Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable colon, also referred to sometimes as irritable bowel syndrome, is currently one of the most common causes of so-called abdominal discomfort, such as abdominal pain, bloating, inflation, flatulence, difficulty in passing stools, diarrhoea or constipation, often alternating, faecal urgency (especially in the morning) – simply, there is something wrong in our belly kingdom. Interestingly, in the past, traditional Chinese medicine did not use this concept abbreviated worldwide as IBS (Irritation Bowel Syndrome), because did not know these diseases. It is related to the current lifestyle that really is “very quickly developing”, thus more than fast. That is just where the “invisible” shoe pinches and we fairly do (not) know the causes of this:

Imbalance between excessive work and lack of rest, therefore, lack of adequate relaxation. Irregular eating, when we in addition eat fast on the go with a mobile phone at the ear and the eyes fixed on the PC or newspaper, furthermore, we eat abundantly and late at night, without breakfast … Who do not eat breakfast according to the principles of TCM (see the Beverage of Chinese Sages), they even cannot be cured – in this case, a right Chinese doctor refuses to cure them any more without mercy! Chinese medicine prefers regularity above all – just as the conditioned reflexes of Pavlov’s famous dogs, our conditioned reflexes, which require food and rest at a certain regular time, work equally. If we do not follow this, then we have only ourselves to blame and that not entirely innocently … Another cause is the quality of food – we eat unnatural, almost synthetic diet (unlike natural diet), which moreover comprises a variety of products, it is frozen, deep-frying, pasteurized, chemically treated, emulsified, flavoured, coloured, made of various genetically modified hybrid cereals etc., which then leads to a huge increase in the variety of food and other allergies such as coeliac disease, lactose or cow’s milk protein intolerance and the like. Also, the fact of excessive use of antibiotics, hormones, and antidepressants, which cause imbalance of intestinal bacteria, so-called dysbiosis, contributes to this. And as the most important factor of this modern disease the stressful way of life is referred, partly described above. The nervous system in the body is divided into central (brain and spinal cord), peripheral (striated muscles) and autonomic system, which controls smooth muscles, thus, internal organs. The autonomic nervous system is divided into so-called sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. The sympathetic division is yang and is responsible for action (fight or flight), while the parasympathetic division is yin and is responsible for rest and food. Like a lion, when kills an antelope (action), devours it and then relaxes while digesting (at rest). If we do not respect this ritual too, the consequences will come for instance in the form of these problems. The modern hectic era brings “modern” new diseases. One of them are precisely these problems. On the one hand we have enough of everything, real excess indeed (a lot of work, food, stress, worries, property …), on the other hand, however, we lack time to rest, to sleep, time for holiday, for yourselves, for relationships .. .

It is necessary to omit black coffee and alcohol, as well as sugar in all forms, not just white sugar, but also honey, fruits, fruit juices, and the like. It is equally essential to eat a healthy breakfast.

Suitable spices or herbs

The main trouble with irritable bowel syndrome is spasms in the intestines, leading to pain and bloating. The bowel is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and because of stress, anxiety, fear, and worries, the balance of the autonomic nervous system becomes undermined, causing spasms in the intestines and development of gases. To suppress these problems, so-called carminatives are used, which are mostly herbs and spices relaxing smooth muscle spasms in the intestinal wall, by which they also relieve pain, locally promote healing of intestinal mucosa, enhance peristalsis (bowel movement), and eliminate accumulated wind, thus gas. Such classic tea from available herbs and spices is e.g. a mixture of chamomile, caraway, fennel, anise, cardamom, mint, dill, lemon balm, rosemary, and rose. A decoction of dill and cumin also has proven for small children with frequent abdominal colic. Similarly, small doses of various aperitifs made of bitter herbs are often used before meals for good digestion, such as Fernet Branca, Vermouth, or tonics (from quinine). Conversely, after a meal is again appropriate to drink a little sweet digestive drink, e.g. ice wine.

In case of doubt with the choice of herbal products, we recommend TCM Test Tongue Analysis, which is evaluated by Dr. med. Petr Hoffmann and you will receive a recommendation (herbal products and foods) to your e-mail within 3 days.