While experiencing a flare-up:

·        Boswellia supplement for anti-inflammatory purposes, two pills, three times per day. This product is inexpensive and found in local health stores everywhere;

·        Olive leaf extract as an anti bacterial and an infection killer;

·        Decaf green tea and decaf peppermint tea;

·        Super Greens supplement for all your vegetable intake needs;

·        1 tbsp. black strap molasses and/or raw honey;

·        Oral Hydrogen Peroxide.

Now, I am going to explain why each of these steps are necessary and why when they are taken together they are a powerful attack on IBS which should help to banish it forever.

First, and most importantly, and I can not stress this enough: taking hydrogen peroxide internally must be done with caution. Make sure you follow the directions below exactly as they are stated and do not go over the recommended dosages.

At high doses, if not diluted first, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is toxic and can even be fatal. This is why it is very important that you follow the instructions below and DILUTE the solution in distilled water before taking it. The schedule illustrated below is only a suggestion but it is the one that I followed successfully and it has been tested and followed by thousands of other people successfully as well. You can always take less than the recommended dosage but expect results to be slower as well. You must, must, must keep it out of the reach of children.

At this high level of concentration, it must be handled very carefully. Direct contact will burn the skin; flush the skin immediately with water if some of it spills on your skin.

It must also be stored correctly or it will lose its potency. (Think cool, dry place like upper shelf of the pantry.

As for the proper concentration, I bought 35% Food Grade hydrogen peroxide to eliminate my colitis symptoms.

Remember - you would never ever consume it at this actual concentration, it needs to be diluted first.

I took it by adding a few droplets from a glass dropper to 6 - 8 oz. of distilled water in order to dilute the solution properly, as recommended per the schedule below. (Don’t use chlorinated tap water to the 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide!)

Buy a glass dropper and bottle at the pharmacy. Fill the eye dropper bottle with the 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide and store it in the refrigerator, store the rest in the freezer for later use. You will be mixing a few drops

from the glass dropper to 6 to 8 oz. of distilled water. You can also mix it in aloe Vera juice instead if you like. (I like this method as Aloe Vera also has other health benefits as well)

It is very important that you take the hydrogen peroxide diluted solution on an empty stomach. If you take it with food this may cause nausea and vomiting. Wait two or three hours after eating before taking it, and then don’t eat again for another two or three hours after taking it.

Take Vitamin E while you are on this regimen, because it can help the hydrogen peroxide to work more effectively.

The generally recommended intake schedule is as follows:

You will drink the diluted hydrogen peroxide three (3) times a day on an empty stomach.

Another issue that you may encounter is what is known as a “healing crisis”.

The hydrogen peroxide mixture is killing off bad bacteria, which accumulates in your body and there may be a buildup of these dead bacteria before your body gets a chance to eliminate them all.

Until your body eliminates these toxins, you may experience fatigue, body aches, nausea, diarrhea, or skin breakouts.

Stick with the program, and your body will flush all of these toxins out, leaving you feeling much better than when you started.

And in the next chapter, I am going to tell you about the other steps that I took and why they helped me - and why I believe they will help you!

Olive Leaf and Boswellia

Along with the hydrogen peroxide, I took Boswellia (Boswellia serrata). I took tablets containing 550 milligram extracts 3 times a day.

Boswellia is an herb that comes from China and the Middle East and it has natural anti-inflammatory properties. The best part of this supplement is it has not been shown to have any side effects or drug interactions so nearly anyone can take it without worry. What do you have to lose?

There have been many clinical tests run on boswellia because of those properties and it has been shown to cause significant improvement in a number of conditions.

Boswellia has been shown to be as effective as NSAIDs (i.e. ibuprofen) in inhibiting inflammation, without causing irritation of the stomach or the intestines. NSAIDS (Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) do cause irritation of the stomach and the intestines when taken long term, so they have the potential to aggravate conditions like IBS, Crohn’s disease and diverticulitis, and can make them worse.

A clinical study done on a group of people who suffered from chronic IBS showed that boswellia is as effective as sulfasalazine in treating it.

That group took 550 milligram extracts three times a day, which is why I took that amount as well. And do you know what Sulfasalazine is? Sulfasalazine is a prescription drug. Do you know why doctors don’t prescribe boswellia?

Because it as a natural herb that is easy to obtain at any health food store. There is no prescription needed for it. Why wouldn’t doctors recommend it? They get a lot of their money from pharmaceutical companies for recommending prescription drugs.

Now I am not saying that certain prescription drugs do not work.

However it is pretty obvious that pharmaceutical companies have no reason to encourage studies on herbs that grow abundantly and can be plucked out of the ground or off a tree, and that are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration so they do not require a prescription.

There is no profit in it for the pharmaceutical companies. In a nutshell, alternative drugs and medicines which have huge potential often never get discovered because pharmaceutical companies - the ones who have the money to pay for clinical trials - have no reason to develop them.

