Bowel Regularity

Not everyone will agree, but I’ve never been a big fan of jogging. I’ve jogged myself in the past, but no longer do so. When I was in active practice, joggers made up a significant portion of my patients. I worked with recreational joggers, plus several college and high school track teams—and even a couple of Olympic runners. It became obvious to me rather quickly that the activity wreaks havoc on the feet, ankles, knees, and other joints. I don’t recommend it as a regular activity. There are far less traumatic forms of aerobic exercise (cycling, rowing, walking, swimming, interval weight training, kettle bells, et cetera).

So, if you are a jogger, I suggest you stop. The pounding destroys joints and eventually mobility. When you lose your mobility, you lose your independence and the ability to take care of yourself without assistance. Take up another form of aerobic exercise instead.

For more information on joint pain and other health concerns, visit www.drdavidwilliams.com.

While much well-deserved attention is paid to soluble fiber foods, it is insoluble fiber that provides roughage and improves bowel regularity. This natural bulk also gives feelings of fullness and satisfaction, resulting in less food intake.

In the 1980s, there was a huge push promoting the benefits of fiber in the diet, particularly its ability to prevent colon cancer. Since that time, there have been conflicting studies, and, for some reason, fiber has fallen out of favor. I predict (something I do very rarely) that you will soon begin to see a dramatic increase in the ill effects of decreasing the amount of fiber in our diets. We’re already seeing an increase in many of these problems, such as widespread obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous bowel problems.

Fiber has decreased dramatically as our food supply has become more and more processed. To make matters worse, low-carb diets like Atkins and South Beach often shun the complex carbohydrates that contain insoluble fiber or roughage. The most commonly consumed “vegetable” in this country is now French fries. Food manufacturers have increasingly removed insoluble fiber from processed foods, to both lessen the gritty texture and make ingredients easier to combine.

Insoluble fiber, the portion of the plant that can’t be broken down by your digestive system, provides a valuable service. The fiber absorbs water and swells, making the stool bulky, soft, and easy to pass. (This is why you always need to increase your water intake when you increase the fiber in your diet.) Without adequate fiber, bowel movements slow and toxic material remains in contact with the intestinal walls longer. The foreign material causes inflammation, and additional toxins are reabsorbed into your bloodstream. These additional toxins increase the workload of both your liver and kidneys. The slow-moving stools also lead to a condition called diverticulitis.

Diverticulum: Latin for “You Don’t Want to Know”

In the early stages of the disease, as your intestines struggle to remove toxins and waste material, small, pea-sized, irreversible pockets called diverticula develop. Waste material becomes trapped in these pockets, which often expand and become inflamed, resulting in diverticulitis. If the pockets rupture, the resulting infection and inflammation in the abdominal cavity can prove fatal.

Not surprisingly, the treatment for diverticulosis (the condition before inflammation sets in) is to increase fiber and promote bowel regularity. At the same time, I would also highly recommend the use of probiotics and fermented foods like sauerkraut and others to help re-establish good bacterial flora in the lower bowel at the same time. I don’t recommend the long-term use of over-the-counter fiber products like those mentioned earlier. It is my experience that long-term use of these products seems to deplete various minerals, which can lead to all kinds of seemingly unrelated problems. This just doesn’t happen when the fiber comes from a wide variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, dried beans, popcorn, brown rice, and bran.

For more information on common digestive problems, bowel irregularity, or a list of the highest fiber foods, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site.

While everyone sings the praises of the low-carb diet, there’s one offshoot of this trend that rarely gets mentioned, however, and that’s constipation. While the more common low-carbs diets such as Atkins or the South Beach diet both advocate salads and various vegetables, in practice they are often low-fiber diets, and that can quickly lead to bowel regularity problems. Reports are that about half the individuals who go on these diets, or variations of them, experience constipation problems.

The fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by the pharmaceutical companies. GlaxoSmithKline has experienced a jump in sales of its fiber laxative, Citrucel. Procter and Gamble has also started promoting its Metamucil product as a “zero net carb” product to help with the bowel regularity problem. Both of these companies see this as a huge opportunity to begin marketing their regularity products to younger consumers instead of just the geriatric crowd.

And, thanks to this diet fad, their target audience is changing to a younger age group. These two products are just part of the $350-million laxative market, and companies know that the sooner you get a customer hooked on one of these products, the greater the chance the customer will end up staying with them for life.

