What is Spastic Colon (IBS)
March 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under IBS, IBS Information
Spastic Colon or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal tract disorder that is recurrent in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, which includes altered bowel movement such as constipation and/or diarrhea and includes abdominal pain.
IBS can occur during any period of one’s life and cause a great deal of distress and discomfort but the good news with IBS is that it can be cured with medication and diet. The exact cause is not yet fully known and used be attributed to some factors such as stress which tend to aggravate IBS symptoms but in recent findings research findings have shown contrasting results and emotional conflicts are no longer accepted as factors that cause IBS but rather an aggravator that can make the existing condition worse.
Studies show that patients with IBS even with minimal stimulation may easily distress their intestinal muscles and also tend to develop overly sensitive bowels compared to those without IBS. Therefore patients with Spastic colons have a greater chance at reacting to a stimulus that does not normally aggravate the bowels of a normal healthy individual.
Eating or gas production which are ordinary occurrence in the large intestine may have adverse effects on the colon of an IBS patient and certain foods and medications may also trigger IBS symptoms. Foods such as fatty foods, chocolates, alcohol, dairy products, caffeine as well as grain containing products may aggravate and then trigger IBS symptoms. Hormones are believed to influence IBS as well so women with menstrual periods (reproductive hormones) are believed to influence the course of IBS.
IBS sufferers will experience two types of symptoms, diarrhea-predominant IBS and constipation-predominant IBS and can be examined through the bacteria derived from bowel samples where the overgrowth of bacteria in the bowel flora can be observed. You should first consult your primary care physician before taking other steps, if you suspect you are suffering with IBS. Progressive nerve damage can develop in some patients that exhibit chronic constipation and for those with diarrhea, the body can be depleted of electrolytes.
Since people have their own normal frequency, it becomes really hard to pinpoint normal a bowel movement. A healthy bowel movement is one that is not hard, contains no blood and flushes out of the colon without unnecessary cramps or pain. For some people a normal bowel movement involves three stools a day while others may move their bowels everyday upon waking up.