It’s actually surprising that there has been as much research as there has been on many of these extracts and natural herbal remedies.

The third thing I did in order to naturally heal and kill the infection was to take Olive Leaf Extract.

Olive leaf has been known as a curative for thousands of years. In Ancient Egypt it was used for medicinal purposes to cure numerous ailments.

In the 1800s olive leaf extract was used to treat malaria because of its ability to reduce high fevers, much like aspirin.

It has been scientifically proven to have anti-viral and antibiotic properties. It has also been shown to be effective in treating fungal infections.

The main chemical component in olive leaf is the phytochemical oleuropein, which has powerful anti-bacterial properties. It also has the ability to interfere with amino acid production that is essential for viruses to thrive in your body, so essentially when you are taking olive leaf extract you are eliminating viral infections that may or may not be related to the IBS.

Olive oil, although very healthy and beneficial for preventing heart disease, does not contain oleuropein. That chemical can only be found in the olive leaf extract.

The olive leaf extract is available at health food stores and is generally taken in 500 milligram tablets. When I first started taking these supplements and was looking to heal my inflamed intestinal tract, I took one 500 milligram tablet every six hours, or four times a day.

I took the supplement in between meals because I read that this is how it would work most effectively and it seems to have worked well for me.

There are no known dangerous side effects but some people do suffer from symptoms called “the die off effect.”

This effect is similar to what I discussed about the hydrogen peroxide cure. Ironically this happens because olive leaf extract is so good at what it does. This is not something that only happens in natural remedies such as these, an example of this effect also occurs in things like Tretinoin for acne. Symptoms will almost always get worse before they get better. Stick it out through this time and I assure you there will be a benefit.

Olive leaf extract kills a large number of toxic substances in your body, and the body’s cells absorb these toxic substances and then proceed to flush them out of the body as waste. While these toxic substances are flowing through your body ready to be flushed out, you can suffer aches, fever, breakouts, rashes, and diarrhea.

If this occurs and you are having a hard time dealing with the symptoms, you can cut back on the amount of olive leaf extract that you are taking, and you can slowly build your way back up to increasing the dosage once the symptoms have subsided.

You could even stop taking them for a little while.

Once the body has detoxified the symptoms should dissipate and you should feel better than ever.

After the attack is under control and your IBS symptoms are gone you can stop taking the above supplements on a daily basis. It is a good idea to take the olive leaf extract every now and then for its added health benefits and to keep any infections or disease away.

I actually have chosen to continue taking both the olive leaf extract and the boswellia extract regularly to be on the safe side. I just cut back on the amount that I take.

In that condition you can even fill it filled with fiber and it will still “know” how to push the fiber out. It is also referred to as the by medical practitioners also refer to the colon as the “Emotional Organ.”

Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler notes that, “You actually have as many brain cells in your gut… as you do in your skull!”

Many of our physical sensations that something isn’t right or that some situation might be dangerous might just come from the mind in your gut—or your second brain kicking in.

It’s an amazing and little realized fact that humans actually possess two brains, one located in our gut.

And truth be told, your gut provides the home to half your nerve cells. And here’s an even more amazing revelation. Your second “gut brain” fires up neurons and neurotransmitters just like your brain does!

Your “gut brain” can also learn, remember, and create emotions. So the expression “gut-hunch” isn’t just a “saying.” We really do have a thinking and intuitive brain in our gut. Our second brain even gives us another angle from which to understand Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

It doesn’t take brain science (pun intended)  to figure out that the second brain might be the cause of IBS. Ponder that Antidepressants (like SSRIs) have been known to immediately relieve the symptoms in IBS patients even when the doses fall too low to treat depression.

So one good question that we might ask is whether antidepressants actually address the cause of depression in the second brain.

Glenn

A colon secret

I want to share a secret that should give you good reason to take colon’s health more seriously. In fact. , my secret is very central to the causes of IBS.  Wise as you are,  you still need to focus on this secret information which you won’t find anywhere else.

Before we begin, why not see that the kids are alright, get yourself a cup of tea, kick off your shoes, open your notepad or MS word, and here we go.

Every part of your colon (the whole digestive system) directly influences some other body part. And it is the blood vessels attached to the colon which bring this influence to bear. For example, a certain part of the colon associates with the brain through blood vessels that originate in the outer colon wall and move blood from the colon to the brain.

Now, a diseased or weakened colon wall will, in turn, weaken the chemical processes it transmits to your brain. Plus the proper nutrients will never get there. Stagnant fecal matter can permit toxic matter to flow through the colon walls and into your blood stream and consequently into your brain. It is this toxic matter that can affect your thinking, memory, and all other brain functions.

Realize that every part of your body receives blood from a certain specific colon area. The colon is so important to the body that if that constipation, inflammation, or excess toxins in the colon, will deprive the corresponding body areas and result in their weakness or sickness.

You now have a chance to ponder and use this secret to your benefit. Seriously consider treating your colon to a cleansing and detoxification regimen so that your body can better absorb all the nutrients it needs to keep all of your organs strong and healthy.

