Bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhoea…
In over 2 decades of practice, I have seen this in hundreds of people. The worst thing about it varies. For some, it’s the frustration of never having complete bowel emptying. For others, it’s the panic of getting the urge and not being close to a toilet. For still others, it’s symptoms that occur alongside the irritable bowel that are not strictly part of it. This can be haemorrhoids, prolapse, or really stinky wind, uncontrolled farting…
With this huge variety of symptoms, how do you know what treatment will work for YOUR irritable bowel?
There is good news, and bad news.
The bad news is that there is an almost unlimited array of options of treatment that can help symptoms of irritable bowel. Yes, I know, this kind of sounds like good news. (Options=good, isn’t that right?) But it’s more like bad news, because too much choice is paralysing. It’s almost impossible to figure this out for yourself.
What sort of options do you have for irritable bowel? Isn’t it all about FODMAPs?
Well, there are the ingestive therapies: things like the low FODMAP diet, herbal medicine, specific supplements, prebiotics and probiotics, specific gut-microbiome therapies.
There are the physical therapies: things like visceral mobilisation and self-massage.
There are the neurological and psychological therapies: things like vagal nerve stimulation, such as via a TENS machine attached to a specific part of the ear, learning about pain science to help “defuse” the pain, and parasympathetic breathing training.
(And that’s just the modalities that I offer!)
There are still more. Gut hypnotherapy, yoga and meditation are just a few examples. There is also an array of options without any research support, but which may work for some people.
But contrary to popular opinions, many of these options can be a bad choice.
There are times I wouldn’t touch probiotics or prebiotics; there are times that dietary restriction is the last thing I would recommend. And while visceral mobilisation is wonderful, there are definitely scenarios where it would not be the right option. It’s complicated!
So that’s the bad news. What’s the good news?
The good news is that selecting your best treatment approach does not have to be random. It doesn’t have to be a stab in the dark, or based on what your sister-in-law says, or based on marketing algorithms (oh yes, there are a lot of dodgy supplements that come up in people’s feeds).
Tailoring a treatment approach for your irritable bowel can and should be systematic. How can you judge that the approach is targeted and systematic enough? Here are the things you need to look for in your health professional.
Your health professional checklist:
- They see a lot of people with similar issues.
- You feel listened to, and get the chance to tell the full story – including when and how it all began.
- You don’t feel like they are surprised by your story – like it’s the first time they’ve heard something similar, and that you are way too complicated.
- You don’t get the feeling that what they are giving you is what they give everyone.
- Your gut feeling tells you that this is addressing underlying drivers of the problem, not just suppressing a symptom.
- You sense that there is a plan based on what happens next, rather than a cookie-cutter approach.
The good news is that an approach tailored to you works.
An individualised approach is much more likely to be a huge help in overcoming the restrictions that irritable bowel has been put on you, and getting lasting relief.
I am fortunate to have over two decades of experience in helping people with irritable bowel. No matter how complicated your story, it is likely that I’ve helped people with equally complicated stories. Because I am both a physiotherapist and naturopath (who also works part-time in gut microbiome science) – you have options. But my experience helps to direct those options to a combination most likely to be your best fit. Plus, I have a large Tele-Health practice – so distance or time does not have to be a barrier! You can book an appointment online – or simply get in touch to find out if I might be the practitioner you have been looking for.