Treatment for IBS – Guardian Featured Harley Street IBS Clinic
So you have the IBS label and you’ve been told you have to manage it and that it cannot be cured. You’ve possibly been given some treatment for the symptoms too. But you are finding that this doesn’t help much.
Symptoms are your body’s way of letting you know it has a problem. A bit like a red light coming up on the dashboard of your car. It needs attention. It needs to be fixed. The warning light shouldn’t be turned off without identifying the problem and sorting it. And the human body is no different. It’s warning light takes the shape of pain, discomfort, reflux, urgent visits to the bathroom etc. So to switch off these valuable warning signs with medication is not an approach we would use.
Instead we do some detective work to find out why your warning lights are on. This is done with functional medicine tests carefully chosen for each patient after very carefully listening to the patient and taking a full case history. We pride ourselves on finding what the cause of your IBS is and addressing the underlying issues discovered by the tests.
This way IBS can be resolved. So it is not something you have to live with at all. It’s about looking in the right places to identify and address the underlying issues causing it. Our clinical outcomes are said to be “remarkable”- a leading London Pathologist noted this on seeing so many retests coming out as negative, having initially been positive. We love what we do!
What is IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
IBS is one of the most common gastro-intestinal disorder reported to GPs. In fact, up to 50% of referrals to gastroenterologists are for IBS. There is clinical evidence that stress can make this unpleasant condition worse. However, there will be underlying problems in the digestive tract too.
The majority of the patients seen at Harley Street IBS Clinic have had problems with IBS for many years – sometimes from childhood. They have usually done the rounds of GPs and gastroenterologists, been given only temporary relief by way of medication to treat their symptoms, yet their problems still persist because the underlying issues have not been diagnosed or addressed. Many patients have been told that they must live with it.
What are the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS?
Patients may suffer with:
- Recurrent abdominal pain
- Abdominal spasms
- Excessive gas
- Allergies
- Severe bloating
- Diarrhoea and/or constipation
- Pain low down on the left and/or right of the abdomen
- There is often discomfort just below the stomach
- There are usually loud bowel sounds, which can be embarrassing
- Nausea and/or acid reflux
- A dip in energy as well, with patients feeling tired most of the time.
- Poor sleep
What can be done?
Depending on the results of the diagnostic functional medical tests, a personalised prescription of non pharmaceutical medicine and prescription health supplements is formulated and dispensed to meet each patient’s unique needs for IBS treatment. Every patient’s experience of IBS is different so a prescription tailored to each patient’s unique needs works far better than a one-size-fits-all approach.
As mentioned earlier, stress is highly significant in the exacerbation of IBS. It is therefore important to support the nervous system and adrenal function with natural medicine along with the treatment for IBS. Patients are usually surprised at how effective the natural treatment for IBS is. IBS is an inflammatory condition so it is very important to identify and address the source of the inflammation rather than merely mask the symptoms.
On average, it takes around 6-8 weeks of treatment for IBS to start noticing an improvement. Treatment for IBS continues until the patient is symptom free and the underlying issues resolved. Diet is a very important part of the treatment for IBS and dietary guidance – according to your like and dislikes – is available from our leading London IBS Nutritionist to support the treatment and help recovery.
A 26 year old male presenting with severe abdominal pain, 6-10+ bowel movements daily, faecal incontinence, acid reflux, bloating, excess gas and 4st overweight:
“I was being treated within the NHS by my GP and then at a local hospital for well over a year but it wasn’t helping me at all.
The NHS diagnosed me with chronic IBS, which is an “umbrella” term they give to patients, which sounds better than actually admitting they didn’t have a clue what was wrong or why I was in so much pain. The NHS failed me by not finding what was wrong, what caused the pain in the first place, and they gave me no advice whatsoever on how to control my pain, other than the use of NHS drugs. After being diagnosed with chronic IBS, they simply discharged me and left me on a multitude of antibiotics and strong painkillers that made my stomach worse, and other medication that did not help, which I would probably require for the rest of my life. They simply said, “There is nothing more we can do”.
The day I left the Consultants office, I had no hope of ever being able to live a normal life. I was 25 and a non-smoker, and I did not drink alcohol at all. I was in a relationship that was breaking down because of my bad moods and depression and I had low self-esteem, caused by the constant pain. At this point I was desperate. I was off sick from work for months during and was about to lose my job because I was unable to control my bowel movements. I would have a bowel movement up to 10 times a day, sometimes even more.
I would leave home in the morning to go to work and have to return home before even arriving at work because I was in so much pain or soiled. I had to take spare clothes and washing kit to work or leave work halfway through the day due to being in so much pain.The pain was beyond anything I have ever experienced and no one could tell me why or help. I was living an absolute nightmare. I was collapsing frequently due to excruciating pain so my parents said I should try to find an IBS specialist.
When I met Deborah, I was suffering with unbearable abdominal pain all day, every day, no matter what I ate, and even if I didn’t eat. And it did get to the point where I was afraid to eat. I was in agony and had no quality of life whatsoever.
That all changed when I started treatment with Deborah. Even at my very first visit, she gave me a detailed breakdown of her suspicions as to what she believed was causing my pain. She advised me to have tests done to confirm this. She gave me hope she would be able to devise a treatment plan which would help reduce my pain and allow me to regain some control of my life. From tests carried out, Deborah’s suspicions were confirmed. I adopted a treatment plan containing her medication and was given detailed information as to what foods I should be eating, and importantly what foods to avoid.
Once I started following her guidance, it was clear to me things were starting to change. It took about a month for the chronic pain to begin to ease off, and as the months went by, not only was I not in so much pain, my bowel movements were decreasing and I was starting to believe one day I would be better. Approximately 1 year on, I am able to work full-time again.
Since the start of treatment, I have lost approximately four stone in weight, just by eating the food I was advised to, without any exercise at all. Deborah said she could help me, if I followed her advice exactly. She could see how serious my condition was and how depressed I was about my situation, and she kept to her word. I am astounded everyday, when I think of where I was in my life just over a year ago, and how depressed I was at that time.
Today I can now train in the gym four times a week, I am still with my wonderful girlfriend expecting our first child later this year, and I have become such a fitter happier person. Deborah has not only given me back my life, but she has given me the tools to be able to take care of myself for the rest of my life. I am forever grateful, thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Daniel – London
If you feel you could benefit from this approach to treatment for your IBS, please call our Medical Secretary to make a Skype appointment.
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