And don’t worry about price. At the end of this series, I will show you a body detox plan that costs less than $10.00 a month. Compare that to any other overpriced colon cleanse plan on the internet. Those plans are usually priced anywhere from $30.00 to $300.00 a month. Also consider that my plan is not only more effective, safer, and 100% natural, but is available at Wal-Mart and Amazon.com.

Ok. Let’s get back on track. Now you know the importance of a toxic free colon and how it affects every other organ in your body. Next step is to actually do it.

In the following lessons, you will be receiving a lot of information that you can use to start treating your colon the right way. This will give you a start in moving your colon to a healthier condition and to set the stage to eliminate your many IBS symptoms efficiently and dramatically.

Watch your email for the next lesson on colon cleansing. Till then,

Ed Eliesen

Editor

The IBS Times

http://www.theibstimes.com

BLOOD SUGAR STABILITY SESSION

By “sugar” I do not refer to the white crystalline stuff that comes in 5 Lb bags. I mean the natural sugars we need to maintain a healthy nutrient level in our bodies. There are many naturally occurring sugars like fructose, sucrose, and many others we won’t delve into now.

Blood sugar, specifically, plays a critical role to maintain brain functionality. You might say that natural sugars provide the brain with “fuel” the same way gas is required to make a car engine run.

However,  our bodies will also use other detrimental sugar drenched products, but  those products are neither our first nor ideal choice.

One imperative factor  that we  should also understand is that if our blood sugar doesn’t stay at a steady constant, we develop high or low blood sugar. Otherwise, we get into problems as the body tries to maintain a level of equilibrium.

We must be aware of how efficiently the body is utilizing sugar. But we must also be aware of how well the pancreas is functioning. We must know how well are the adrenals are talking to the liver, the pancreas, and the glands in the brain that are responsible for secreting specific hormones to keep all of this in balance.

Uneven  blood sugar levels put us at risk to develop hypoglycemia or what’s now become popularized as, “Syndrome X.”

The thing about our blood sugar stability is that it also works very closely with our creosol levels. So, when our blood sugar is low, our adrenals will release cortical to get our liver to release stores of glucose that need to be mobilized into the blood stream.

Stable blood sugar levels help us, in turn, to keep our cortisone levels down, maintain a happy mod, and make sure quality nutrition feeds our tissues. And the first step during the day to  maintain that stable blood sugar level is to simply eat a nutritional breakfast.

But on the other hand, when we skip breakfast we pave the way to put our blood sugar level on a roller coaster ride because the beginning of the day is the time we set our day’s  thermostat levels for blood sugar. Also, what we eat for breakfast is very important. Cereals provide us with fast burning type fuel which races through the system which makes our blood sugar level fall very quickly.

By contrast, if we just grab a glass of juice, a slice of toast, or a cup of coffee as we run out the door, our cortisone levels are already at ground zero and our day begins where we’re almost hyperglycemic. And this is exactly the problem with our children today in school, unable to function at their best because their brains are desperate for fuel.

So, the best thing we can do to eliminate this undesirable condition is to eat breakfast and to eat it within 30 minutes from waking up in the morning. The very best thing we can do is first thing in the morning is to get a healthy dose of protein.

Factually speaking here’s what happens at the beginning of the day.

When we awaken, and the sun’s light enters our eyeballs, reaches our brain, and stimulates our hypothalamus gland to start producing its liquid ambition to get our body up and running. So if we don’t replenish within  a half hour the fuels our body needs, our body heads into survival mode.

One consequence of that survival mode is that our body goes into a sort of hibernation and it’s very difficult to get our necessary defense mechanisms functioning as they’re meant to. In geek computer language, our firewalls go down.

What is scientifically proven about the facts of good nutrition is that eating a protein dinner for breakfast is the ultimate remedy for a body to run like a tuned up machine. But yet most people simply aren’t hungry at breakfast time.

And so, we lapse into a catch-22 scenario; we become tired to eat, although the lack of nutritious food causes sleep patterns and the body’s metabolism rate to suffer.

This lack of appetite might result from having eaten  too late the night before, or having ingested very hard-to-digest foods which cause the liver to struggle. The  liver at night just wants to work with the digestive system and do its job; namely, to filter our blood, and perform automatic maintenance.

However, keep in mind our digestive needs peak between 7-9AM, 9-11AM and between 1-3 in the afternoon.  That’s when our body is functioning at top performance according to Chinese and most Asian  knowledge. Here one should especially note one factor.  Asian cultures despite massive poverty, is seldom inflicted with obesity or digestive problems.

So it’s been said, “we should eat the breakfast of a king, the lunch of a prince and the dinner of a pauper.”

But if we look at American culture, most people have this sequence backwards. The right order of meal consumption is to eat a solid protein-filled  breakfast and then small protein snacks every two hours.

