For many people, gut pain, abdominal bloating, food intolerances and unpredictable bathroom trips are the norm.
While these symptoms are very common (approximately 1 in every 5 Canadians experience this collection of symptoms), they are not normal.
Let me repeat that:
It is not normal to feel bloated after every meal, to be afraid of your favorite foods, to feel so much pain in your gut that you can’t go to work, to feel like urgency could hit at any given moment, to never feel satisfied after a bowel movement or to require a nearby washroom.
If this is, however, your normal right now, you may have what is called irritable bowel syndrome, commonly known as IBS.
IBS is a condition that describes a collection of uncomfortable gut symptoms that aren’t caused by other gut health conditions, like Crohn’s, Colitis or Celiac Disease.
While conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Celiac Disease will result in changes that can be observed in your blood work or by looking at the tissue in your gut (via a colonoscopy), IBS will not. This means that your bloodwork and colonoscopy will look normal, even when you know something is off.
This is because IBS is a functional disorder, not a structural disorder.
Specifically, IBS occurs as a result of a dysfunction between the brain, the gut and the gut microbiome, leading to uncomfortable symptoms that wax and wane, depending on exposure to certain triggers.
The good news? The diagnosis of IBS does not need to be a life sentence.
There are many strategies available to support brain-gut-microbiome function, to identify your unique triggers, and to manage your symptoms so you can eat the foods you love again, feel good in your body, travel confidently, and do what you love without interruption.
If you think you may have IBS, a Naturopathic Doctor can kick start the assessment and diagnosis process and provide you with tools and strategies to help you navigate and manage your symptoms along the way.
If you’re ready to redefine your normal – let’s get started. Book Now.
