YOGA AND DIGESTIVE HEALTH SPECIFICALLY IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a condition which effects the digestive system, more common than many may think with approximately 2 in every 10 people in the UK having IBS.* It can cause symptoms such as stomach cramping, nausea, bloating, discomfort and pain, diarrhoea and constipation; these symptoms can be felt in isolation or at the same time with one another and can be mild or severe. IBS can be a life time problem, as there is no cure and there is no exact known cause for IBS flare ups, there is also no test for IBS, therefore diagnosis is largely an elimination to ensure there are no signs of Inflammatory Bowel Disease such as Chron’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Although there no cure for IBS can be managed by lifestyle and diet and knowing your triggers, and each individual will have their own individual triggers. The hardest part of recovery is finding out what your personal triggers are.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a physical condition but can be closely linked to physiological disorders such as stress and anxiety. But what many people are not aware of is that stress and anxiety can be a trigger for IBS!! This can create cyclical flare ups, where the source of the trigger needs to be explored further, possibly on more of a physiological level.
Evidence has shown IBS does not harm the gut or colon in any way, leaving no trace of physical damage, therefore it is thought the problem lies with how the nervous system communicated with the digestive system. Our digestive tracts contain millions of nerve cells that receives constant signals about the condition of our body, thoughts and emotions. The gut is highly reactive in changes to our wellbeing, both physical and emotional. It is not known whether IBS causes heightened levels of stress and anxiety or whether the heightened levels of stress and anxiety cause the IBS symptoms, but it is known that people who suffer from IBS are more likely to be more emotionally sensitive and more likely to suffer from stress and anxiety. **
THEREFORE TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN DAILY LIFE WILL IN TURN ALLEVIATE THE IBS SYMPTOMS, THIS CAN BE ASSISTED BY THE PRACTICE OF YOGA.
Many people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome will spend years finding their individual trigger foods and exploring the specific diets (for example the FODMAP diet) in response to advice from doctors, to no avail. As an IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) sufferer myself, I have spent many years trying to find my triggers. I was given all the medicine to alleviate my diarrhoea and constipation and bloating but this was just covering up the problem, it was not helping to prevent my flare ups. I pushed and eventually was referred to a nutritionalist who led me through an elimination diet, finding that I was sensitive to dairy and wheat. But I was abandoned there, there was no continuous support to help guide me through the process of living with IBS. I was on my own, now I hope to help others through my journey.
IBS must be taken seriously and the physiological aspect needs to be further investigated to find the underlying triggers for many people. If anxiety and stress was not the original trigger it can become the trigger without the sufferer knowing, creating this vicious cycle of flare ups.
In my journey through IBS, I have had my ups and down, but one main lifestyle change helped. YOGA!
HOW CAN YOGA HELP IBS
With stress and anxiety being one of the most common triggers of IBS, the practise of yoga can help slow the breath and calm the nervous system and in turn calm the digestive system.
Especially Hatha Yoga, where Asanas are held for a longer period of time your focus is solely on the breathe, inhalation and exhalation. This focus enable your body to go deeper into your Asana poses but also slows the breathe, calms the mind and slows the body.
Yoga Asanas which help eliminate wind and help to massage the digestive tract:
Camel pose
Seated twist
Standing twist
Foreward fold
Seated fold
Cobra
Sphinx
Active Pigeon
Savasana
Inversions
If you suffer with digestive issues try some simple Yoga practices to help manage your discomforts. Yoga will not heal your digestive problems but it will certainly help manage your symptoms.
YOGA FLOW FOR DIGESTIVE HEALTH COMING SOON ......
* www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/digestive-gut-health/irritable-bowel-syndrome