The snacks might consist of, 5 almonds or a celery stick with some almond, cashew, or peanut butter on it. Or, how about some carrot sticks dipped in humus dip?

The benefits of this dietary change are:

• It maintains our blood sugar,
• It provides fuel to run our metabolic furnace—feeding the “furnace”  burning instead of dwindling coals. And  it mobilizes fat to easily burn it.
• It keeps us from being so hungry when it does become mealtime.

During the day, most people when they get hunger pangs that cause them to reach for something sweet from the vending machine or a soda — all to jolt the body with a shot of sugar—sugar which is detrimental to our digestive health. But our bodies would perform more effectively if we just changed the type of protein we ingest as well as change the habit of continual sugar snacks.

It’s also a good suggestion to  try a salad and other protein substitutes that will make digesting much easier and more efficient. These dietary habits not only to help get rid of many IBS symptoms, but also work as a surefire weight loss strategy. The steady shrinking of your gut will amaze you.

No one is asking you to starve yourself or eat anything you don’t like.  Just to make a few wise modifications to your eating habits and I guarantee you’ll notice changes you never believed possible. Remember that this is all part of the big picture. You don’t need to always stick to a restrictive diet.

We aim to show you the easiest path to robust health and its enormous benefits.

That robust health will  correct abdominal disorders before you even realize it.

The blunt and true answer, I believe, is to reply “no.”

Diet, state of mind, and many other health issues such as a case of bad nerves have to impact in some way on a hyper-sensitive bowel. If you’re in the habit of leaving soluble fiber out of your diet, for example, you will likely experience the worst symptoms of IBS. That is because soluble fiber causes your digestion to move waste in a more even flow through your digestive tract.

And it’s not hard to imagine how a hyper, nervous, and reactive state of mind will impact on your gut to cause it to move waste more spasmodically and painfully.

It’s most likely true that the discovery of IBS treatments is impossible until we understand how various aspects of the whole person fit together.

That is why the newly created IBS Times news letter has adapted this philosophy of treating health topics as an inter-related whole. This means that the IBS Times explores a whole range of health-related topics.

By the way, that newsletter can be accessed just by subscribing to this site.

Glenn, subscriber to this site (email: glennf52@gmail.com)

Here at the IBS Recovery Center, we assume that what most people want to know the most is an immediate way to deal with their digestive ailments. And it just so happens that our science writers just stumbled on a near-to-miraculous food consumed by the some of the most long-lived people in the world. Those people live in the Caucasus Mountains region of Russia, and the amazing food staple they consume prevents digestive ailments.

In the West, we call that “amazing” food staple ‘kefir.” But perhaps the best way to do justice to the potential kefir has to treat your ailing bowel is to simply publish part of the chapter of a book our science team has just written. The writers of that book possess too many credentials to be mentioned here. And the book draws its content from some hard science reports. So without further delay, here it is, an excerpt from the “Preface” of Nature’s Miracle Food for IBS:

________________________________________________________

Ancient Knowledge About Health Being Renewed

Certain regions in the Caucasus Mountains have, for example, long attained the status of myth for the long-lived peoples who live there.
And in the early nineteen seventies, the National Geographic (NG) paid a world known physician, Dr. Alexander Leaf, to travel those places where people had always been said to live the longest. Leaf’s first stop had been to Abkhasia in the Caucasus Mountains of Southern Russia. In the NG article, he repeatedly, comments on the consumption of a pro-biotic there —-fermented, or “sour milk2” —a pro-biotic which is likely Kefir.

He noted: “Breakfast general consists of cheese, bread, tea, and sometimes honey. The usual beverage is sour milk with cold water added.2”

Curiously, Leaf reported that the wide spread consumption of “sour milk” also supplied the, “main source of protein,” for Georgians over the age of eighty in the Caucasus2. Although, it has to be noted that Leaf didn’t attribute the long life-spans only to the consumption of sour milk.

He clearly also thought that factors played a role such as exercise, a cultural reverence for the aged, and fresh produce. In his book, Healthy at 100, John Robbins also remarks on the diet of Abkhasians and other peoples in the Caucasus that they regularly consume a fermented milk product, which has been“used in the Caucasus for centuries,3” and likely originated there.

Since Kefir is also a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus, we can guess that Robbins might be unknowingly referring to Kefir. But he doesn’t actually refer to ‘kefir,” so the least we might conclude is that people in that region consume one pro-biotic food as a staple. So the question which might be raised is whether one secret to a long life is the consumption of probiotic foods, particularly kefir.

Needless to say, however, most of the ancient “secrets” to a healthy and long life remain lost to today’s generations as the ‘knowledge of the wise’ was passed orally from one generation to the next.

This Book an Extension of the Principle: “Fresh is Best”
Dr. Leaf had explored the three following regions known for the long life-spans of their inhabitants: Ecuador’s valley of Vilicabamba, Pakistan’s Hunza region, and Russia’s Caucasus Mountains.