I have a better suggestion for you, if you have bowel regularity problems from a low-carb diet or other cause. Rather than opting for one of these fiber products, start including oats and oatmeal in your diet. Oats are not carb-free, but their benefits far outweigh their carb content. Oats are one of the simple solutions that inexpensively eliminate and prevent dozens of bowel problems.

For more information on bowel changes or other common digestive problems, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site.

With all the attention that H1N1 influenza was getting this winter, it’s no surprise that a powerful probiotics study was completely ignored in the mainstream media.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, an international team of researchers evaluated the effects of using a daily probiotic supplement, added to milk, on cold and flu symptoms in 326 children. The children were 3 to 5 years of age and the study lasted 6 months.

One group of children received a placebo. Another group received Lactobacillus acidophilus, and a third group received a combination of L. acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis.

Relative to the placebo group, the single and combination probiotics reduced fever incidence by 53 and 72.7 percent, coughing by 41.4 and 62.1 percent, and runny nose by 28.2 and 58.8 percent, respectively. Antibiotic use was reduced by 68.4 and 84.2 percent, relative to the placebo. And compared to those getting the placebo, the single and combination probiotics users had reductions in days missed from school by 31.8 and 27.7 percent. (Pediatrics 09;124:e172–e179)

I would love to see a longer term follow-up study with these children to see what effect using the probiotics could have on preventing the development of food allergies—which now affect 4 percent of children 17 years old and younger in this country. The number of children diagnosed with food allergies has increased by 18 percent between 1997 and 2007. The true number is probably higher, since this figure is based only on visits that were actually reported to emergency and outpatient departments and physician offices. (Pediatrics 09;124:1549-1555)

At this rate, we’re looking at a huge problem in the making—or, from the pharmaceutical industry’s point of view, a huge marketing opportunity. Get your kids (and family) reaping probiotics’ benefits now to avoid trouble.

For more information on probiotics benefits, body digestion, or bowel regularity in general, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Williams’ FREE eLetter or subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

Prebiotics are substances that bacteria feed on or ferment, and are necessary to maintain a healthy bacterial balance. Most prebiotics are oligosaccharides, or long-chain sugar molecules. They’re considered to be indigestible fiber, and they mostly are, at least from our perspective. But from the perspective of the bacteria, they’re quite digestible.

Whey is a particularly effective prebiotic because of the sugars it contains. (There’s one more reason to start your day with a whey protein shake.) However, many other foods and compounds are also effective as probiotics. One that’s gotten some exposure lately is inulin, from chicory root.
 
Another that’s receiving increased attention is the kiwifruit. Studies from Hong Kong and elsewhere show that eating kiwi decreased constipation and laxative use in constipated patients by improving bowel transit time. (World J Gastroenterol 07;13:4771–4775)

Some of the benefit of kiwi comes from the fiber contained in each piece. The fruit also contains enzymes that aid in digestion and improve bowel motility, the pulsations that help move food through your digestive tract. I know that kiwi isn’t the cheapest variety of fruit available in your grocery, and it’s a very seasonal item in most parts of the country. In addition, the participants in the studies I mentioned were eating around three pieces of the fruit a day.

For those reasons, I’ve been looking for substitutes for kiwi. It turns out that the best substitute is a concentrate of kiwi itself. This concentrate maintains all the enzyme activity of the whole fruit, while packing the prebiotics into a much more convenient form.

Prebiotics are often combined with probiotics to create what’s called a synbiotic. Research in animals shows that synbiotics can help reduce the risk of colon cancer. (Food Chem Toxicol 2009 Dec 21)

Synbiotics also improve healing in patients who have undergone surgery or experienced significant injury. Trials in Greece with trauma patients showed that treatment with synbiotics reduced inflammation and the risk for pneumonia and blood infections, as well as length of stay in intensive care and the amount of time spent on mechanical ventilation. (J Trauma 09;67:815–821) (World J Surg 06;30:1848–1855)

If you find that you’re currently taking a probiotic supplement, and you’re not seeing the probiotics benefits you expected, it could be due to a lack of appropriate prebiotics.

