IBS And Probiotics
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IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, can be an extremely frustrating condition to deal with. IBS is, in many ways, a diagnosis of elimination. Health care providers eliminate the other possible causes of gastrointestinal discomfort before they give a diagnosis of IBS. Unfortunately, IBS is not curable. In addition, there are very few treatments available for IBS. There are some medications available, but not all of these medications will work for any given person. Some of these medications will work some of the time, but not all of the time. For example, some of these medications only help the person with IBS when they have diarrhea or constipation, but not either one or the other. Adding to the problem is that many pain medications used to help a person deal with IBS tend to be rather rough on the digestive system as well, and thereby make the IBS worse. Fortunately, there is new evidence to suggest that probiotics may be able to help with IBS.
Probiotics are a relatively new type of supplement. Probiotics are actually live bacteria. These particular sorts of bacteria, however, are not the kind that tend to cause illness and infection. Instead, these bacteria are the sort that naturally occur in the digestive tract. The bacteria in the digestive tract contribute to a number of important functions, such as digestion, the absorption of minerals, and boosting the body’s own immune system. Probiotics have been demonstrated to help with a number of conditions, from colic to eczema to diarrhea.
In terms of IBS and probiotics, more research needs to be done. However, things do look promising. Many people with IBS have effectively used probiotics to help control their symptoms. Certainly, it does make sense that balancing out the environment in the digestive system, which is what probiotics do, would contribute to a healthier digestive system, and make it less susceptible to irritation.
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