Can Digestive Enzymes Help Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Irritable bowel syndrome is like an epidemic these days. Some researchers believe that 10-20% of the world's population have IBS! Is it any wonder that new drugs for constipation, diarrhea and all the other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are paraded on the television day and night?

Irritable bowel syndrome is a sign that something is wrong in the body's delicate balance. Characterized by symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, it wreaks havoc in the lives of many. Most people have their first IBS attack in their late teens or early twenties. They never know when an attack is going to strike and they spend their time worrying about it and going from doctor to doctor in search of a cure.

Conventional medicine offers only treatment for the symptoms. Once a doctor diagnoses IBS, patients are told to take medications to treat their diarrhea or constipation. Some doctors have begun prescribing a class of psychiatric medications called SSRI drugs. Strangely enough, these drugs work - not because IBS is all in the patient's head, but because the gut, specifically the colon, is actually the source of most of the serotonin produced in the body, and the medications appear to work on the delicate balance of serotonin.

Diet and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Many doctors also recommend that patients adjust their diet. Some recommend that patients try an elimination diet. This means eating a very bland diet for a while and gradually introducing typically IBS trouble foods. By noting when symptoms return, patients can report back to their doctors which food may trigger their IBS symptoms. Common culprits include alcohol, chocolate, fatty or fried foods, and sugary filled foods.

Digestive Enzymes Help IBS Symptoms

Some doctors suggest taking digestive enzyme supplements for irritable bowel syndrome. Enzymes are catalysts, or substances that change the rate of chemical reactions in the body. Your body has thousands of enzymes, and every second of the day enzymes are doing their job: breaking down food into energy, and working with myriad chemicals to increase the rate of reaction. While the body can produce enzymes, adding enzymes to the diet appears to relieve some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Choosing a good quality supplement can be tricky. One easy way to increase the amount of digestive enzymes in the diet is through increasing your intake of uncooked foods, such as fresh organic vegetables, fruit and sprouts.

Why uncooked? When foods are heated above 116-118 degrees Fahrenheit, it renders the enzymes in the food useless. So in order to get plenty of enzymes in your food, it makes sense to eat more raw, living foods.

How to Change to a Living Foods Diet

If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, it's important to work with your healthcare provider whenever you are changing or adjusting your diet. Do so gradually, and seek help from a holistic health expert or educator. Start with simple foods: a fresh salad added to a meal, fruit with or in place of breakfast. Green smoothies are great ways to add more living foods to your diet and can replace a meal or snack.

Another holistic method of treating irritable bowel syndrome is colon hydrotherapy. Using only water, debris and fecal matter is gently flushed from the colon. In situations where such material has built up in the intestines, causing diarrhea or constipation, flushing the colon with water can alleviate the painful cramps that occur when the body increases peristalsis to push wastes out.

There are many holistic methods of dealing with irritable bowel syndrome. Talk to your doctor to rule out more serious illnesses, and consult a health care practitioner or holistic educator for an action plan to help your body regain its equilibrium.