For more information on probiotic benefits, body digestion, or bowel regularity in general, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Williams’ FREE eLetter or subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

As I was sitting eating my crunchy, delicious 15 day–fermented sauerkraut recently, I ran across a study showing that infectious digestive disorders are among the biggest risks to our military troops who are deployed overseas. Every month, about 30 percent get infectious diarrhea. Those who had experienced even just one incident had six times the risk for subsequent functional diarrhea and four times the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome.

The medical records of personnel deployed in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom indicate the fourth leading cause of their visits to Veterans Affairs medical centers was chronic gastrointestinal disorders. As many as 20 percent of these patients have conditions that have persisted for five years or longer after returning home.

It’s not hard to understand the high incidence of this problem, considering the stress these soldiers are under and the less-than-sanitary conditions they’re exposed to. What is hard to understand is the way these men and women are being treated.

Typical treatment focuses on the use of antibiotics to wipe out the offending bacteria. Patients are then switched to over-the-counter diarrhea treatments and bulking agents when the problem persists. Knowing what we know today, I’m amazed that probiotics aren’t being used to correct and ultimately prevent diarrhea symptoms.

I don’t have cost figures, but I’m certain that adding a daily probiotic supplement to their regimen would be an extremely cost-effective method to prevent many of these problems. And the fact that probiotics aren’t used following every round of antibiotics is absurd.

For more information on diarrhea treatments, body digestion, or bowel regularity in general, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Williams’ FREE eLetter or subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

When it comes to skin problems, most people don’t think of detoxification, but they should. In fact, one of the best ways to clear up a variety of skin conditions involves easing the load on your liver in every way possible.

To help you do a liver cleanse naturally, follow these three easy steps.

Liver Detoxification: Step 1
You must make sure your bowels are moving regularly, at least once daily. Food wastes that remain in the body over 24 hours become toxic. Your intestines continue to absorb this waste and it places an enormous burden on the liver to detoxify it.

Liver Detoxification: Step 2
You must drink at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day. This helps both the bowels and the kidneys and lightens the load on the liver. If you drink other liquids, make sure they are sugar-free, but don’t count them as part of the eight glasses of water.

Liver Detoxification: Step 3
Foods high in sugar (natural or otherwise) and high starch foods must be eliminated initially. Some products where sugar has been added are obvious, like soft drinks, candy, ice cream, cakes, pies, etc. The list below contains foods which have a high natural sugar content or an abundance of starch that can be quickly converted to sugars by the body. Eliminate or at least reduce these foods until the psoriasis patches have disappeared.

• Potatoes
• Rice
• Grapes
• Raisins
• Plums
• Figs
• Dates
• Bananas
• Spaghetti
• Macaroni
• Noodles
• Pizza
• Jams
• Jellies
• Corn
• Beans
• Rice
• Peas
• Artichokes
• Breakfast cereal

After reading this list, you may be wondering just what you can eat. Remember, the foods may later be reintroduced into the diet, but in the beginning you will get faster and better results if you stick rigidly to the program. You can eat any vegetable not listed above. You can have any meat except pork. Eggs and dairy products are allowed. But only a few kinds of fruit are allowed such as: strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew melon, peaches and all citrus fruit, which may be eaten if fresh or packed in water. Coffee and tea should be limited to a couple of times a day.

For more information on how to detoxify the body, eliminating body toxins, or liver detoxification, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Williams’ FREE eLetter or monthly newsletter.

If you are looking to detoxify the body naturally (especially if you are doing a colon cleanse), you’ll want to include items that will help heal any damage to the mucosal lining of the bowels. One of the most time-tested products is slippery elm powder—a favorite topical remedy of Native Americans for wounds, burns, and boils. It was also used internally for ulcers and to soothe an irritated intestinal system.

Slippery elm is very safe, and can be purchased in bulk or in capsules (I prefer the bulk product). A slippery elm drink can be made by adding a heaping teaspoon of the powder to a little cold water to make a paste, and then pouring on a cup of boiling water while constantly stirring the mixture. Let it cool and then drink it, three times a day. For a slight variation you can use boiling milk instead of water and flavor the mixture with cinnamon or nutmeg. If you take slippery elm capsules, I suggest 800–1,000 mg three or four times daily.

An alternative to slippery elm is a product called Sialex from Ecological Formulas. It contains an extract of mucin (the main component of mucus) that re-establishes the protective mucus layer in the bowel and provides a lubricating action. You shouldn’t need Sialex if you use slippery elm, but I wanted you to know about it because it is helpful in healing the most stubborn cases, particularly ulcerations in the stomach and small intestine. The recommended dosage is 1 to 3 capsules with meals.

