you are looking for a natural remedy that attacks the cause and not just the symptoms of IBS you should keep on reading.

But first let me explain briefly what IBS exactly is and how those who have it are affected.

Because there is no organic damage and the symptoms are overlapping with other bowel diseases, IBS sufferers often are diagnosed incorrectly or, even worse, accused of being hypochondriacs. But unfortunately the symptoms are very real and painful.

A definite test for IBS does not exist, so the diagnosis of IBS is made by ruling out other bowel diseases with similar symptoms. There is also no definite treatment for IBS which makes dealing with this disorder subject to a lot of individual trial and error when it comes to helpful tips and tools.

IBS is a non-life threatening illness which does not progress into more severe bowel diseases. There is also no increased risk for developing illnesses like Crohn’s disease, Inflammatory Bowel disease or Colon Cancer.

DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMS OF IBS

IBS is a chronic illness with symptoms coming and going depending on many factors such as stress level, diet, other illnesses or medication. According to the so called Rome 3 Criteria a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is probable when abdominal discomfort or pain, that matches at least 2 of the following 3 criteria, occur for more than 3 days per month (not consecutive) in the last 3 months:

A study published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences in 2012 speaks of “clear evidence of the role bacteria play in the disease (IBS)” and concludes that “bacteria are key contributors to the cause of IBS”.

Read the full article here: Irritable bowel syndrome clearly linked to gut bacteria

IBS is a somewhat mystical disorder with no definite cause, treatment or cure. Because there is no definite cure, treatment of IBS is all about relieving the symptoms and helping sufferers live a normal life.

In general, treatment revolves around the two big trigger points for IBS: Food and Mood.

Mood means treating the psychological component with measures that reduce stress and emotional tension.

Food means establishing a diet that takes stress off the digestive system, is low in foods that trigger symptoms and incorporates food that help cultivate a healthy gut flora. This is exactly where fermented foods that are rich in probiotics can help.

Besides managing your stress level and your diet, IBS patients are also using traditional healing methods like acupuncture and reflexology to relieve symptoms and to help calm down their bowels.

But what researchers are most excited about is the role probiotics can play in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Probiotics for IBS can be consumed as food or as dietary supplement. But before we dive deep into how fermented probiotic foods can help with not only the symptoms but potentially the cause of IBS, I’ll give you a quick overview about all the treatments and healing approaches.

MOOD – PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT

Because Irritable Bowel Syndrome has such strong psychosomatic component, treatments such as Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Hypnotherapy have proven to be an effective. Reducing stress by developing coping mechanisms for situations of psychological pressures also protect the gut from reacting to stress with irritation.

Practicing stress relieving techniques such as meditation, yoga, qigong or tai chi are all effective means to prevent IBS symptoms from flaring up.

Even the use of low-dose antidepressants in patients with minor symptoms of depression and anxiety is not uncommon, especially when pain could not be relieved by antispasmodics.

Two holistic healing methods that are both based on ancient science are acupuncture and reflexology. These two complementary therapies are also recommended for people affected by Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Acupuncture is especially reported to be very effective at restoring normal bowel function and relieving symptoms.

For most IBS patients, food is the big topic. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a disorder of the digestive system and everything we eat effects that system. Because IBS is so highly individual in the symptoms as well as in the triggers, sufferers have to do a lot of experimenting with their diet.

Since food is just one of many factors that can trigger IBS symptoms, it is often hard for patients to say with certainty whether a food group or component should be marked as a trigger food. It often revolves around other factors, like the context of a meal, that trigger symptoms.

Although symptoms and triggers are highly individual, there is a list of foods known to aggravate the digestive system and thereby triggering IBS symptoms. There is no official IBS diet, but patients can eliminate single food or food components from their diet and observe if they get better.

A simple change in your diet can already have a huge impact on your IBS symptoms. Try these tips and closely observe your symptoms to find out what works for you.

Lactose malabsorption and irritable bowel syndrome. Effect of a long-term lactose-free diet.

Because it’s so hard to identify single trigger foods, IBS patients often believe they have food allergies or food intolerances. While a food allergy is rather unlikely (less than 4% of IBS patients), food intolerances are much more common.

Food intolerances that are common in IBS patients are often to fructose, lactose and gluten. Also diets that are high in fibre or so called FODMAP foods are problematic. FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols) are sugars or sugar alcohols which cannot be absorbed fully by your digestive system.

Sugars that are not fully digested in the small intestine, travel all the way to the large intestine, where they act as food for the bacteria that live there. Sugar malabsorption is a known cause for bloating, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

Guess which sugars cause the most trouble here? Answer: Lactose and fructose. So one more reason to be careful with dairy products, fruit and fructose sweetened sodas.

In the end, identifying your trigger foods is a highly individual process that involves a lot of trial and error. However eliminating dairy, gluten and fructose are good starting points. After a period of 3-4 weeks of eliminating a food group you should slowly reintroduce that food group back into your diet, to find out how much of it you can tolerate. Eliminating food groups permanently can lead to nutritional and microbial depletion, as well as to a diet you might not enjoy long term.

It’s not just what you eat but also how. Setting and context of a meal are just as important as the food itself. Here are some tips regarding the setting of meals that may help you:

 What about the cause of IBS?

Finally, this is where probiotics come into play. Until now, all the measures I talked about were about relieving symptoms or keeping symptoms from breaking out, now we will see how probiotics can aid. 

