Irritable Bowel Syndrome- Spastic Colon

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Also Listed As: Spastic Colon

Signs and Symptoms

 

What Causes It?

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) occurs when muscles in your intestines contract

faster or slower than normal. This causes pain, cramping, gassiness, sudden

bouts of diarrhea, and constipation.

 

Two types of IBS exist. In spastic colon IBS, you experience constipation,

diarrhea, or both, and you often have pain after eating. Painless diarrhea IBS

involves the sudden onset of diarrhea during or after meals, or upon waking.

Between 10 and 20 percent of the population has IBS at some time. The syndrome

often starts in adolescents or young adults. It affects three times as many

women as men and is often associated with stress.

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Signs and Symptoms

 

Cramping pain in your lower abdomen

Bloating and gassiness

Changes in your bowel habits

Diarrhea or constipation, or both alternately

Immediate need to move your bowels when you wake up or during or after meals

Relief of pain after bowel movements

Feeling of incomplete emptying after bowel movements

Mucus in your stool

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What Causes It?

 

The underlying cause remains unknown. But the syndrome has no relation to actual

disease, and it does not lead to other diseases.

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What to Expect at Your Provider's Office

 

Your health care provider will feel your abdomen to check for signs of pain. He

or she will place a gloved finger in your rectum to check its condition. If

you're female, you may have a pelvic examination. The provider may use a

sigmoidoscope—a flexible instrument inserted into the rectum—to examine your

lower colon. You may be asked to provide three days' worth of stool samples.

Your provider may also want samples of your blood and urine. The provider may

also want an ultrasound or X rays.

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Treatment Options

 

Try to avoid stressful situations or foods that have triggered IBS in the past.

Monthly hormonal changes and some drugs can affect your condition. Establishing

regular bowel habits can be helpful. Your health care provider may prescribe

medications to help you with the symptoms.

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Complementary and Alternative Therapies

 

IBS has many underlying causes that can often be successfully treated with

alternative therapies. Stress reduction techniques through biofeedback,

hypnosis, or counseling can help you deal with stress.

 

 

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Nutrition

 

Removal of known food allergens or irritants is important. The most common food

allergens are dairy products, wheat, corn, peanuts, citrus, soy, eggs, fish, and

tomatoes. An elimination/challenge trial may help uncover sensitivities.

Eliminate all suspected allergens from the diet for two weeks. Add back one food

every three days and wait for reaction to the challenge.

 

Fiber supplementation can help reduce pain, cramping, and gas. Supplements

include psyllium, flaxmeal, slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) powder, and marshmallow

root (Althaea officinalis) powder.

 

Digestive enzymes taken 20 minutes before meals can help enhance digestion and

normalize bowel function.

 

One teaspoon of raw bran with each meal, supplemented by extra fluids, provides

fiber reliably.

 

Pro-flora supplements such as acidophilus and lactobacillus species taken two to

three times per day can help to rebalance normal bowel bacteria and reduce gas

and bloating.

 

Magnesium (200 mg two to three times per day) and B-complex (50 to 100 mg per

day) with extra B5 (pantothenic acid; 100 mg per day) may help reduce the

effects of stress.

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Herbs

 

Herbs may be used as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites

(glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise

indicated, teas should be made with 1 tsp. herb per cup of hot water. Steep

covered 5 to 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 to 20 minutes for roots.

Drink 2 to 4 cups per day.

 

Enteric-coated peppermint oil: one to two capsules (0.2 ml peppermint oil per

capsule) three times a day after meals

 

A tea of fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare) or ginger root (Zingiber officinale)

taken after meals promotes good digestion

 

A tincture of equal parts of the following before meals (30 drops three times

per day):

 

valerian (Valeriana officinalis), passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), anise

seed (Pimpinella anisum) extract, meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), wild yam

(Dioscorea villosa), and milk thistle (Silybum marianum)

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Homeopathy

 

Homeopathy may be useful as a supportive therapy.

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Physical Medicine

 

Electric heating pads, hot water bottles, and long hot baths can relieve painful

spasms and cramping in the abdomen.

Regular exercise, such as walking, can reduce stress and encourage bowel

movements if you are constipated.

Castor oil pack. Apply oil directly to skin, cover with a clean soft cloth and

plastic wrap. Place a heat source over the pack and let sit for 30 to 60

minutes.

Abdominal breathing helps to induce the relaxation response and may aid normal

physiological functioning (such as digestion).

