So we are just finishing up the 2010 All About You Fun Conference and this year we had a lot of fun and good presenters. I was fortunate enough to talk with most of this years presenters and spent 2 days when I was not presenting myself comparing ideas and techniques with peers. We had people from Japan, Singapore, Austria and all over the USA and Canada as well at the conference.
This year I dabbled in many new ideas and modalities including Tarot, and some energy work as well. I really enjoyed the new Tarot Cards that James Wanless has and took a class with him to have him teach me another way to do do the readings.
For all of you that took my classes the membership site is being built for you and I will be posting links and the information we covered in the classes for your resource tools. There are already some things there and I will keep adding the information as well for you to use as we go along.
Now this year is also the first year of me being on the board of advisors for the IHF and it appears our board really wants to step up the organization this year so get ready for some great new tools and things to start to happen. I would also recommend you start getting ready for the conference next year as well. It is going to be even better than this years.
Mystically yours,
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute
Medications are not the only way to control Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. There are also natural means that can help in curing IBS. Unlike any other type of illness such as cancer, brain tumors and others, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not as severe but the discomfort that it causes patients is enough to disrupt their social lives.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common disorder that affects a great number of Americans. As a matter of fact approximately ten to fifteen percent or more of the Americans population is suffering from IBS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects the intestines and the stomach. Other terms used to refer to IBS are as follows: mucous colitis, nervous stomach, spastic colon, spastic colitis or irritable colon.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is often classified as a functional disorder, which means that it is a primary abnormality that affects the physiological function of the body. It simply cannot be diagnosed in a traditional manner such as blood test, x-ray and others. Why? Because IBS is a complicated disorder wherein symptoms are not clearly defined whether they are caused by the malfunctioning intestines or gut or by the autonomic nervous system that seems to alter the regulation of bowel motility or the sensory function.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain and others. These discomforts are caused by changes in the bowel pattern. There are various treatments available that involves medication, diet and some natural means.
Colonic Massage, Mind/Body Healing and Fiber-rich Foods
There are natural ways of controlling IBS symptoms such as colonic massage and mind/body healing. For the colonic massage you can perform this while sitting on the toilet or while lying down and bending your knees. Try to make a fist using your right hand and gently massage your colon by creating circular, digging motion with your knuckles.
Begin with the lower right quadrant of your abdomen and then work up making circular motion under the right side of your ribcage. Do the same with the left quadrant of your abdomen and try to massage your groin or pubic bone. The main objective of this exercise is to induce bowel movement plus it also helps in relieving colic in newborns since it force out gas as well as stool. But remember for newborns minimal force should be applied when doing this exercise.
You must be wondering why apply mind/body healing to control Irritable Bowel Syndrome? IBS often cause emotional and mental stress, which often aggravates symptoms. So in order to control IBS it is very important that patients be encouraged to sick out therapies that make use of somato-emotional release.
The somato(or body)-emotional release is rooted on the belief that trauma is sometimes stored in the tissues of the body and not just in the mind or soul of patients. These traumas need to be eliminated in order for healing to happen. There are various somato-emotional release therapies available that patients can choose from such as craniosacral, reiki, acupuncture and other types of energy healing exercises.
Eating fiber-rich food is also a natural way of controlling IBS. However make sure that you include fiber in your diet little by little since abrupt consumption of fiber may cause gas and may trigger symptoms of IBS. Likewise, it would also help if you would try to take note of foods that you eat. List those foods that trigger IBS symptoms in you and avoid eating them.
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
There’s a common misconception that says foods cause irritable bowel syndrome. It says that the main connection between foods & irritable bowel syndrome is the fact that the illness is caused by eating certain foods. However, this is not true. Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional disorder which means that the illness lies in the function of your bowels and not in the food that you eat. In fact, there is still no known cause of irritable bowel syndrome.
This leaves us with the question: what exactly is the connection between foods & irritable bowel syndrome?
First of all, even though foods are not the cause of irritable bowel syndrome, certain foods will trigger its symptoms. This includes abdominal pains, diarrhea or constipation, and sudden changes in stool frequency. Here are foods that can trigger these symptoms:
1) Foods with high fat-content– A person suffering from irritable bowel syndrome should try to keep the fat content of his or her food below 25 percent. This is because fat is simply the best (or worst) stimulant of digestion. When fat is introduced into your stomach, it immediately triggers your colon to start contracting. Since irritable bowel syndrome has more to do with the function of the intestines, this sort of reaction will trigger the symptoms of this illness.
2) Coffee – Don’t think that this does not include decaf! Many people do not know that decaf coffee still contains an enzyme that can irritate the gut. However, drinking regular coffee can be even worse, as caffeine is also an irritant. Put plainly, drinking coffee if you have irritable bowel syndrome would be akin to inviting pain into your life.
3) Alcohol – This is actually okay in small amounts like the amount used for cooking. However, it can be a very effective irritant especially if it is drunk on an empty stomach.
This, of course is not the sole connection between foods & irritable bowel syndrome. If there are foods that trigger irritable bowel syndrome, there are also foods that help minimize the symptoms.
Try eating foods with high soluble fiber content. Eating this type of food would aid the proper digestion of food. Some people are put off by the idea of eating soluble fiber mainly because it is said to be a laxative. However, soluble fiber is actually more of a stabilizer. It helps prevent both diarrhea and constipation.
People often tend to see the negative side of a relationship such as that between foods & irritable bowel syndrome. However, it should be stated that food per se will not trigger the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. A person with irritable bowel syndrome only needs to find the right types of food in order to minimize the symptoms of this illness.
