Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects about one in six people in the United States. While this condition isn’t life threatening or permanently damaging to the body, it does produce a slew of uncomfortable symptoms, such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, constipation and/or diarrhea. 

In my practice I work with a lot of people who have been diagnosed with IBS or suspect they may have IBS. This is a population I personally love working with because there is so much you can do with diet to help someone manage their symptoms. Plus, I personally have IBS (and so do a lot of my family members), so it is a condition close to my heart. 

However, I have found that most people feel discouraged and hopeless once they receive an IBS diagnosis. They often don’t feel like there are a lot of options for them or the options they do have seem overwhelming, such as a low FODMAP diet. Many feel that they will be stuck with these uncomfortable symptoms forever. 

I can speak from first-hand experience that this is not the case. There is hope. There are options and oftentimes the solution is easier than you might think. But, first, I think it is important to lay out what the options actually are. I think it is important to understand everything that is available to help IBS sufferers feel better. 

Here are the three most common ways IBS symptoms can be managed: 

1. Diet 

What you eat (and how you eat it) has a huge impact on how you feel. This is especially true for people with IBS. Figuring out which foods trigger symptoms (and what foods don’t) is key for lifelong management of your symptoms. Also, paying attention to how you eat (fast vs slow, mindfully vs mindlessly) will greatly impact your digestion and therefore your IBS symptoms. 

The majority of people with IBS will benefit from a low FODMAP diet. FODMAPs is an acronym for specific types of carbohydrates that are often poorly digested by those with IBS. Eliminating these hard-to-digest carbohydrates can lead to a reduction in digestive symptoms for about 75% of people with IBS. This means less bloating, less gas, less abdominal pain and less diarrhea in intolerant individuals. So, it’s a great place to start if you have IBS or other relatable digestive struggles. 

For more information on the low FODMAP diet, check out my posts Should You Try a Low FODMAP Diet and The Beginner’s Guide to a Low FODMAP Diet.

2. Lifestyle 

Stress is a major trigger for IBS. It also has a way of trumping everything else going on in your life. Meaning you can eat all the right foods and take all the right supplements but if your body is super stressed, you may still have symptoms. 

This is why it’s really important to address your stress if you have IBS. With everything going on in the world right now, it is hard to not be stressed. And that is okay. But it also means that it’s essential to actively implement strategies to help reduce your stress levels.

Here are some strategies that may help with IBS-related stress:  

• Start an exercise routine 
• Practice yoga 
• Meditate or do guided breathing exercises 
• Journal 
• Create (baking, cooking, art projects, etc)
• Spend time in nature 
• Read
• Pray 
• Connect with friends and family 

Basically anything that is going to get you out of a sympathetic (stress) response and into a parasympathetic (relaxed) response will be helpful for managing your IBS symptoms… even if just for 5-10 minutes each day. The key is that you actively plan to de-stress, unwind and relax each day in a healthy way. Shoot for one or two de-stressing activities and consistently do them each day. 

3. Medication/Supplements 

When managing your IBS symptoms, I think it is a smart idea to work on diet and lifestyle first. If you are not able to find sufficient relief from your symptoms with those two things alone, then medication and supplements may be a good route to explore. 

Your doctor may recommend over the counter products, such as fiber supplements or laxatives to help regulate bowel movements. They may also prescribe medications depending on your symptoms and severity. 

Additional supplements, such as probiotics or magnesium may also play a role in managing your symptoms. It is always important to talk to your healthcare provider before starting any medications or supplements to treat your IBS symptoms. 

If you have IBS or suspect you may have IBS, check out my new guide, FixYourGut: Proven Ways to Manage Your Stomach Problems where I outline more ways to help manage your IBS symptoms.