5 Tips to manage an IBS flare up

FLARE UP TIP 1: PAIN MANAGEMENT

A - Use heat to help spasms

During an IBS FLARE UP it may help to apply heat to the abdomen, use a hot water bottle. The heat will help to gently relax the muscles of the colon and reduce spasms and cramps. A warm bath in the evening with Epsom salts can also be useful.

B - Sip on IBS-Friendly Teas

These can include peppermint and green teas or simply warm water which is overall better than cold water for digestion.

C - Supplements:  It is hard to give generalised advice as all IBS patients I see are different and what may work for one will not work for another.

However, Peppermint oil has been shown to be helpful for flatulences and abdominal pains–you need enteric coated.

Digestive enzymes- can help to break down your food and therefore reduce bloating

Probiotics : there is some good evidence to show that taken daily certain strains of probiotics can be helpful

If nothing helps you might have to temporarily revert back to laxatives or Buscopan. Do not stay in pain..

FLARE UP TIP 2:  Stress management

When we are stressed we move out of the parasympathetic system which is your rest and digest into the sympathetic nervous system which is your fight or flight.

This will trigger a long list of metabolic response and also the release of cortisol. This natural stress response can have a dramatic effect on your IBS. Stress can not only trigger symptoms but often make them worse and longer lasting

 There are several ways you can deal with this and get back to your parasympathetic nervous system: Unfortunately, when it comes to the effects of stress, the gut is one of the most susceptible areas. I recommend to have strategies for reducing stress as part of our day-to-day routine. Try to make this a regular habit by including one or more of these things each day:

 Yoga. A 2015 study in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine found that people with IBS who took an hour-long yoga class three days a week for 12 weeks had less severe symptoms and improved quality of life. There are a lot of yoga classes online.

GO YOGA  in Harrogate : https://www.goyogaharrogate.com/

Georgina Marie. https://www.nourishalways.com/the-online-studio

Mary Ochsner  online yoga some free classes ona n ap

https://www.maryochsner.com/ she also has a free 30 days challenge

Meditation.

In a 2015 study in the journal PLOS ONE, people with IBS attended a weekly relaxation program that included meditation and breathing exercises and were encouraged to practice the routine for 15 to 20 minutes every day at home. After nine weeks, the group reported much lower levels of IBS-related anxiety.

My favourite is Calm app for mediation. The application will give you a different 10 minutes meditation class to do each day https://www.calm.com/

Go for a walk, Find a good exercise online class,  find something that bring you joy and do it daily at a certain time to make it a habit.

Flare Up Tip 3 : DIET

Eliminate the foods that you know you have a tendency to react to.

 Like a lot of people the current situation may have led you out of your daily routine when it comes to eating. Maybe eating too much of the wrong type of foods at the wrong time in the wrong quantity.

Usual suspect: Onion, garlic, dairy, gluten, coffee, chocolate, processed foods

Go for foods that are easy to digest cooked such as in soup or make a light vegetables broth that you have in the evenings.

Eliminate high FODMAPs for a short while

You could also get back to basics and return to a FODMAP-free diet for a week or two . This is should only be temporary. It can take a few days for FODMAPs to fully exit the body. See https://www.monashfodmap.com/ for more details.

Keep a journal

Keeping track of your symptoms can help you identify patterns in your IBS attacks whether they be the foods you eat, activities you engage in, or routines that cause stress. Are mornings worse or better or vice versa?

Keep note of:

• Foods you eat and times–

• Symptoms – when did they start

• Environment – watching the news, multi-tasking, menstrual cycle, no walks, not getting out, feeling stressed. Your food flare will not only be food related.

FLARE UP TIP 4 : LOOK AFTER YOUR DIGESTION

These are basics things but so important:

Sit down when you are eating

Chew your food

Be mindful

Eat in a relaxed calm atmosphere

FLARE UP TIP 5 : Time restricted eating.

Keep your feet off the grass ie your gut lining

Leave at least 12 hours between your dinner and breakfast or extent to 14 hours to reduce inflammation

If you finishing eating dinner at 8pm do not eat anything until the following morning at 8am or push it to 10am