Foods & irritable bowel syndrome need balance in order to benefit a person. Take insoluble fiber, for instance: many people know that insoluble fiber is a trigger for irritable bowel syndrome. However, it is also widely known that insoluble fiber can be found in fruits and vegetables –all healthy foods. A person is then faced with the dilemma of choosing between the nutrition provided by insoluble fiber foods and the pain caused by them.
However, by eating these foods with a quantity of soluble fiber, a person can easily avoid the pain of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and still get the nourishment that he or she needs. And that is the connection between foods & irritable bowel syndrome.
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a disorder that affects the large intestines. It exhibit symptoms such as cramping or pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating and gassiness. IBS is also known in other names such functional bowel disease, mucus colitis and spastic colon. However although it also makes use of the term colitis it should never be construed as an inflammatory bowel disease.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not a dangerous disorder and neither it is contagious nor cancerous. The greatest effect that IBS can have in a patient is to cause stress and discomfort which interrupts daily activities. Irritable Bowel Syndrome especially for married patients often affects their sexual lives.
Smoking and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Smoking does not only cause lung cancer but also worsen symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Tobacco just like caffeine and alcohol also worsen IBS symptoms. It really does not matter whether you smoked, chewed or inhaled Tobacco. The facts still remains that Tobacco is a potent GI tract irritant, carcinogen and stimulant.
People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome have sensitive gastrointestinal and are very susceptible to certain stimuli may it be in the form of food or even the simple waking up actions. Tobacco is one of the worst factors that trigger Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms and can cause various types of cancer.
Tobacco in general affects almost all the parts of the digestive system. It does not only cause heartburn but also reflux which are considered two conditions which IBS patients are likely to acquire. And since smoking damage the esophageal sphincter, the acidic contents of the stomach tend to flow upward and down into the lower portion of the esophagus.
Helicobacter pylori bacteria or irritation resulting from anti-inflammatory medications commonly causes ulcers however it is smoking that increases the possibility of peptic ulcer. Not only that, smoking also hinders healing and makes ulcer to reoccur more frequently. This is because smoking worsens ulcer perforation ten times. Aside from ulcer and triggering IBS symptoms, smoking also increases the chance of Crohn’s disease. It may also lead to the development of gallstones.
The nicotine found on the tobacco is not only an addictive element but also a poison that tend to weaken the lower esophageal sphincter. This lead to hyper production of acid in the stomach and at the same time decreases the pancreatic production of sodium bicarbonate, which is an important substance in counteracting the production of stomach acid.
Aside from nicotine, tobacco also contains more than four hundred toxins and at least forty-three known carcinogens. All of these harmful substances enters the bloodstream and carried through the digestive tract triggering IBS symptoms. Similarly, inhaling a smoke from the tobacco also cause gassiness, belching and bloating which are symptoms also of IBS.
Smoking above all is famous for causing cancer either of the colon, the bladder, kidney, pancreas and stomach. Plus long-term smoking also increases the possibility of colorectal cancer. How? Inhaling or swallowing tobacco smoke can bring carcinogens right down to the colon. The tobacco also tend to increase colon polyp size which means that the bigger the polyp the higher the possibility for it to develop into cancer. In fact, studies shows that at least twelve percent of colorectal cancers are the direct result of smoking.
Lastly, smoking is not only a factor that can trigger Irritable Bowel Syndrome but poses greater health risk like cancer so for your sake better quit smoking.
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is known to be characterized with various symptoms with different roots. It is therefore important that each of these roots is determined so as to provide better treatments to address the condition.
However, though we may know the roots, it is still important that we are knowledgeable enough with the true nature of the disorder. The sad thing though is that we lack knowledge as to what truly triggers the disease.
While foods do not actually cause the attacks of the symptoms, we can’t still ignore the fact that there are certain problematic foods that can set off some symptoms including constipation, diarrhea and bloating.
Unfortunately, there is no standard diet that can be used by all patients. In fact, even if a diet plan works for one, it does not necessarily imply that it will also do good for another patient with similar condition.
Nevertheless, there are some common guidelines that can be used to determine what specific foods normally aggravate the symptoms.
It is important to remember though that there is no clear explanation as to why foods may have triggering effects on Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Nonetheless, association with this condition towards specific diet is often pointed as the culprit of IBS.
Thus, the common placebo among patients is the lessening of symptoms with the elimination or restriction from foods that are known to cause the attacks.
Since large meals can produce strain and compaction in the stomach, it is advisable that one should take several small meals rather than take three regular meals. This habit will help the patient reduce the likelihood of triggering diarrhea or constipation.
It is also important that the patient minimize the intake of fat-based foods. This is because fat is relatively harder and slower to be digested. Poor digestion is said to be closely associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Often, this may cause gas in the intestine that further leads to the rise of many symptoms that could aggravate the problem.
In addition to these, dietary fat is known to make the movement of gas slower from the stomach to the small intestine. A number of patients have been observed to respond exaggeratedly towards dietary fats through further slowing. Thus, while there may not be much established facts on this, it is still better to prevent any possibilities from occuring.
The “greens” and natural components are often the best solution to most intestinal complications. Dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables, beans and wheat-based products often provide solution to the ills of the gastrointestinal tract.
While fiber may not help in the reduction of abdominal pain, its significant effects in constipation surely help those who suffer from this symptom. Fiber is known to improve the bulkiness of the stool, which helps create better removal of the stool.
Because lactose intolerance is often associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, people find it helpful to refrain from milk intake so as to avoid further complications. But like with other diet plans, lactose elimination would not mean the release from IBS symptoms. It will just add to the comfort of lesser symptoms.
Knowing what creates the triggering effects will help you create a feasible diet plan for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. While this may not actually be enough as a treatment, it will largely contribute to the facilitation of larger-scale plan for suppressing the symptoms.
Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine
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