Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Anyone can develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a fairly common disorder with a range of symptoms affecting the large intestine.  Although women are twice as likely to be affected as men, IBS can be developed at any time. The onset of the disorder can be triggered by many things, including stress, specific foods and hormone levels.These triggers activate certain genes, causing the muscles of the intestines to abnormally contract, resulting in symptoms such as pain, cramping, bloating, excess gas and diarrhea or constipation. It’s estimated that 10-15 percent of adult Americans have IBS symptoms, but only half have been diagnosed.

 

Managing IBS

Due to the wide range of symptoms that IBS can evoke, there are many different options to manage the disorder. People often experiment with the use of laxatives, pain medications, antidepressants, or other drugs to ease their symptoms. It is well-known that such approaches may help – what is less known is how natural health practices like meditation, breathing exercises or diet can be less expensive and safer options to provide relief.

A Mindful Approach to IBS

Meditation has been shown to be one of the leading alternative health options for managing IBS. For example, one study assessed the effect of a mindfulness training group compared to a regular support group. Seventy-five women with IBS were enrolled for the eight-week-long study, being evaluated before and after the treatment and at the three-month follow-up. Researchers found that following the intervention, subjects in the mindfulness group had greater reductions in symptom severity, and this was found again at the three-month follow-up. The mindfulness group was also found to have greater improvements in quality of life and anxiety. Keefer and Blanchard followed participants from a previous meditation study to determine if their continued meditation practice had any effects on their IBS. At the one-year follow-up, researchers found that the participants continued to show reductions in abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence and bloating – a significant finding as pain and bloating are reported to be the most distressing symptoms of IBS.

 

Meditation May Alter Genes Involved with IBS

Kuo and colleagues at Harvard recently uncovered one of the ways meditation has been able to relieve symptoms of IBS. As previously mentioned, certain genes can become activated, which can prompt inflammatory cells and the intestine’s immune system, resulting in symptoms. The Harvard researchers assessed the effects on the genes involved in IBS after a nine-week mind-body group intervention involving meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and mind/body counselling. Post-intervention, they found that the expression of 119 genes involved with IBS were altered. This altered expression likely explains participants’ resulting reductions in symptom severity and anxiety as well as scores indicating increased quality of life after the treatment.

 

Nick’s comment: “An easy way to begin a meditation practice is to use the Heart Math biofeedback method.  Read about Heart Math below.”

 

 

HEARTMATH/EMWAVE 2

The heart at rest was once thought to operate much like a metronome, faithfully beating out a regular, steady rhythm. Scientists and physicians now know, however, that this is far from the case. Rather than being monotonously regular, the rhythm of a healthy heart-even under resting conditions—is actually surprisingly irregular, with the time interval between consecutive heartbeats constantly changing. This naturally occurring beat-to-beat variation in heart rate is called heart rate variability (HRV).

Heart rate variability is a measure of the beat-to-beat changes in heart rate. This diagram shows three heartbeats recorded on an electrocardiogram (ECG). Note that variation in the time interval between consecutive heartbeats, giving a different heart rate (in beats per minute) for each interbeat interval.

The normal variability in heart rate is due to the synergistic action of the two branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)—the part of the nervous system that regulates most of the body’s internal functions. The sympathetic nerves act to accelerate heart rate, while the parasympathetic (vagus) nerves slow it down. The sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS are continually interacting to maintain cardiovascular activity in its optimal range and to permit appropriate reactions to changing external and internal conditions. The analysis of HRV therefore serves as a dynamic window into the function and balance of the autonomic nervous system.

Scientists and physicians consider HRV to be an important indicator of health and fitness. As a marker of physiological resilience and behavioral flexibility, it reflects our ability to adapt effectively to stress and environmental demands. A simple analogy helps to illustrate this point: just as the shifting stance of a tennis player about to receive a serve may facilitate swift adaptation, in healthy individuals the heart remains similarly responsive and resilient, primed and ready to react when needed.

HRV is also a marker of biological aging. Our heart rate variability is greatest when we are young, and as we age the range of variation in our resting heart rate becomes smaller. Although the age-related decline in HRV is a natural process, having abnormally low HRV for one’s age group is associated with increased risk of future health problems and premature mortality. Low HRV is also observed in individuals with a wide range of diseases and disorders. By reducing stress-induced wear and tear on the nervous system and facilitating the body’s natural regenerative processes, regular practice of HeartMath coherence-building techniques can help restore low HRV to healthy values.