In addition to the slippery elm, now would be a good time to begin drinking green tea. I’ve expounded on the many benefits of green tea for years. However, most people still don’t realize that green tea can have a very positive effect on bowel regularity and bowel flora. Not only does it have antimicrobial properties and inhibit the growth of many pathogenic bacteria, it encourages growth of the beneficial lactobacilli bacteria at the same time.

When you are looking to detoxify the body, you must start with the basics—your diet. To kick off a truly effective cleansing detoxification program, you should try what I call the “weed and feed” program.

The idea is to first cleanse the bowels of any harmful or large numbers of undesirable bacteria, fungi, yeast, and parasites; heal any damage that has taken place; and then re-establish a healthy population of beneficial bacteria.

Overall it’s roughly a two-week program that begins with a 24-hour fast, where ideally nothing would be consumed except purified water. (Chlorinated water is not recommended, because it is not particular about which bacteria it kills—even the beneficial types in the bowel.) If one can’t fast on water alone for 24 hours, a homemade vegetable broth or the low-sodium version of V8 juice can be included, but under no circumstances should you add any fruit, juices, or other foods or drinks.

After the first 24 hours, steamed vegetables and light salads can be gradually added to the diet. (Yeast products, sugar, and starchy foods such as potatoes and rice are not allowed.)

Days 2 and 3 begin the “weeding” of your colon as “broad spectrum” natural antimicrobials are added to the regimen. The standard antimicrobial is garlic, preferably fresh—which has been proven effective against eliminating an extremely wide variety of harmful bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses while at the same time sparing the beneficial forms of bacteria. You can achieve these effects by simply consuming two crushed garlic cloves twice daily with your meals.

Beginning on Day 4, and through the remaining two weeks, you need to heal any damage to the bowel and re-establish the growth and dominance of the beneficial bacteria. In addition to adding specific supplements (such as a good probiotic), you can now gradually begin to introduce more and more fresh foods into your diet.

During this period it is important not to consume sugar, alcohol, caffeine, wheat products, or high starch foods such as bread, potatoes, and rice. Steamed or stir-fried vegetables are highly recommended—particularly high-sulfur foods such as cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cress, kale, mustard, radish, and turnip. Cabbage is one of the most researched (and also one of my favorites)—steamed, stir-fried, or fermented as sauerkraut. Onions, asparagus, and artichokes are also good choices.

Legumes (beans and peas) may also be introduced. Keep in mind, too, that these last few items are higher in fiber—which will be  a great help for IBS and other bowel problems, but may need to be introduced later if diarrhea is an issue. The timing of when and how much can be eaten will vary from individual to individual.

Meat can also be gradually added (begin with chicken, fish, or lamb), and it is generally easier and best to do so in the form of broths, stews, or soups. Slow-cooked (not instant) oatmeal is a good addition at this point. Dairy products may also be included. Start with the fermented ones first (such as yogurt).

As you begin to re-introduce different foods, be alert to any changes in bowel changes or symptoms. You may have to discontinue certain foods and add them back later when you see improved bowel regularity.

Some experts believe that half of all cancer results from our exposure to various environmental toxins. While some of these toxic substances obviously come from our drinking water, it appears that most are finding their way into our food supply.

Some of these toxins are formed naturally when grains or other food products begin to break down and develop molds. For example, in China, the incidence of liver cancer has skyrocketed due to a mold that grows on rice. In some parts of China, as many as one in 10 adults dies from liver cancer caused by the chemical aflatoxin found in the mold. Aflatoxin also grows on corn and other cereal grains, and has been linked to increases in cancer rates throughout the world.

Many man-made environmental toxins, some of which have been banned from further use, are also finding their way into the food chain. In Europe, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found in hen eggs. Further investigation found that the source was chicken feed contaminated with oil. The problem, however, both in this country and abroad, is that there is no regular monitoring in place to check animal feeds, produce, etc., for the hundreds of potential contaminants. If a farmer unknowingly feeds his chickens contaminated feed, or allows them to graze on contaminated soil, and the toxins later show up in their eggs, who would know?