In his book, Healthy at 100, Tim Robbins remarks that Leaf’s study and all other studies of those regions have revealed one important factor of diet common to all their long-lived people. They all consume the freshest foods. Robbins remarks that: “They all depend on fresh foods, eating primarily what is in season and locally grown rather than relying on canned foods or foods shipped long distances.4 “

The rule of thumb about the diets of long-lived people might be best stated as, “fresh is best.” And, in turn, that rule begs the question of what food could be fresher than a probiotic food (a food such as kefir or yogurt) that contains live organisms—-a food that can be said, therefore, to be “alive’” in one sense even as you consume it.

At the very least, the fresh foods mentioned by Robbins tend to be pre-biotic foods which encourage the activity of probiotic organisms in the gut.

If human health depends on fresh foods which help the gut’s beneficial bacteria and micro-biotic flora to keep thriving, than the freshest foods like Kefir might be considered the greatest advantage to a diet which helps people live longer. And as well, a probiotic food like Kefir possesses important advantages over all other probiotic foods. A later chapter will explore those advantages.

__________________________________________________________

So there it is. Nature’s Miracle Food for IBS explores the many facets of kefir’s effect on healh. I have to end this entry now, but I forgot to include the link for more information on the book and the topic of kefir. Sorry about that. I will return later today and include a link from the IBS Recovery Center.

Bye for now.

Edward Eliesen

One in five or over 60,000,000 Americans are victims of a most unpopular topic of conversation, namely, the overwhelming growth of an epidemic that will eventually affect most of the global population as well. The culprit is IBS. At present Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is not a single syndrome or condition. Several conditions that affect your digestive system, especially the colon or lower end of that system, are all lumped together and referred to as IBS.

This is more of a group of symptoms than a single illness. Instead of taking the newest miracle cure that may treat one or two of the symptoms experienced with IBS you can rid yourself of all these ailments and improve your overall health naturally by understanding the seven simple secrets behind IBS.

Understanding IBS starts at a cellular level, as does life. Starting off the day by eating protein within an hour of waking helps to regulate glucose levels and sets the stage for the day. Eating enough protein throughout the day helps your body to regulate hormone levels. Cellular activity within the body creates acid as nutrients are brought to and waste products are brought from your cells.

Water

Hydrating your body with alkalized water to flush the waste products from the cells regulates your overall acid levels. Eating the right combination of foods throughout the day helps to keep the acid and alkaline balance within the body. When the digestive tract has improper alkalinity and acidity levels bacteria and parasites can take over and a multitude of health problems can arise. Toxins in the environment can be avoided to an extent. When we choose to take control of our lives and our diets we can remove many harmful substances from our lives and be rid of IBS.

pH Balancing

These secrets control the overall acidity and alkalinity of your body. If you keep the acidity and alkalinity in proper balance your body runs much smoother and you will feel better. Being able to understand why IBS is happening is important if you want to successfully treat IBS. In this report we are going to look at all seven areas individually then discuss how they work together and how this can help you.

Nutrition

Nutrition is the fuel, or energy, that each and every one of the cells in our bodies uses. The purpose of nutrition is to supply our bodies with the needed energy or fuel that our bodies require for proper functioning. All of the foods we eat can be broken down into five main categories (carbohydrates, protein, fats, minerals and vitamins) and we need all five to survive. Knowing how these foods react with one another is essential for you to control IBS.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the sugars your body uses for an immediate fuel resource. There are two types of carbohydrates; simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates provide energy immediate energy. These include processed refined foods, fruit juices, soda pop, honey and other highly sugared foods. Simple carbohydrates are what your body uses for short term energy boosts. Simple sugars are burnt off quickly and need to be constantly replenished. If your diet is made up of large amounts of simple carbohydrates you’ll experience nearly constant hunger.

Complex carbohydrates are basically starches containing vitamins, minerals and protein. These include potatoes, rice, beans, legumes, whole grain breads and cereals, some dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates contain both sugars and fiber. The fiber content helps that glucose to move into the bloodstream slower feeding the body for a longer period of time. This means that you do not get hungry as quickly eating complex carbohydrates as you would when you are eating simple carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are broken down into fiber and simple sugars and introduced to the bloodstream as glucose. The brain uses glucose as its only source of fuel. Your brain must be fed around the clock. As the glucose levels in your blood raise your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin goes in and removes excess glucose from the blood stream and stores this glucose for future use in the form of fat.

The fiber content in carbohydrates is essential for proper bowel health. Fiber assists in the removal of toxins, chemical byproducts, Candida, bacteria overgrowth and parasites from the digestive system working as your body’s own cleaning crew.

Protein

Some of the most common forms of protein come from meat, fish and dairy products although there are many fruits and vegetables that are a source of protein as well. It is natural that fruits and vegetables would be a source of protein, including amino acids nature provides all of the nutrients that we need.

Protein creates hemoglobin, an essential part of the red blood cells. Protein is used by the body to fortify maintain and replenish the tissues of the body. Protein is needed for muscle growth and muscle repair. Not only is a protein found in beef, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products but it can also be found in nuts, seeds and legumes.