In general, emotional stress—including emotions such as anger, frustration, and anxiety—gives rise to heart rhythm patterns that appear irregular and erratic: the HRV waveform looks like a series of uneven, jagged peaks (an example is shown in the figure below). Scientists call this an incoherent heart rhythm pattern. Physiologically, this pattern indicates that the signals produced by the two branches of the ANS are out of sync with each other. This can be likened to driving a car with one foot on the gas pedal (the sympathetic nervous system) and the other on the brake (the parasympathetic nervous system) at the same time—this creates a jerky ride, burns more gas, and isn’t great for your car, either! Likewise, the incoherent patterns of physiological activity associated with stressful emotions can cause our body to operate inefficiently, deplete our energy, and produce extra wear and tear on our whole system. This is especially true if stress and negative emotions are prolonged or experienced often.

In contrast, positive emotions send a very different signal throughout our body. When we experience uplifting emotions such as appreciation, joy, care, and love; our heart rhythm pattern becomes highly ordered, looking like a smooth, harmonious wave (an example is shown in the figure below). This is called a coherent heart rhythm pattern. When we are generating a coherent heart rhythm, the activity in the two branches of the ANS is synchronized and the body’s systems operate with increased efficiency and harmony. It’s no wonder that positive emotions feel so good – they actually help our body’s systems synchronize and work better.

Coherence: A State of Optimal Function

The Institute of HeartMath’s research has shown that generating sustained positive emotions facilitates a body-wide shift to a specific, scientifically measurable state. This state is termed psychophysiological coherence, because it is characterized by increased order and harmony in both our psychological (mental and emotional) and physiological (bodily) processes. Psychophysiological coherence is state of optimal function. Research shows that when we activate this state, our physiological systems function more efficiently, we experience greater emotional stability, and we also have increased mental clarity and improved cognitive function. Simply stated, our body and brain work better, we feel better, and we perform better.

The Quick Coherence Technique will help you reach the optimal state.

Step 1: Heart Focus. Focus your attention on the area around your heart, the area in the center of your chest. If you prefer, the first couple of times you try it, place your hand over the center of your chest to help keep your attention in the heart area.

Step 2: Heart Breathing. Breathe deeply, but normally, and imagine that your breath is coming in and going out through your heart area. Continue breathing with ease until you find a natural inner rhythm that feels good to you.

Step 3: Heart Feeling. As you maintain your heart focus and heart breathing, activate a positive feeling. Recall a positive feeling, a time when you felt good inside, and try to re-experience the feeling. One of the easiest ways to generate a positive, heart-based feeling is to remember a special place you’ve been to or the love you feel for a close friend or family member or treasured pet. This is the most important step.

You can do the Quick Coherence® Technique anytime, anywhere and no one will know you’re doing it. In less than a minute, it creates positive changes in your heart rhythms, sending powerful signals to the brain that can improve how you’re feeling. Apply this one-minute technique first thing in the morning, before or during phone calls or meetings, in the middle of a difficult conversation, when you feel overwhelmed or pressed for time, or anytime you simply want to practice increasing your coherence. You can also use Quick Coherence whenever you need more coordination, speed and fluidity in your reactions.

Inner Balance is a free app for IOS and Android that lets you know how you are doing with the technique. The bluetooth pulse sensor that pairs with the app can be bought here.

 

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from Health Info Newsletter April 1, 2018: Irritable Bowel and meditation and Heart Math

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME – Acupuncture

“Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: primary care based pragmatic randomised controlled trial,” Macpherson H, Tilbrook H, et al, BMC Gastroenterol; 2012 Oct 24; 12(1):150. (Address: Hugh MacPherson, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK. E-mail: hugh.macpherson@york.ac.uk ).

A parallel-arm, randomized, controlled trial involving 233 irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients found that acupuncture conferred an additional benefit over usual treatment alone. Subjects had IBS for an average duration of 13 years and a score of at least 100 on the IBS Symptom Severity Score (SSS) and received either 10 weekly individualized acupuncture sessions plus usual care (n=116), or usual care alone (n=117). Results showed that at 3 months, the acupuncture group experienced a greater reduction in SSS as compared to the control group, and that this benefit persisted at 6, 9 and 12 months. These findings indicate that acupuncture may effectively provide additional benefit in conjunction with conventional IBS treatment, and that it’s benefits may be sustained over a long term.

 

I have used acupuncture to treat IBS with success. One of the options is that I teach people to treat themselves with acupuncture… it is a very easy thing to learn. Tthat way treatments can be done on a regular basis without any cost.

 

From Health Info Newsletter November 26, 2012:: Zinc for Colds, IBS, Avocados, Hearing Loss