What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

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What Causes IBSBy Carolyn Dean, MD, NDhttp://www.carolyndean.com/content/view/60/47/Many theories exist about the cause of IBS. However, only one cause of IBS iscurrently accepted by conventional medicine. According to doctors andresearchers, IBS can occur after a bowel infection, either involving bacteria orparasites. However, not all people with IBS have had a previous bowel infection,so what causes their IBS?Medical researchers are considering several possible causes of IBS. However,they appear to set the stage for IBS making people more susceptible to thecondition. These include:1. Use of analgesics: In survey studies, researchers have found that theingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, has been frequently used by people whodevelop IBS-diarrhea. This drug is known to cause elevated levels of

serotonin,andresearch indicates that serotonin may become elevated in patients withIBS-diarrhea after eating.2. Brain-bowel chemical imbalance: The brain and the gut are intimatelyconnected by both the nervous system and by neurotransmitter chemicals, such asserotonin and norepinephrine. Both chemicals may be involved with the productionof IBS symptoms. So far, we know that diarrhea can occur when high amounts ofserotonin inhibit norepinephrine and cause levels of acetylcholine toincrease. On the other hand, when norepinephrine levels increase, the result isconstipation, as well as a lowering of serotonin levels and blockage ofacetylcholine. For IBS patients, this chemical dance may lead to the fluctuatingbowelsymptoms of constipation and diarrhea. But we must ask what the cause of theimbalance is in the first place.3. Female hormones: Considering that men don't have high amounts of femalehormone, and

men do suffer from IBS, female hormones are not the cause of IBS.However, women have twice the incidence of IBS as men.Mistaken IdentityYour intolerance for certain foods can slip by unnoticed for decades, andthen one day you hear an item on TV, read an article in a magazine, go online,orread this book, and wham! You just know that wheat or dairy is no longer yourfriend. You know that eating bread and bagels and pizza and toasted cheesesandwiches are doing you in. Identifying a food allergy, sensitivity, or foodintolerance can be exciting, because if you stop eating certain foods you have achance of getting your IBS-like symptoms off your back. Gluten enteropathyand lactose intolerance produce symptoms that can be identical to IBS.Gluten enteropathy (celiac disease) Gluten is a protein that is mainly foundin four grains: wheat, rye, oats, and barley. (Yes, that's toast, ryecrackers, oatmeal, and barley

soup!) Enteropathy is quite simply defined as adiseaseof the gastrointestinal tract. In this case, the disease is caused by gluten.Some people are extremely allergic to gluten, and some of the symptoms areidentical to IBS.This disease is also called celiac disease and carries another name -tropicalsprue (don't ask why!). It's a genetic disease, but most people don't knowthey have it. Many families who share the condition just think all that fartingand running to the bathroom is normal.The classic symptoms for celiac disease include diarrhea, short stature,anemia, and weight loss. Doctors are now finding that liver problems, thyroidproblems, gas and bloating, skin lesions, and chronic fatigue may also berelatedto celiac disease.Gluten enteropathy occurs because the immune system gets the idea that glutenis bad and attacks it using IgA and IgG antibodies. The lining of the smallintestine suffers

major collateral damage during the assault resulting inmalabsorption and malnutrition.This disease is more common than people think. Researchers consider it one ofthe most common lifelong genetic diseases in the West. It is widespread inScotland and Ireland, with an incidence of 1 in 122 people of Scottish and Irishdescent. It occurs in 1 in 200 people in Sweden, but only in 1 in 10,000 inDenmark. There is some speculation that celiac disease is so common in Scotlandand Ireland because of the heavy grain diet in those countries.Surprise, surprise! The way to treat gluten enteropathy and gluten allergy isto stop eating gluten. Period. If you suffer from gluten enteropathy orsuspect you might, there are a host of nongluten grains that may fill in thatgapin your diet (rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, kamut, and millet). Becausegrains supply vitamins and minerals necessary to the body, diet is important, asare

