Do you often have abdominal pain, diarrhea, and spasms when you are nervous. Have you already checked in for a colonoscopy, only to find nothing wrong with your colon? You may have a condition called Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disease. The main symptoms are abdominal pain, bloating, bowel habits and changes in stool. Gastrointestinal colonoscopy shows no significant abnormality, and blood tests are also normal. It belongs to the category of "diarrhea", "abdominal pain" and "constipation" in traditional Chinese medicine.
From the perspective of modern medicine, the pathogenesis of IBS is not very clear. At present, medicine believes that the pathogenesis is mainly related to abnormal intestinal motility, the role of the brain-gut axis, abnormal visceral sensations and the influence of the brain-gut axis.
1. What is the brain-gut axis?
The brain-gut axis is a two-way signal regulation system that connects the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. The brain regulates the intestinal system through the central nervous system, and the intestinal tract uploads information to the brain through the neuroendocrine system, the immune system and other pathways. The brain and the gut serve each other.
2.What are the benefits of TCM treatment?
IBS is a functional digestive disease. In addition to the main symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation, it also has symptoms such as stomach burning, nausea, loss of appetite, and anxiety. Emotional stimulation is the main pathogenic factor, with Liver depression and Spleen deficiency as the crux of pathogenesis. The onset is a dynamic process, including Liver depression, Spleen deficiency, damp-heat, as well as low immunity, Spleen deficiency, Spleen yang weakness, etc. It requires accurate differentiation of syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine. Oral Chinese medicine is divided into different stages for conditioning and health care. Traditional Chinese medicine provides individualized prescriptions to relieve the symptom.
3. What are the benefits of acupuncture?
Acupuncture and moxibustion have a bi-directional regulating effect on intestinal dysfunction. It can not only relax the intestinal smooth muscle that causes spasm due to hyperactivity, but also strengthen the intestinal smooth muscle that is too slow and weak to contract, which is helpful for relieving constipation, diarrhea or abdominal pain.
4. Can IBS cause serious problems?
IBS generally does not cause malignant lesions of cancer, but those with blood in the stool, anemia, weight loss, abdominal mass, and family history of colorectal cancer should be checked by Western medicine just to rule out structural pathologies.
5. Why is the management of diet and emotions important in IBS?
IBS is a gastrointestinal disease which requires diet management as the main point of intervention. How do we manage the diet? First of all, do not overeat, avoid smoking and alcohol, and avoid stimulation of the intestines by coffee and spicy products. By reducing anxiety and stress, you also relieve yourself of IBS symptoms.
6. Diet Tips:
People with diarrhea and bloating should avoid high-fat diets during the active stage of the disease. They should avoid foods that cause flatulence, such as dairy products, beans and onions. They should eat more low-FODMAP foods such as grapes, kiwis, tomatoes, orange, cucumber and corn.
In addition, probiotics have an auxiliary therapeutic effect on people with IBS. You can drink yogurt, but avoid drinking it from the refrigerator if you have diarrhea. It is better to drink yogurt after meals. People with constipation can drink it on an empty stomach, because yoghurt promotes bowel movement. High-fiber foods are effective for constipation, but not for diarrhea.