And toxic contamination isn't limited to chickens and/or eggs. Beef, milk, grains, fruit, vegetables, fish, and practically every other food source has been shown to have some level of pesticide, herbicide, toxic metal, pollutant, or other contaminant at one time or another. Unless you raise all your own food, there's a pretty good chance you'll be ingesting environmental toxins from the food and/or water supply at one time or another. (If you're drinking chlorinated water, you're already consuming toxins on a regular basis.)

Simply adding fermented foods and/or probiotics to your diet provides incredible IBS support and can eliminate 75 to 80 percent of all cases of IBS.

The first step for dealing with IBS and other bowel problems is to add fermented food and/or a probiotic supplement to your daily regimen. Research and clinical work has shown that anywhere from 50 to 75 percent of those who make this change will notice a significant difference in their health.

Probiotics are live micro-organisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, provide a health benefit to the host by engaging and neutralizing toxic compounds. It’s a constant battle for control, and beneficial bacteria are often sacrificed in the process.

While commercial supplements are the first thought that comes to mind when you mention probiotics, naturally fermented, “live” foods have been around since the beginning of mankind. The most common include:

• fermented vegetables,
• fermented milk products (clabber, yogurt, cheese, buttermilk),
• kefir, and
• fermented soy products (natto, miso, tempeh, soy sauce, fermented tofu.

I highly recommend you include foods like these regularly in your diet.

My favorite fermented food is homemade sauerkraut. I keep a fresh batch going almost constantly, and some already made in the fridge at all times. It provides one of the widest varieties of beneficial bacteria that are known to protect against everything from bowel troubles to cancer. It’s inexpensive and easy to make and keep. A little salt, cabbage, and a crock are all that’s needed.

During those times when you’re not home or don’t have access to homemade sauerkraut or other fermented foods, I recommend the use of a commercial probiotic product. Look for one that can maintain viability without refrigeration, available in health food stores and over the Internet.

I would venture to say that adding probiotics to the diet (and eliminating products that contain HFCS) would provide tremendous IBS help and could eliminate 75 to 80 percent of all cases of IBS, maybe even more.

Common digestive problems are the second most common cause of hospitalizations. (Pregnancy is #1 with women and coronary problems are #1 with men.) Thousands of diseases can be linked directly to a poor digestive system.

In the case of diarrhea, one of the best diarrhea treatments is to increase your intake of cultured foods, specifically, those made milk products, such as yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, etc.

Yogurt has been used for centuries to cure bowel problems and diarrhea. The oldest people in the world, in the mountains of Russia, reportedly use plenty of yogurt and clabbered milk as their protein source. Similarly, a study at a New York hospital confirmed that between a third and a half cup of ordinary yogurt stopped severe infant diarrhea twice as fast as the standard anti-diarrhea drug Neomycin Kaopectate (Clin. Ped.63;1(7):407-411). In fact, yogurt works so effectively at preventing diarrhea in the first place, it is routinely used for that purpose in hospitals throughout Russia, Japan, and Italy.

Yogurt can do so much more than just correct bowel problems. At least seven natural antibiotics have been isolated from yogurt and fermented milk products. One called acidolin has been shown to be as effective, if not more so, as many prescription antibiotics (J. of Antibiotics 74;27(8):631-636). Eating yogurt may also decrease the risk of cancer. One French study discovered that among women who ate dairy products, those who ate the greatest amounts of yogurt had the lowest rate of breast cancer (J.Nat.Cancer Inst. 86;77(3):633-636).
Yogurt can also drop LDL cholesterol levels as much as 10 percent in one week, while raising HDL cholesterol levels (the good kind) (Ather.77;26[3]:335-340). And regular yogurt (not the low-fat kind) contains the hormone-like substance prostaglandin E2, which, among other things, can prevent ulcers. It can even boost the immune system.

Like just about everything else these days, the type of yogurt you eat makes a difference. The label of any yogurt you buy should say it has "active cultures." Some companies pasteurize the product after it’s been made, and this kills off the remaining beneficial bacteria making it useless. If you can find products made from L. acidophilus bacteria cultures, they will have the greatest benefits. If the yogurts made in your area don’t list the type of cultures used, you may have to call or write the manufacturer.

Also, avoid the yogurts containing sugar. Usually the yogurts with fruit are loaded with sugar. Add your own fruit. Bananas give it a sweet taste and counteract the sourness. For a more consistent sweetness, try blending the banana into the yogurt in the blender.