dietary supplements.Lactose intoleranceLactose (milk sugar) intolerance occurs when your body doesn't produce enoughlactase enzymes to digest dairy products. You may be one of the more than 50million Americans who are lactose intolerant or lactose sensitive -yes, 50million. The symptoms of lactose intolerance are just like the symptoms for IBS:* Abdominal pain and bloating* Constipation* Diarrhea (usually very runny)* Alternating constipation and diarrhea* Cramps* Gas* VomitingHere's what happens when you don't digest milk and cheese: Dairy that is notbroken down properly by enzyme action travels through your intestines,attracting a considerable amount of fluid in order to dilute it. This mass offluidalone is enough to cause an episode of watery diarrhea. If that isn't badenough, the unabsorbed lactose (which is, after all, a sugar) becomes food

forthetrillions of bacteria and yeast in your intestines. Through a process ofdigestion and fermentation, these sugar-loving organisms create what amounts toagas-producing factory in your gut.A certain group of people with lactose intolerance develops chronicconstipation. We've heard horrible stories of people going from doctor to doctorfordecades because they can only have a bowel movement every two or three weeks.When it finally comes out it is hard as a rock and can cause bleeding andtearing of the rectum. They're told to eat more fiber, drink more water, andexercise, but doing so makes no dent in this type of constipation. The cure istostop consuming dairy products.Yogurt and kefir (a fermented milk product popular in Europe) seem to be muchless of a problem for people who are lactose intolerant because thefermentation process digests much of the lactose in these products.

Plainorganicyogurt and kefir are the best kinds to eat. They contain good bacteria calledprobiotics and don't have the high amounts of sugar that are in the sweetenedvarieties.Antibiotics, an Iatrogenic Cause of IBSOver the past several decades, the U.S. population has grown dependent onantibiotics to treat even minor infections. Their overuse has resulted in thecreation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that have learned to outfox the mostbrilliant pharmaceutical scientists.Antibiotics kill small, one-celled organisms; that's their job. When we takethem to stop a bad bacterial infection, however, they aren't smart enough totell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. Thus, even the goodbacteria get wiped out. The fact that the good bacterial count diminisheswith antibiotic treatment isn't the end of the story. In the vacuum left afterantibiotics wipe out the bacterial population of

the gut, a normal gut fungus oryeast called Candida albicans takes up residence.Certain antihistamines, antibiotics, antacids containing magnesium,laxatives, diuretics, sedatives, caffeine-containing medications,antidepressants, andmineral supplements containing excessive amounts of magnesium can trigger IBSsymptoms.The Benefits of MagnesiumAfter it's absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to cells, magnesium isan important mineral for preventing heart disease and muscle spasms and forrelaxing the muscles and blood vessels. It also has a relaxing effect on thebowel. However, too much magnesium inside the gut irritates the gut lining. Soifit is not absorbed, it has laxative effects. All magnesium salts can stimulatethe intestines, especially magnesium oxide, and are useful if you areconstipated. But people with IBS-diarrhea do well on angstrom-size magnesiumwhich isalmost completely absorbed

by the cells. instead of causing diarrhea.Magnesium oil has even less side effects because it can be sprayed on the skinandnever touches the GI tract -but it can relax gut tension. (Angstrom-sizeminerals are available at www.pureaquahealth.com and magnesium oil can befound atwww.globallight.net .)IBS and YeastWhen antibiotics kill off the natural Lactobacillus bacteria in yourintestines, when cortisone creams, inhalers, or pills stimulate yeast growth,when youtake the birth control pill, when you are under massive stress, or when youeat a high sugar diet, yeast grows wild. It grows out of its boundaries in thelarge intestine and takes up residence in the small intestine where it canpoke holes in the lining of your small intestine, which can lead to a healthproblem commonly called leaky gut syndrome.When it grows out of control in the intestines, yeast causes gas and bloatingbecause it produces