‘Probiotics’ is just another word for beneficial bacteria. These “good” bacteria live in our digestive system by the billions. In recent years researchers have linked our microbiota, which is the community of microorganisms that live in our body, to a vast number of diseases, including mental illnesses.

Science today has no doubt that our microbiota directly influences our immune system, our mental health, our body weight and our mood. Manipulation of our gut flora in many experiments and studies has shown how beneficial microbes can be essential for our overall health.

By consuming probiotics we can now treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome at its root instead of just treating symptoms. Directly supporting your gut health by consuming beneficial bacteria can help your body heal itself without the use of medication.

MICROBIOTA AND HEALTH – EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED ….

What was once a pretty exotic theory is common knowledge in the medical community today. Modern science has confirmed what ancient traditions have known for centuries. Intentionally altering your microbiota can directly influence our health, your mental state, your mood and your fatigue levels.

To get all the amazing health benefits, probiotics should be consumed regularly, if possible every day. There are two ways to get this done. You can either buy probiotic supplements or eat fermented foods, which are naturally rich in probiotics.

There certainly is a case for probiotic supplements. There are single strains of bacteria that have been found to be effective in IBS treatment, and these strains are available as dietary supplement.

But these strains are also available in naturally fermented foods and drinks. And with fermented food you not only get valuable probiotics but a ton of other health benefits as a “free bonus”.

Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are two lactic acid bacterial strains that are a safe and well-studied alternative to medication that solely focuses on the alleviation of symptoms. No negative side effects have been reported so far.

Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli attack the problems of IBS where they originate, by regulating the gut flora and by aiding the barrier function of the gut. They also help fight overgrowth of bad bacteria.

Both Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli both are available in a variety of supplements, but there also is natural way of getting those probiotics into your gut …

FERMENTED FOOD – A NATURAL PROBIOTIC IBS REMEDY

Making fermented foods part of your daily diet will strengthen the colonies of good bacteria inside your gut. All done with delicious food – what could be better?!

So the question is…

Which fermented foods contain Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria?

Answer: Almost all of them! But you have to make them yourself!

The easiest and most popular fermentation method is lacto-fermentation. Lacto-fermentation is the process when the bacteria Lactobacillus is converting sugars into lactic acid. Numerous strains of Lactobacillus naturally occur in all plants.

So when you are fermenting your own fruit and vegetables, there is no need for any added bacterial cultures. You simply use the natural yeast and bacteria on your fruit or veggies to start the fermentation process.

Because you’re only using bacteria and yeast that are naturally present in plants, this method is called “wild fermentation” as opposed to “cultured fermentation” which introduces specific bacterial cultures (the two can also be combined in particular methods).

The lactic acid that forms during the fermentation process also preserves the food by inhibiting growth of pathogenic or “bad” bacteria. The Lactobacilli create an acidic and anaerobic environment where harmful bacteria cannot thrive.

Acidic means that pH-levels are so low that harmful bacteria cannot survive. Also creating an anaerobic environment, i.e. no air, keeps ferments from oxidizing and harvesting potential bad bacterias. So, keep those veggies under their brine!

The creation of an environment where harmful bacteria cannot live makes fermentation the safest food preservation technique there is. Some ferments like sauerkraut or kimchi can be kept for months, even years without going bad.

PASTEURISATION – KILL THE GOOD WITH THE BAD

Fermented foods that are rich in probiotics are always unpasteurized. With pasteurization, food is heated to high temperatures to kill off bad bacteria. In this process the good bacteria also get killed off and you’re left with dead biomass.

Unfortunately most foods you can buy in the supermarkets today are pasteurized. That’s why fermenting your own fruit and vegetables at home will give you the best probiotic content with all the health benefits you’re looking for.

CULTURED DAIRY PRODUCTS FOR LACTOBACILLI AND BIFIDOBACTERIA

Yogurt and kefir have long been known as sources for probiotics. The Lactobacillus strains were actually first observed in milk products. Both yogurt and kefir can be bought in stores or made at home using kefir grains or yogurt starter cultures.

When using a store bought yogurt or kefir you simply have to check the food label to see if Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are present in the product. Not all commercial yogurt have enough live cultures in them, so you have to check each manufacturer individually. If you want to be certain that your dairy ferment has enough living probiotics in it, you will have to ferment it yourself.

When you’re fermenting your own cultured dairy products at home the number of yeasts and bacterial strains will vary depending on your locations and the conditions under which the culture is kept. Studies have found about 16 different strains of Lactobacilli that are commonly present in fermented milk products.

Find both studies here:

Microbiological study of lactic acid bacteria in kefir grains

Analysis of the microflora in Tibetan kefir grains

I know that was a lot of information …but to sum it all up, here is the reason why fermented foods are great for treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, beneficial bacteria that already live in our guts. A healthy community of good bacteria, or gut flora, or intestinal microbiota regulates our digestion, our immune system and even our mental health and mood. Disturbance of this flora is the root cause for many different health issues including Irritable Bowel Syndrome. By consuming probiotics through fermented foods you strengthen your gut flora by directly colonising it with good bacteria.

Fermentation is an ancient art and science. Our ancestors have used this food preservation and nutrient alteration technique for thousands of years, and modern science is just getting started with putting sound medical research behind a lot of old wisdom.

Using the natural healing power of fermented foods in your everyday life is easy, safe, cheap and effective and will introduce you to a whole world of new flavours and ingredients … and heal you along the way.