If you have a healthy intestinal tract, you have over 400 different species of microorganisms living there. They make up two pounds of your body weight! In the stomach, very few are able to survive because of the acidity. In fact, there may be as few as 10 to 100 organisms in every milliliter (.0338 fluid ounces) of stomach content. In the small intestine, there might be anywhere from 100 to 1000 organisms per milliliter.

As you reach the junction between the small and large intestine (at the ileocecal valve), the numbers begin to grow. In the large intestine or colon, as many as one trillion organisms per milliliter are common.

Good bacteria do four key things to help promote a healthy body, digestion, and even immune system:

1. Acidify the Colon—A healthy colon pH should, ideally, be between 6.7 and 6.9. Some of the by-products that help good bacteria achievethis are lactic and acetic acids. This slightly acidic environment inhibits the growth of undesirable bacteria like salmonella (causes food poisoning), shigella (common diarrhea cause), and E coli (which can cause intestinal disease and chronic kidney failure). These bacteria also produce a volatile fatty acid that, along with the acids, makes it difficult for fungus and yeast (like Candida) to survive.
2. Promote Bowel Regularity—Good bacteria can decrease the time it takes for waste products to move through the digestive system. They can also prevent the opposite problem. In other words, they correct both constipation and diarrhea.
3. Improve the Ability of the Immune System—By providing an area for controlled antigen production, good bacteria help stimulate the formation of antibodies. They provide a natural form of vaccination.
4. Eliminates bloating and gas problems and sweetens the breath—Bad breath (halitosis) is very frequently caused when the wrong bacteria takes over in the colon and produce foul smelling waste products, bloating and gas. These gases can be expelled and/or reabsorbed into the blood, where they are later released in the lungs and exhaled. All the breath mints in the world won’t correct bad breath caused by a bowel problem.

If you are looking for IBS help, you first need to understand IBS trigger foods and the role they play in the disease.

One of the main IBS trigger foods is wheat. IBS patients are often sensitive or allergic to wheat and other grain products. As such, wheat bran and other cereals are generally not the best source of fiber for people looking for IBS support. Instead, water-soluble fibers that promote the formation of protective gel and mucus in the bowel are best. This type of fiber is found in guar gum, psyllium or Indian husks, oat bran, flax seeds, fruits, vegetables and legumes. (Legumes is a fancy word for beans and peas.)

Keep in mind that most of these fiber sources are either absorbents or binding agents. One of their characteristics is that they absorb or bind with water. This causes them to soften, swell, and increase in volume. This creates the extra bulk necessary to gently stimulate the cleansing movement in the colon. For the whole process to work, you must consume adequate amounts of water. This means that it’s absolutely necessary to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water a day.

Note: Although increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables is essential in treating IBS, during periods of diarrhea they are best avoided. But they should be reintroduced gradually when the bowels are normal. The amounts and timing will vary from individual to individual. The same holds true for the amount of guar gum or psyllium that needs to be taken. It would be impossible for me to give the exact amount needed. Each person will have to monitor bowel regularity, consistency, and looseness and adjust the dosages accordingly.

Most people are unaware that IBS can be a recurring and intermittent problem linked to, among other things, imbalances within the body. One of the more common issues with IBS is that the protective intestinal mucus lining has been destroyed. One of the better IBS treatments for this is a quarter to a half cup of aloe vera gel daily between meals to help protect and speed the healing of the colon. This gel is available in local health food and grocery stores.

A second common issue with IBS is painful contractions of the colon. Another one of my preferred natural IBS remedies that helps this particular issue is peppermint. Peppermint leaves and oil were probably put on this Earth specifically to treat gastrointestinal disorders.

Peppermint has several very helpful healing characteristics, including:

• It has a gentle disinfecting effect. This helps prevent the fermentation of improperly digested foods in the stomach and bowels. This stops the formation of intestinal bloating and gas and the pain associated with it.
• It alleviates nausea and vomiting.
• It relaxes the muscles of the intestinal tract and prevents colon spasms often present with IBS.

Peppermint tea bags are readily available in both supermarkets and health food stores. The tea can also be made from fresh leaves. Simply add 1 or 2 teaspoons to a cup of hot, not boiling, water and let it stand covered for 10 to 15 minutes. I would recommend keeping a supply of peppermint tea around the house; however, it shouldn’t be used on a casual, regular basis. Use it only during periods of stomach, liver, gallbladder or pancreatic upset. You’ll find that regular habitual use will lessen its effect.