toxic gases. It can spread to the vagina and cause localburning, itching, and discharge. Moving up to the esophagus and mouth, itcauses an oral yeast infection called thrush. (Thrush is commonly seen innewbornbabies who catch a case of Candida from their mothers -either by travelingthrough the birth canal that is loaded with yeast or just by picking it up fromtheir mothers' skin when breastfeeding.)Yeast also produces widespread effects all over the body because of the 180different toxins that are byproducts of its metabolic functions. Just think ofall the urine, feces, sweat, expelled air, and expelled gases that humansproduce. Yeast has its own excretions as well, and some of them are mightynasty.Yeast even produces alcohol that can make you feel and act drunk even thoughyou haven't touched a drop. And those toxins are absorbed through the leaky gutthat yeast creates in the intestines and can cause symptoms from

head to toe,including all the symptoms of IBS.So what can you do to avoid all these nasty effects? The solutions are prettysimple:1. Avoid unnecessary antibiotics.2. Reduce the amount of sugar, wheat, and dairy you consume.3. Take a probiotic supplement or eat organic, sugar-free yogurt every day.4. Go to www.yeastconnection.com for an effective yeast-fighting programthat's easy to follow.IBS is also associated with a number of hard-to-treat conditions but byavoiding sugar, wheat, dairy and treating yeast, many people with theseconditionsimprove dramatically.1. PMS2. Fibromyalgia3. Insomnia4. Painful periods5. Urinary frequency6. Chronic pelvic painNo matter what causes you to feel symptoms of IBS, there is abundant hope foryou to feel better by opening yourself up to the possibility of diet andlifestyle change.This

article is an edited excerpt from IBS for Dummies (Wiley 2005)Dr. Carolyn Dean MD NDProficient in both conventional and alternative medicine Dr. Dean offersConsultations for Health by Phone. If you require individualization of theadviceoffered in this article, you can contact Dr. Dean at www.carolyndean.com orby email at drdean . At www.carolyndean.com , under DeanWellness, you can find a list of food and supplement resources includingfood-basedorganic vitamins and angstrom-size minerals that Dr. Dean recommends.Dr. Dean graduated from medical school in 1978 and holds a medical license inCalifornia. She is also a graduate of the Ontario Naturopathic College, nowthe Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine,

where she sat on the Board ofGovernors for six years.Dr. Dean is an expert in difficult to diagnose conditions such as digestiveand intestinal disorders (IBS); hormone imbalance and estrogen dominance; andyeast overgrowth as evidenced by three of her books, IBS for DUMMIES, HormoneBalance, and The Yeast Connection and Women's Health. Another of Dr. Dean'sareas of expertise is magnesium. In her latest book, The Magnesium Miracle sheuncovers evidence of magnesium deficiency in 22 health conditions includingheart disease, arthritis, PMS, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, andanxiety. Dr. Dean is able to advise what types of magnesium are best suited fortheseconditions.Dr. Dean has authored a total of twelve books to share her extensiveknowledge in both traditional and alternative medicine. These titles includeNaturalPrescriptions for Common Ailments, Menopause Naturally, Homeopathic Remediesfor

Children's Common Ailments, The Miracle of Magnesium, EverythingAlzheimer's, Hormone Balance, The Yeast Connection and Women's Health, IBS forDummies,Death by Modern Medicine, The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Women'sHealth, Solve it With Supplements, and The Magnesium Miracle.What if a “dirty bomb” exploded over a large segment of U.S.population that simultaneously exposed citizens to Hepatitis B,Hepatitis A, tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, three strains of polio viruses, three strains of influenza, measles, mumps, and rubella viruses, two types of meningitis, four strains of herpes viruses, the chickenpox virus, 7 strains of Streptococcus bacteria, and four strainsof rotavirus. • We would declare a national emergency.• It would be an “extreme act of BIOTERRORISM• The public

outcry would be immense and our government would react accordingly.And yet, those are the very organisms we inject into our babies and our small children in multiple doses, with immature, underdeveloped immunesystems, many at the same time with vaccines. But instead of bioterrorism, we call it “protection.” Reflect on that irony.- Dr Sheri Tenpenny, MD

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