Irritable Bowel

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to irritable bowel syndrome.  We can't stress that enough.

IBS is nothing to worry about when it happens.  It is something to think about and plan for before the symptoms set in.  Because we don't know what causes IBS in the first place, it is even more important for each of those that suffer from it to do what they can to stop it from happening in the first place.

Prevention is the best tool to make that happen.  There are several things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to preventing the onset of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.

In many ways, it is up to what you to and how you react to your condition that will determine just how severe and how often your symptoms arise.  We can't cure irritable bowel syndrome yet, but there are things that we can do to prevent the symptoms from coming on.

Here are some of the best tools available to you to fight IBS through prevention.

Your Diet:  Improving your diet is one of the best steps you can take to improving the quality of life you experience.  There are plenty of opportunities for you to do this.  Take our advice and get through those eating diaries.  Find out just what is causing the most pronounced IBS symptoms for you and avoid those foods. While elimination diets can be helpful, you will also find that an overall well balanced diet can also be helpful in relieving IBS symptoms.

You should also consume the right amount of fiber for your needs.  Those that face constipation are the most likely to need an additional source of fiber including with the help of supplements. 

Counseling:  There is no doubt about it, you need to work with your doctor to plan out the treatment that is right for you but you also should consider counseling.  When it comes to IBS, it is essential to meet the emotional needs as well as the physical.  In that, you want to consider talking to a psychologist or a psychiatrist. 

By investing in a few sessions with a skilled psychologist, you will be better capable of reducing the levels of stress that can bring on IBS symptoms quickly.  They will not only help you to reduce stress but also to help you to handle the events in your life that bring it on.  They will teach you how to handle and relieve stress in such a way as to relieve your IBS symptoms.

Get Your Exercise:  There is a need for your body to have physical movement.  You need to get in physical movement and exercise daily.  This can include such things as yoga, regular walking or aerobics, or other forms of physical activity. 

Adding in the physical exercise keeps your body healthy as well as helps to reduce the amounts of stress you are under.  It is easy to get in a walk here or there, or to sign up for yoga classes before work each day.  By doing these things it can help you to stop the symptoms of IBS before they even start to happen.

Mind Therapy:  While we mentioned getting counseling, there is a lot that you can do on your own to help reduce or prevent IBS symptoms when it comes to your mind.  Meditation is a great tool for this.  Get in the time necessary to allow yourself to clear your mind.  It will help to relieve your stress and give you time to relax.

A great way to do this is to just come home and take a relaxing bath.  Or find time before or after work when everyone is in bed to relax for a few minutes, alone with your thoughts.

Biofeedback:  This is an excellent technique to learn to help you to reduce the amount of stress you are under.  In this regard, you will learn how to accomplish this with the help of a machine.  What it does is helps to reduce muscle tension and helps you to slow your heart rate.  Although a machine will help you to do this at first, the goal is to show you how so that you can manage stress more effectively on your own. 

Talk to your doctor about biofeedback opportunities. In most cases, they can be done in your local medical center or you can often find out more through your local hospital.

Hypnosis:  As we mentioned earlier, the goal of hypnosis in regards of IBS is that of lowering the amount of pain that you are experiencing.  With a skilled hypnotist, you can find benefits through relaxation for some or all of the symptoms you are facing due to IBS.  It has been proven to be effective in reducing the amount of episodes of painful abdominal cramps as well as bloating.

In addition to helping with relaxation, a skilled hypnotist can actually help you to prevent the onset of severe symptoms by learning how to stop them when they begin to come on.  For example, you will learn how to effectively relax your intestinal muscles by simply imaging them in a smooth and relaxed state.

Breathing:  There is no doubt that the correct breathing techniques can also be quite helpful to those that face IBS.  Learning to breathe correctly is going to be a big difference maker.  Right now, as you are reading this, you are probably breathing from your chest.  But, you can control your stress levels and relax easier if you learn to breathe from your diaphragm instead.

What does this have to do with IBS?  Sit up straight and breathe so that your stomach expands.  When you breathe out, you will naturally have your stomach muscles relaxing.  During this relaxation, you will find that you allow your muscles of your abdomen also relaxing, which in turn reducing the strain and pain being brought on by IBS.

Prevention is your goal when fighting IBS.  Even if you can't manage to get in all of these various techniques to help you to find the relaxation and stress relief that you need, put aside just ten to twenty minutes per day for doing something that is relaxing.  No matter what it is that makes you relax, do it.  This in itself will help you to feel better and reduce the frequency of IBS symptoms.

Doing just one or two of these preventative measures will make the ultimate difference in your well being and health.