Protein is reduced by the digestive juices into molecules called amino acids. Your body takes these amino acids and uses them to maintain muscles, blood, bones and body organs. Of the 22 essential amino acids, 13 are naturally manufactured by the body and the other 9 must come from your diet. Amino acids are used to regenerate tissue heal ourselves and build muscle mass body also uses amino acids to form digestive enzymes that are necessary for digestion. If you don’t have a proper supply of essential amino acids in your diet not only will you have difficulty healing but your moods will be affected. Amino acids are also a used in the foundation for neurotransmitters. Without essential amino acids the body will go into survival mode.

Fats

Fats produce more energy than carbohydrates and are essential for the growth repair of tissue cells. Fatty acids are required hormone development. Fats are found in most protein sources as well as vegetables and grains. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are among the most important fats to include in your diet. Fats also contain cholesterol which can be harmful when excessive amounts are added to your diet. When it comes to fat, moderation is the key.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals promote life by assisting enzymes to perform chemical interactions that promote life. These are at times referred to as co-enzymes. Micronutrients needed by your body are found in vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are organic meaning they come from plants or animals. Minerals come from plants or animals that have ingested plants. It is essential that we include vitamins and minerals in our diet to provide the needed nutrients for our body.

Vitamins

There are two types of vitamins, water-soluble and oil-soluble (also known as fat-soluble) vitamins. Water soluble vitamins (including vitamin C and all of the B vitamins) need to be taken daily as your body cannot store these. Taking excessive amounts of water soluble vitamins does not cause toxicity as these are excreted in the urine if they cannot be used immediately. Oil soluble vitamins (including vitamins A, D, E, and K) can be stored in the fatty tissues and liver. It’s important not to take excessive amounts of oil soluble vitamins as these can become toxic.

Minerals

Our bodies require an ample supply of inorganic minerals on a regular basis. These come directly from the earth and are found in soil and water. We don’t actually have to eat soil though to get our minerals. Carbohydrates that we eat that come in the form of plants that are draw the minerals from the earth and we are able to get those minerals by eating the whole food sources.

Stripping Nutrients

When food is processed, as it is in the manufacturing process of prepackaged foods, the nutrients are lost. Minerals are some of the first nutrients to be lost and processing although vitamins come in as a close second. This has become one of the major causes of health problems of this generation.

Another serious problem that we’re running into is the depletion of our soil from our current farming practices in the U.S. In 1936 an investigation into farm practices warned that the soils were not only becoming depleted but were going to be instrumental in the decline of our nation’s health.

Basic crop rotation and not allowing the soil to have adequate rest periods are just the beginning of problems we’re seeing with our food sources. Farm land occasionally needs to have natural flooding to replenish the soil with minerals and vital nutrients. In 1950 a study on the nutritional value of a bowl of fresh spinach was done proving spinach has a large level of iron and other nutrients. The study was repeated in the year 2000. In those 50 years it was found that 80 bowls of spinach we grow today are required to achieve the same nutrition as the one grown in 1950.

The same type of study was done with an apple in 1976 and again in 2006. In 1976 there were sufficient nutrients in one apple to warrant the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” The study showed that due to the lack of nutrients in the soil we need to change that phrase to “ten apples a day…”

With time the amount of nutrients in our produce is continuously declining. These nutrients are needed for our body to properly digest and process the foods that we eat as well as maintaining proper health. On a cellular level IBS begins with improper nutrition and lack of nutrients.

Balancing Your Diet

In addition to having proper nutrients we need to look at having the proper food combinations. The food combinations we choose have a lot to do with what is and is not utilized by our body. Different foods are digested in different ways. Some foods require one set of digestive enzymes while other foods require a different set. Eating foods require different digestive enzymes together cause’s foods to not be digested as well as they should be.

It’s important to keep the proper acidity and alkalinity balance within your system to do this you need to have the proper nutrients and enzymes present. This means you need to look at eating as more than just the stuffing whatever is close by into your mouth. If your balance of digestive enzymes is incorrect your food will not be processed properly and you will end up with IBS symptoms.

Naturally controlling and eliminating IBS starts by utilizing digestive enzymes appropriately. Mixing the proper foods so your body has the ability to digest and get as many nutrients as possible from those foods is extremely important. In fact, this is much more important if you are prone to any type of bowel conditions.

Fruit

Fruit can make it difficult for you to digest other types of food so it should be eaten alone. This is why fruit makes a good between meal snack. Often fruit is used as a garnish; if you can’t send a garnish back with the dirty dishes because it looks so appetizing, save it for later.

Protein and Carbohydrates

Mixing protein and starchy carbohydrates can be very irritating your digestive tract. It is difficult to digest proteins and starches simultaneously as they require different enzymes for digestion. The combination of white bread and peanut butter is one of the more irritating foods as far as your digestive tract goes.

