Mental Attitude IBS
First of all, IBS is not imagined, it is a physical complaint that is not only real, it can be distressing, it is often embarrassing and in severe cases can be a seriously disabling condition that robs you of your social life, makes your work life miserable and leaves you feeling isolated and alone with your problem. However, for some people IBS is nothing more than a mild inconvenience that can effectively be controlled by a few dietary and lifestyle changes.
The point is, there is no set pattern to IBS and each person will experience it differently. No one understands what causes it, there is no cure for it and no set treatment plan for it that is applicable to all and so people with IBS are left to find ways of coping with their individual symptoms. One thing is known, and that is that a positive mental attitude and reducing stress levels can make all the difference to how you deal with IBS on a day to day basis and can reduce the severity of the symptoms too.
The brain gut interaction
The link between the brain and the gut is obvious to all of us. Imagine the feelings you have when you are nervous or stressed; you can feel it in your gut. In fact, IBS is often described as brain/gut dysfunction in that something goes wrong with the signalling between the brain, the central nervous system and the gut.
Indeed research has shown that people with IBS are a lot more sensitive to stresses of all kinds can be aware of the process of motility (the propelling of the contents of the intestines through the digestive tract towards the rectum by muscular contractions) that other people are oblivious to. This leads to an increased perception of pain so that even normal muscle contractions in the digestive tract can be experienced as intensely painful by someone with IBS.
The effect of stress on IBS
Although no one would say that stress causes IBS, it is well known that it makes the symptoms of IBS much worse. When we are stressed or anxious, the brain sends out signals to the digestive system to prepare for fight or flight and this has an affect on how we experience bowel movements. The sensitivity of the intestines and the increased perception of pain give rise to abdominal spasms and diarrhoea and/or constipation that is so typical of IBS.
Studies have shown that people with IBS often have anxiety or depression and that there is a much lower incidence of IBS in people who live relatively stress free lives. This would suggest that apart from making any necessary modifications to diet, adopting a positive mental attitude and eliminating or reducing stress levels could go a long way to alleviating the symptoms of IBS
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