IBS awareness month - "know about GUT-BRAIN AXIS"

 

APRIL IS OBSERVED AS IBS AWARENESS MONTH

IBS i.e. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common, chronic, recurrent, medically underdiagnosed illness linked to your gastro-intestinal system. 

Symptoms include long standing and fluctuating tummy pain / cramps, bloating, burning / gas (dyspepsia) / excessive wind (flatulence) / excessive burping (aerophagia) and diarrhoea or constipation, or both.

It can affect all ages (adolescent to elderly) / gender (women > men). 

THEME: 

This IBS Awareness Month theme is Destigmatizing the Different types of IBS that include:

• IBS with constipation (IBS-C):  atypical stools that are hard and lumpy or not loose and watery at least a quarter of the time.

• IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D):  atypical stools that are loose, watery, and not hard or lumpy at least a quarter of the time.

• IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M): atypical stools that are watery and loose about a quarter of the time, and they are hard and lumpy another quarter of the time.

• Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome: This type happens when IBS starts after a bout of “stomach flu” or a “stomach bug” i.e. gastroenteritis. 

• Post-diverticulitis IBS: happens after episodes of diverticulitis and can occur even after treatment for diverticulitis.

Have you ever had "butterflies in your stomach" ? 

If yes, you already know that your mind and body is connected !!!!

Much less understood and acknowledged about this illness is that IBS has a PSYCHOLOGICAL BASE. Our GUT-BRAIN axis is influenced by the signals that go to and fro from our brains to the gut (gastro- intestinal tract).

  

Whom to consult?

For a holistic approach, the treatment team for IBS includes:

-a Gastroenterologist, 

-a Dietician and 

-a Mental Health Professional

 

One can try gut-directed hypnotherapy through apps like Nerva.