Mixing protein with leafy green vegetables will help you to be able to utilize more of the nutrition from both of those foods than you would by mixing them with something else. Oils and non starchy vegetables mix well as well. Eating non starchy green vegetables including asparagus, broccoli and bamboo shoots is important. Your body needs vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, garlic, green beans, collard greens, radishes, squash, tomatoes and peppers as well as other fresh non starchy vegetables. These are packed in nutrients and go well with your proteins.

When you eat starchy carbohydrates you shouldn’t add protein or fruit to that meal, but non starchy vegetables go with these as well. In fact, eating raw vegetables that are low and start will help your body to use the nutrients that are in foods that you’re eating. These also helped with your digestive health.

We use foods to comfort ourselves, we give foods is gifts during the holidays, we have foods at parties for birthdays and special occasions, food is all and us. Food has become such an integral part of our lives that we forget at times that food is just in its basic form fuel for the machines that we call our bodies. While looking at food on this basic level they seem to strip it of some of its appeal, it is important that we don’t forget what nutrition truly is if we want to overcome IBS.

Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D, medical director at Ultra Wellness Center in Lenox, MA offers many remedies which are natural, organic, and have latent restorative healing power. Unfortunately, many of these wholesome food remedies are not shouted from the rooftops as where would the health industry’s entrepreneurs stand with their expensive synthetic supplements if the public should know there were better alternatives available for a fraction of what these marketers charge?

Here’s some natural remedies that Dr. Hyman recommends and with phenomenal success.

But first here’s what he says is a contributor to LSG…which experts are finding more women are afflicted than previously thought.

 
The good doctor goes on to say, “increased exposure to unhealthy man-made trans fats, refined sugars, antibiotics, pain relievers and environmental toxins are the main culprits.  Each of these factors, physically stresses the body’s GI system, creating tiny perforations in the paper thin lining of the small intestine…” and “as a result, the body is unable to properly digest meals, and partially digested food particles ‘Leak’ out of the perforated gut.

Then they make their way to the liver, where they trigger a massive inflammatory response that can hinder the function of virtually every organ system in the body. The body wide inflammation caused by LSG tricks the brain into craving carbs, stalls the liver’s fat burning abilities and prevents the GI tract from producing mood-boosting chemicals.”

“Consuming digestive enzymes from fruit and veggies quickly reduces Gi inflammation and permeability, so fewer undigested food particles leak from the gut”, says Mark Hyman, M.D. and ” studies show that enzymes also improve immunity and help heal digestive tract cells.”

He goes on to say that the “top sources” for the enzyme are: “PAPAYA & PINEAPPLE.”

PAPAYA: “Within 30 minutes of eating 1/2 cup, digestion improves markedly, and the benefits last for hours, UK studies suggest. Plus, the sweet treat’s protein-digesting enzymes (Papain, Chymopapain and Papaya Protein-Phase III) destroy viruses and bacteria before they have a chance to damage and inflame the GI Tract lining.”

PINEAPPLE: “The fresh fruit contains hundreds of anti-inflammatory enzymes that triple the body’s level of infection-fighting white blood cells and help reverse LGS. And eating just 1/2 cup daily improves the digestive system’s ability to process foods and fluid so dramatically, bloat drops significantly in several days.”

He also mentions for constipation a Senna tea will ease constipation within 12 hours and for

headaches: “Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. This dilutes and flushes headache-triggering toxins…staying hydrated can speed metabolism by up to 3%”

For further information and natural remedies we suggest you visit http://ibsrecovery.com.

The IBS Recovery Center just launched its online resource membership site and for the immediate future is free for all victims of most digestive disorders.

Join today as there is a wealth of invaluable free material you won’t find anywhere else. They also provide one on one coaching and personal research for the first 15 people who sign up.

It’s irritable bowl syndrome – abbreviated as IBS – and the gut-wrenching pain that can double over people who suffer from it is not illusion.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder that causes almost 20% of Americans serious stomach problems. The symptoms are sometimes so bad that these people are afraid to leave the bathroom or go out of the house because of the pain or the feeling that their stomach is tied in knots. Unlike people with GI tracts that function properly, IBS patients have stool that is runny and frequent, or hard and sporadic. While affecting mostly woman, men also experience IBS, and it the symptoms run rampant and different for everyone.

IBS is a disorder of the intestines that has no physical manifestation. In other words, there are no anatomical reasons for people to be having the pain, yet they do. All doctors know is that the intestines are not working as they should and the colon can contract and bring a grown man to his knees in a matter of second. It is the second leading reason people call off of work. Onset of IBS can start in late adolescence or early adulthood and it hardly ever appears in anyone over the age of fifty. It doe not lead to more serious diseases or problems, something doctors that treat patients with IBS cannot stress enough.

Treatment for irritable bowel syndrome relies on diets that are high in fiber and low in trigger foods, stress reduction, and medication. The problem with this has been that most of the time it will only treat one symptom and not the overarching problem. For a short period of time a drug called Lotronex was on the market and prescribed by doctors to patients – mostly women – who were suffering from severe diarrhea.

