Finding The Most Effective Probiotics For IBS

By Olivia Cross


Irritable bowel syndrome can be debilitating for sufferers who often experience a large reduction in their quality of life. Having chronic diarrhea for example, restricts a person's freedom and often means they miss work and important events because they just cannot leave the house. Research is pointing to the gut bacteria as the underlying cause so taking probiotics for IBS can be successful in restoring a normal life.

Getting diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome can be upsetting and confusing. It is not really a diagnosis, more a description of a set of symptoms and this can seem unhelpful. The main ones are constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas and cramps. They can be debilitating and cause you to have to stay home.

You are not alone, about twenty percent of Americans now have this diagnosis. This means that increasing funds are directed to research and in the last few years there have been a couple of reasons for hope. Allergies have been found to damage the gut and lead to IBS so you could try a food allergy test. It is also possible to check for allergies by cutting out different food groups one at a time and seeing what the results are.

The digestive system works with the help of bacteria. They live in our intestines and help break down the food we consume. It is important for this community of bacteria to be in balance and include what have come to be called good bacteria and bad bacteria. If they are out of balance then problems start to occur with the processing of food.

For people who decide to try probiotics it is a good idea to take the one which has been found to be most effective for the type of IBS they have. It is estimated that there are around five hundred types of bacteria in the gut. Current thinking is that lack of or too many of particular ones cause specific symptoms.

The best place to start is by trying the most effective one for the type of IBS that you have. IBS-D is when you suffer from chronic diarrhea and this is the most prevalent symptom. In this case you should try taking a probiotic called Saccharomyces Boulardii. It has been found to have excellent results in treating many kinds of diarrhea and is prescribed in hospitals.

When constipation is the overriding problem then there is a probiotic called Bifidobacterium Lactis to take. Many try this along with a fibre supplement and have decent results. Constipation is not only extremely uncomfortable it is injurious to long term health. Some IBS patients have alternating symptoms and find that constipation can quickly switch to diarrhea. In this case they should try both of the probiotics or a general daily dose.

Many people who suffer from Irritable bowel syndrome are not getting relief using probiotics. Unfortunately the same things do not work for everyone as there seem to be lots of different underlying causes to this illness. The important thing is to stay positive and not give up. If allergy testing and probiotics do not work then ask your doctor about a test for bacteria overgrowth. There are also digestive enzymes which you can take with food to help your digestive system cope with meals.




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