Those who are unfortunate to suffer from irritable bowel syndrome will know how devastating the symptoms of the illness can be and how they can disturb and change your lifestyle totally. While there is much help to be gained from your doctor and many medications available to help calm the symptoms associated with the illness, there are other totally natural alternatives to ease the suffering of irritable bowel syndrome. Here are some of the proven natural remedies that can help to ease the symptoms.

Peppermint oil is one of the most widely used natural remedies for irritable bowel syndrome, it is said that peppermint oil can help to reduce the bloated feeling and abdominal pain of the illness. It is thought that the peppermint oil blocks the movement of calcium into the muscle cells of the intestines and therefore eases muscle contraction.

In eight of ten people that were given peppermint oil found it to be very effective, peppermint oil should only be taken in capsule form to avoid it causing havoc with the esophagus and causing heartburn. Peppermint oil can however have some side effects when taken in large doses and these include loss of appetite and problems with the nervous system such as anxiety attacks.

Another firm favorite as a natural remedy for irritable bowel syndrome is probiotics, these are living organisms that everybody has in the digestive system and are very often referred to as “friendly bacteria”. It is thought that by introducing probiotics to the body they help to keep the harmful bacteria at bay, make an improvement to the immune system and strengthen the protective barrier of the digestive tract. One theory is that people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome may have an imbalance in the digestive tract of this normal “good bacteria”, by taking probiotics this can be restored.

There are many different types of probiotics and some are more useful than others when it comes to irritable bowel syndrome. In testing probiotics did get great results.

Guar Gum is another natural ingredient that is thought to help with the symptoms; it can help with lessening the symptoms of diarrhea and calming the abdominal pain. In clinical trials recently undertaken guar gum taken along with wheat bran did show excellent results.

It is also worth mentioning that food intolerances are thought to play an important role in those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. It is thought that in those who suffer from the illness have problems with the immune system triggering responses that lead to an imbalance in the intestinal bacteria. The foods that are thought to affect people who suffer form irritable bowel syndrome seem to be dairy products and grains. Therefore supervision and elimination of certain foods in the diet can go a long way to easing the problems associated with irritable bowel syndrome.

Water is also thought to help in those who suffer the illness, drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps to cleanse the whole body system.

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