It seemed to work but then was subsequently pulled from the pharmacy shelves in November 2000 after reports of deaths started to filter into the Food and Drug Administration, deaths caused by the use of Lotronex. Doctors and researchers are still looking for a drug similar to Lotronex that helped sufferers of IBS but without the drastic side effect.

Doctors have returned to treating irritable bowel syndrome with diet. It is one of three functional disorders that plague many people and shows no signs of physical damage to the gastrointestinal tract. The only explanation that makes any sense is the people with IBS simply have a more sensitive and reactive colon that the rest of the population.

Foods and emotional issues that may not bother one person may set someone with IBS into knife-twisting gut pain. Some medications, milk products, fats, corn, and wheat are all foods that have been know to trigger colon spasms in some people, causing constipation or diarrhea.

Colitis and IBS have been mistaken for one another even though the two conditions are no where close to one another. Colitis is the actual, physical inflammation of the colon. IBS patients do not have swollen colons and it does not cause inflammation. Irritable bowel syndrome is just a sensitive gastrointestinal tract that ranges from the top to the very bottom.

A little known fact about the human body is that the gastrointestinal area has its own independent nervous system that takes care of all the food digesting processes and solid waste elimination. These nerves work on their own accord without having to depend on the brain and they react to different stimuli in different ways. Nervousness and stress, for example, can cause ‘butterflies’ in the stomach even the brain is telling you that you are calm and collected. This system is called the enteric nervous system and in people with irritable bowel syndrome, it’s out of whack. This is why stress reduction may play a big part in alleviating a person’s symptoms.

Not all doctors believe that irritable bowel syndrome should be called a syndrome. Many still think it is all within a patient’s mind and that it is nothing more than a marketing tool to get them to the doctor’s. Of course, anyone suffering from the symptoms of IBS will not take being told this too kindly.

Almost sixty-five percent of people with IBS don’t go to the doctor about it because the symptoms simply aren’t that bad. And it has been found that many women who suffer from IBS have been physically and sexually abused in their lives, making them more sensitive to what their bodies are telling them.

There are others who believe that IBS is caused by bacterial overgrowth in the body. No matter what anyone believes, it is a real syndrome that can be treated when the patient and the doctor work together.

Upon individual evaluation, doctors can prescribe a regimen that will work for their patients. They will evaluate their medical and social histories, stress levels, and current diet. You can help your doctor by identifying the foods you know trigger the pain.

People who are constipated should add exercise to their regimen as physical activity is very important in keeping everything internally running smooth. Unless required, a normal diet without the trigger foods may be all people will need. Some people may need to avoid gas producing foods, like beans and cabbage. Sorbitol, an artificial sweetener, and fructose should be eaten in small amounts.

In addition to diet changes and stress reduction, a doctor may recommend medications that slow the GI tract and keep it from spasming. Antidiarrheal drugs such as Imodium may be prescribed as well as antidepressants, and mild tranquilizers. Some patients have responded favorably to hypnosis and psychotherapy, and behavior modification counseling has also kept people on the track to alleviating their discomfort and getting on with their lives.

It’s painful, chronic, and common.

As many as one in five Americans suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. The syndrome has stumped doctors for years.

But as we learn in Monday’s Medical Breakthroughs, they now believe the pain may be caused by a glitch in the brain.

Jae Brodsky said just being able to eat lunch without getting abdominal pains is a good day for her.

“You get up in the morning and the stomach says, ‘I don’t want food anymore,’…no solid food,” she said. So it’s tea and broth for days at a time.

Brodsky said cramping, nausea, and a constant urge to use the bathroom — sometimes ten times an hour — strike without warning.

“It’s the uncertainty in the sense that you just never know when you’re going to be sick,” she said. “Everywhere you go, anything you do, you just always have to watch out and have a plan for what happens if you get sick.”

More than anything, IBS is painful but that pain could literally be in their head
The way most of us deal with pain is controlled like the volume on your television.

If it’s pain that will benefit you, like a shot, we turn the volume down. But if it seems dangerous, like being burned by a hot stove, we “turn-up” the volume to react faster.

“The brain wants to do the opposite thing,” said gastroenterologist Dr. Emeran Mayer. “It wants to maximize the gain to detect it as quickly as possible. Is this going to be something dangerous or not?”

Mayer and other researchers at the University of California - Los Angeles found a malfunction in the brains of women with IBS.

Their brains can’t “turn down the volume”, making them hypersensitive to even mild discomfort.

“To me, it makes a lot of sense,” Brodsky said. “It’s one of the things that really happens. You feel everything very intensely, including the pain.”

Doctors say patients can retrain the brain to turn down those pain circuits, providing some relief.

But the cause of irritable bowel syndrome still stumps them.

Until then, Jae’s back-up plan includes keeping a bathroom nearby.