When Bill Ventres and his colleagues published their paper last year on this topic - I was impressed, but for some reason I didn't write about it here or forward a link to all of my colleages as I should have done. Bill presented the paper at this year's STFM - and of course he uploaded his powerpoint to FMDRL. Required reading.

When Bill Ventres and his colleagues published their paper last year on this topic - I was impressed, but for some reason I didn't write about it here or forward a link to all of my colleages as I should have done. Bill presented the paper at this year's STFM - and of course he uploaded his powerpoint to FMDRL. Required reading.

An interesting review of some thorny issues .. Speaker Outlines Role of Family Medicine in Care of Children -- AAFP News Now -- American Academy of Family Physicians

An interesting review of some thorny issues ..

Speaker Outlines Role of Family Medicine in Care of Children -- AAFP News Now -- American Academy of Family Physicians

By Sandra Clair

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that affects about 50 million Americans, but receives very little attention. Its symptoms include any of the following: diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, indigestion, intestinal cramping or spasms, heartburn, gas, pain while eating or defecating or anal fissures, among others. If it is very severe with you, it might even interfere with your daily life. This is why you need to find a natural remedy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome that is effective and works well with your system.

Here are just a few natural remedies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome which you could try:

Diarrhea - Take the amino acid L-Glutamine in water and you will find results in a couple of days. Drink it on an empty stomach about two or three times a day. It nourishes and heals the mucosal lining of the intestine and leads the bowel to reabsorb water back in the stool and so reduces the number of bowel movements you have.

When you have diarrhea, don’t eat foods with refined sugar, refined flour like spaghetti sauce and pizza and coffee. Try having a colonic massage too to reduce the number of bowel movements.

Constipation - If you suffer from constipation, take Vitamin C and magnesium or eat fresh fruit and carrots, cauliflower, peas, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, etc. and drink about 8-10 glasses of water each day.

Heartburn - If you experience heartburn due to stomach acid, do the following:

1) Avoid eating tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, chocolate, peppermint, and do not drink caffeine.

2) Don’t lie down for more than two hours at a stretch after a meal.

3) Drink a cup aloe vera juice before bed.

4) Sleep on your left side as this encourages your stomach to open up and keep the food and acids in your stomach and far away from the esophageal valve.

5) Colonic massage - Sit on the toilet or lie down with your knees bent. Make a fist of your hand and massage your colon area with your knuckles, going all the way
to your groin or pubic bone. Continue this and increase the pressure and you will encourage a bowel movement.

6) Herbal therapy - Herbalists recommend peppermint for its antispasmodic properties and because it alleviates bowel spasms that are some of the symptoms of IBS.
Take two or three drops of peppermint oil and dilute it in a cup of warm water. Drink this three or four times a day for good results. How’s this for a natural
remedy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

7) Yoga - Sometimes IBS is due to stress that causes irritation in the bowel. To reduce stress levels, try a daily routine of breathing exercises, yoga poses and meditation. Whenever you feel stressed, try doing a few breathing exercises. These can be done wherever you are at work, in the car or at home. If you get into the habit of meditating every day, your mind will be clear and you will be able to relax when you want to.

8) Yoga poses should include the corpse pose, bow, fish, locust, forward bend, and knee squeeze.

Try any one of these natural remedies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and in no time at all you should feel the difference.