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Acupuncture

 

Several small studies suggest that acupuncture may be of value for IBS. A

preliminary study of seven people with IBS, for example, found that acupuncture

improved general well-being and symptoms of bloating. No firm conclusions can be

drawn about acupuncture's value in treating IBS, however, until larger clinical

trials are conducted.

 

Acupuncturists treat people with IBS based on an individualized assessment of

the excesses and deficiencies of qi located in various meridians. In the case of

IBS, a qi deficiency is usually detected in the spleen and lung meridians.

Moxibustion (a technique in which the herb mugwort is burned over specific

acupuncture points) is frequently used for treatment of IBS because its effect

is thought to reach deeper into the body. Because acupuncture is considered

safe, and IBS is not easily treated by currently available conventional methods,

people with IBS may wish to try acupuncture therapy to improve symptoms.

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Chiropractic

 

No well-designed studies have evaluated the effect of chiropractic on

individuals with IBS, but chiropractors report that spinal manipulation may

improve symptoms of the condition in some individuals. It is speculated that, in

these cases, spinal manipulation may have a balancing effect on the nerves that

supply impulses to the intestinal tract.

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Massage

 

Therapeutic massage may help in reducing the effects of stress.

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Following Up

 

Be aware that the syndrome itself may cause you stress.

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Supporting Research

 

Berkow R, ed. Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 16th ed. Rahway, NJ: The

Merck Publishing Group; 1992.

 

Chan J, Carr I, Mayberry JF. The role of acupuncture in the treatment of

irritable bowel syndrome: a pilot study. Hepatogastroenterol. 1997;44:1328-1330.

 

Dambro MR, ed. Griffith's 5 Minute Clinical Consult. New York, NY: Lippincott,

Williams and Wilkins; 1998.

 

Diehl DL. Acupuncture for gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders. J Altern

Complement Med. 1999;5(1):27-45.

 

Koch TR. Peppermint oil and irritable bowel syndrome [in Process Citation]. Am J

Gastroenterol. 1998;93:2304-2305.

 

Li Y, Tougas G, Chiverton SG, Hunt RH. The effect of acpuncture on

gastrointestinal function and disorders. Am J Gastroenterol. 1992;87:1372-1381.

 

Liu JH, Chen GH, Yeh HZ, Huang CK, Poon SK. Enteric-coated peppermint-oil

capsules in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective, randomized

trial. J Gastroenterol. 1997;32:765-768.

 

Murray MT, Pizzorno JE. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. 2nd ed. Rocklin,

Calif: Prima Publishing; 1998:396-400.

 

Pittler MH, Ernst E. Peppermint oil for irritable bowel syndrome: a critical

review and metaanalysis. Am J Gastroenterol. 1998;93:1131-1135.

 

 

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Review August 1999

Reviewed By: Participants in the review process include: Lawrence J. Cheskin,

MD, FACP, Director, The Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, Lutherville, MD;

Gary Guebert, DC, DACBR, (Chiropractic section October 2001) Login Chiropractic

College, Maryland Heights, MO; Lonnie Lee, MD, Internal Medicine, Silver

Springs, MD; Richard A. Lippin, MD, President, The Lippin Group, Southampton,

PA; Joseph Trainor, DC, (Chiropractic section October 2001) Integrative

Therapeutics, Inc., Natick, MA; Marcellus Walker, MD, LAc, (Acupuncture section

October 2001) St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center, New York, NY; Ira Zunin,

MD, MPH, MBA, (Acupuncture section October 2001) President and Chairman, Hawaii

State Consortium for Integrative Medicine, Honolulu, HI.

 

 

 

The publisher does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the

information or the consequences arising from the application, use, or misuse of

any of the information contained herein, including any injury and/or damage to

any person or property as a matter of product liability, negligence, or

otherwise.

 

No warranty, expressed or implied, is made in regard to the contents of this

material. No claims or endorsements are made for any drugs or compounds

currently marketed or in investigative use.

 

This material is not intended as a guide to self-medication. The reader is

advised to discuss the information provided here with a doctor, pharmacist,

nurse, or other authorized healthcare practitioner and to check product

information (including package inserts) regarding dosage, precautions, warnings,

interactions, and contraindications before administering any drug, herb, or

supplement discussed herein.

 

RELATED INFORMATION

Herbs

 

 

Flaxseed

Ginger

Marshmallow

Milk Thistle

Passionflower

Peppermint

Slippery Elm

Valerian

Wild yam

 

Supplements

 

Fiber

Lactobacillus Acidophilus

Magnesium

Psyllium

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

 

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DietaryTipsForHBP

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