Drug-free ways to treat irritable bowel syndrome

It’s been estimated that six million Canadians suffer from this painful (and often inconvenient) digestive ailment. Even though there’s no certified cure, IBS is definitely treatable — often with just diet and exercise.

Keeping a food diary at first will help you track the relationship between symptoms and diet.

• By writing down what you eat, and noting which foods bring on what symptoms, you'll be better able to pinpoint offenders.
• You may, for instance, have trouble with dairy, wheat or corn products. Or you might find acidic or spicy foods to be the problem.

• Artificial sweeteners, as well as caffeine, alcohol and even chocolate can also cause spasms.

• Because eating too much at once may trigger intestinal contractions, you'll be advised to eat smaller, more frequent meals.

You may also want to experiment with getting more fibre.

• Try gradually increasing the amount of soluble fibre in your diet over a period of weeks. This can be extremely beneficial if your primary IBS symptom is constipation or abdominal cramping.
• By absorbing water from the intestines, soluble fibre helps keep moisture in the stool, which prevents it from becoming hard and painful to expel.
• Fibre also bulks up the stool, which in turn fills out the colon and reduces the chances of it going into spasm.
• Foods that are high in soluble fibre include oatmeal, soy foods, barley, oat bran and beans. You can try a bulking agent, such as psyllium seed, but be sure to take it with plenty of water and other fluids throughout the day to keep things moving.
• When your main symptom is gas, make an effort to eliminate gas-forming foods such as beans, peas, lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, cucumbers and leafy vegetables.
• As your symptoms improve, gradually reintroduce these foods and see what happens.

Along with paying more attention to your diet, get more exer­cise.

• In studies of women with IBS, those who exercised reported fewer symptoms than those who didn't.
• Not only does exercise help stimulate digestion, it also firms the abdominal muscles, helping to keep those out-of-control intestines in their place.
• And working out is also a great way to beat stress.
• Walk or do some other form of aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week.

Many people with IBS find relief by taking peppermint oil supplements, which can act as a natural muscle relaxant.

• In a recent study of 110 people with IBS, those who took one capsule 15 to 20 minutes before meals had less bloating, diarrhea and pain within a month.
• Look for an "enteric-coated" supplement, which ensures that the peppermint oil gets released in your intestine, where it’s needed.
• Take one or two capsules (containing 0.2 millilitres of oil each) two or three times a day before eating.
• Don't take peppermint oil if you're pregnant (it relaxes the uterus) or if you have a hiatal hernia; and avoid peppermint tea, which may aggravate your symptoms.

Eat more fish. In a recent study, more than half of those who had IBS reduced or eliminated their symptoms when they took daily fish oil supplements along with their medication.

• Fish oil may help treat IBS because it contains important fats called omega-3 fatty acids, known to reduce inflam­mation.
• Fish oil may also bolster levels of the brain chemical serotonin, normalizing the way your brain interprets bowel signals.
• Try to eat fatty, cold-water fish such as tuna or salmon at least twice a week.

With IBS, many people feel much better simply by changing what they eat. Keep this guide in mind and remember to avoid foods that make your symptoms worse and stick with those that agree with your system