When we have a toothache, we immediately go to the doctor, because we know: we can not cope with a toothache ourselves. But as a rule, we do not pay much attention to the pain in the abdomen. A poor intestine can not wait for help. As a result, irritable bowel syndrome develops - an unpleasant disease, marked by burning in the abdomen. We will tell you more about irritable bowel syndrome, causes, treatment and its prevention.
Riot in the belly
Irritable bowel syndrome is a very common ailment in the modern world, and it has only a chronic form. In other words, if it is not treated, the disease can last for years, greatly poisoning a person's life. Among the most characteristic symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome most often occur:
• Prolonged diarrhea (especially immediately after eating) or constipation. And also a feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestine.
• Pain - from mild to unbearable - in the navel or lower abdomen. It appears, usually after eating.
• Bloating due to the accumulation of gases, most often in the evenings.
• An eructation of air, nausea, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen.
But since such symptoms occur in other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, doctors have to make every effort to establish the true cause of the discomfort. For example, in favor of the diagnosis of irritable bowels is the fact that the patient does not have weight loss, fever, anemia or increased ESR. In this case, there are also usually no obvious organic changes in the gastrointestinal tract, for example inflammation or ulceration of the mucosa.
In addition, the doctor must exclude some extraneous factors, because of which the intestine can also feel discomfort, but for entirely different reasons. This happens, for example, with errors in nutrition, with medication or alcohol abuse. Some diseases, such as endometriosis, diabetes mellitus and thyrotoxicosis, can also produce manifestations similar to irritable bowel syndrome. Characteristic for this ailment symptoms can occur with premenstrual syndrome, and with menopause. In this case, their appearance is provoked by the instability of the hormonal background.
Causes of irritable bowel syndrome
No one knows the exact cause of the appearance of irritable bowel syndrome in humans. It is known that about 20 percent of cases occur after the transferred gastroenteritis. Sometimes the blame for this - the disappearance of useful flora, the so-called dysbiosis. Someone's disease can be triggered by a lack of fiber in the diet, some have a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, in some people the large intestine is hypersensitive and, as a rule, it reacts sharply to what others have without consequences. As a result, an uninterrupted daily stress twists the poor intestines into a tight knot. And then the most common food or gases formed cause an even stronger reaction of this important part of our body.
But most often doctors agree that the emergence of the ill-fated syndrome is to blame for stress. Most people are ready to admit: when they are worried, the first thing it does is bounce in their stomach. The fact is that the walls of the small intestine consist of smooth muscles, and its tension or relaxation is controlled by our subconscious. Therefore, when we have a feeling of anxiety or other negative emotions, this immediately causes an intestinal spasm. And behind him, as a chain reaction, there are other digestive problems. That's why many doctors are sure that the psychotherapist should first of all treat irritable bowel syndrome. After all, only he can release your heavy unconscious from the heavy load, and after him - and relax the strained intestines.
Treatment with irritable bowel indrum
Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome should be done under the supervision of a doctor. Therefore, if you have any problems, be sure to go to the doctor-gastroenterologist. Keep in mind that the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome can be made only after your detailed answers to the doctor's questions and after excluding other diseases that give similar symptoms. For example, he must make sure that the patient does not have colitis or a tumor in the intestine. To help the doctor diagnose, prepare the answers to the following questions:
• Have you always experienced the same unpleasant sensations in your stomach or in the past they were less pronounced?
• Do you get discomfort from time to time or are you constantly harassed?
• Are problems worsening in case of stressful situations or when changing the usual regime, for example on vacation or on a business trip?
• Does blood or mucus appear during defecation?
• Do you have such severe abdominal pain that they can lift you out of bed in the middle of the night?
• Have you lost weight recently due to stool disorders more than a half to two kilograms?
• Do you often have a stool 4 or more times a day?
• Did your ancestors have intestinal cancer aged less than 50 years old?
• Do you often have painful, profuse or irregular periods?
Do not put your own diagnoses! The grasses are, of course, good, but people's methods must be applied to the case! In addition, the most important treatment for irritable bowel syndrome is psychotherapy. However, at home, you can still help your intestines. The doctors developed indispensable recommendations that reduce and completely eliminate pain and burning:
• Try to avoid stressful situations! Do not let destructive negative feelings take possession of you fully. Try to lead a quiet lifestyle. Participation in extreme situations should be left for the future when recovery comes. Find a way to strengthen your emotional health. For example, engage in meditative exercises. If you do not feel relieved, contact a psychologist.
• Eliminate the most likely irritants of your intestines, such as coffee, alcohol and sugar substitutes. Avoid foods that contain preservatives or thickeners - the colon also tolerates them very badly.
• Write down what foods you eat during the day. Thanks to this you will be able to see what exactly does not like your intestines. For example, recent studies have shown that the exacerbation of the disease is very often caused by the use of fructose - in pure form or in the composition of natural products. And someone gets worse from milk. Just keep in mind that the intestine's rejection of this or that food is manifested only 48 hours after eating.
• Regardless of what medications your doctor prescribed, use natural antispasmaletics, such as peppermint, to relieve the pain syndrome. Its oil in capsules is especially good. Since it has the property of blocking the channels through which calcium enters the smooth musculature of the intestine and thereby causes tension there. As a result, mint oil promotes rapid relaxation of the smooth muscles of the intestine. So, it significantly reduces pain.
• Regularly massage the abdominal wall to relieve tension in the large intestine. To do this, rub on the palm of the mixture of 5 drops of peppermint and 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and in a circular motion clockwise, massage the abdomen for several minutes.
• Drink more water! For a person suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, this is vitally important. Especially if in his diet there are a lot of foods with a high fiber content, for example, raw vegetables or cereals from oat and pearl barley. The fact is that the main function of the large intestine is to absorb water and salt from the food products entering the body. And if you do not drink enough water (about two liters daily), then the intestine is forced to get water from the digestible food, to the limit of its "drying" and compressing. And this, in turn, causes the strongest constipation.
• A real balm for the intestines is carrots, because the substances in its composition act on it soothingly. Therefore, often include in your diet grated on a shallow (if you have diarrhea) or on a large (if you have constipation) grated carrots with olive oil. It is also useful to cook carrot soup puree once or twice a week.
• For calming the gastrointestinal tract, drink tea for a day from chamomile or fennel.
• Check with your doctor if you should start taking small doses of aspirin. As studies have shown, this drug removes irritation of the colon, removes toxins and even prevents malignant tumors. But this medicine must be drunk with caution, so it can not be prescribed to yourself!
• Maintain a useful flora in the intestine. To do this, include the daily lactic acid foods in the menu. Both traditional and enriched with curative bifidobacteria.
Knowing more about irritable bowel syndrome, the causes and treatment can significantly alleviate the painful condition.