Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects near 20% of Canadians, and it wrecks havoc with a person’s quality of life. It is a label affixed to a cluster of symptoms with no identifiable pathological cause. A pathological cause is one where tissues are altered/damaged and able to be visualized with laboratory testing. IBS instead points to a disfunction where tissues are being prevented from performing their various jobs.

As a Naturopathic Doctor I see IBS as a syndrome with Individual Expressions, Individual Causes and Individualized Treatments

What are some of the underlying causes of IBS?

  1. Food Intolerances & Inflammation
  2. Fructose Intolerance
  3. Poor digestion/food breakdown, histamine burden/Mast Cell
  4. Nutrient Deficiencies (particularly Vitamin B5, Zinc and Magnesium)
  5. Sympathetic Nervous System Overload (are you in “fight or flight” or “rest and digest”?)
  6. Imbalance in Microbiome (bacterial ecology/SIBO or parasite/worms)
  7. Deficient secretions (saliva, bile, pancreatic enzymes, gastric juices)

Each of the former causes need to be investigated, mitigated or ruled out. IBS is not something you need to live with, it is treatable!