Probiotic benefits vary depending on the bacteria in question. If you're looking for a probiotic digestive supplement, be sure to choose one that does what you have in mind. If you're interested in addressing a specific health area, then a single species of bacteria, or even a specific strain, might be up to the job.

Here are some of my recommendations:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus--for the relief of occasional diarrhea symptoms.
• Bifidobacterium longum--for improvement in bowel regularity.
• Bifidobacterium lactis--for improved immune function and a reduction of H. pylori, the bacteria thought to be responsible for digestive ulcers.
• Lactobacillus plantarum--also for improved immune function.
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus--for a reduction in the diarrhea symptoms known as "traveler's diarrhea."
• Lactobacillus paracasei--also for improved immune function.
• Lactobacillus salivarius--also for improved immune function.
• Lactobacillus gasseri--for the relief of occasional diarrhea symptoms.
• Bifidobacterium longum --for the relief of occasional diarrhea symptoms, particularly the condition known as "traveler's diarrhea."
• Bifidobacterium infantis--for the relief of bowel irregularity and the abdominal pain associated with bloating and gas.

If you're looking for overall digestive health benefits, including improved bowel regularity and relief from bloating and gas, you'll want a product that contains a variety of species.

Probiotic benefits of a digestive health supplement containing Bifidobacterium infantis  include the relief of bowel irregularity and the abdominal pain associated with bloating and gas--making it among the few effective IBS treatments.

As you might imagine from the name, B. infantis is one of the dominant digestive bacteria in children, in whom it helps support immune health. The population of B. infantis declines with age, but it still remains an important part of your digestive flora. As a side benefit, the bacteria can help improve bowel regularity in children.

Look for a digestive health supplement that contains B. infantis, along with a variety of other bacteria species, to get the full range of probiotic benefits.

You can improve your bowel regularity by using biofeedback, according to a recent study out of the University of Iowa.

As many as 10 million people who experience chronic bowel irregularity have a condition known as "dyssynergic defecation," in which the muscles of the bowel aren't working together as they should to push stool out of the digestive tract. Patients who have this condition find that their bowel problems aren't relieved by conventional treatments for bowel irregularity.

A course of biofeedback training provided at least some relief from bowel problems in every patient in a small study. Thirty percent of the participants were able to stop using laxatives after a three-month course of biofeedback training. At one-year followup, the benefits remained, with continued improvement in bowel regularity for those who had the training.

This training isn't for everyone, certainly. The procedure sounds uncomfortable, to say the least--it involves a probe inserted in the rectum to measure muscle contractions in the lower bowel. But if you're not experiencing relief from bowel irregularity with your current program, then it might be worth investigating.

Bowel regularity requires two kinds of fiber, not just one. Fiber can be either soluble or insoluble.

Soluble fiber dissolves in your gut, and acts as a natural stool thickener. You might not think that would be a good thing for someone who's experiencing constipation, but in fact the soluble fiber absorbs a lot of water--which helps keep things moving along smoothly. Foods high in soluble fiber are just about the perfect natural laxatives.

Insoluble fiber doesn't dissolve. Instead, it provides bulk for your gut muscles to push against as they move stool through your system.

Traditionally recommended sources of fiber are mostly high in insoluble fiber. While they are helpful in relieving bowel irregularity, remember that you need sources of soluble fiber, too. So when you're going for the crunchy vegetables and whole grains, don't forget fruits and oats as well--excellent sources of soluble fiber.

Bowel problems can be directly connected to working shift work. A study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology showed that nurses who worked either night shifts or rotating shifts were significantly more likely to experience bowel problems such as abdominal pains, constipation, and diarrhea--essentially IBS symptoms (irritable bowel syndrome).

In the study, 399 nurses were asked about their digestive health, including constipation and diarrhea symptoms. Those who worked rotating shifts reported similar risk for constipation and diarrhea, but a significantly higher risk for abdominal pain and other IBS symptoms.

Certainly the high stress involved in nursing increases ones risk of bowel problems overall. What made those bowel problems worse in the shift workers is that their daily rhythms have been disrupted. I've reported before about how daily rhythm is connected to heartburn. Now it appears that other areas of digestive health, including bowel regularity, are also driven by the clock.