Irritable Bowel Syndrome is becoming an ever increasing problem here in Australia. Since it is labelled a "syndrome" this means the true underlying cause is unknown in Western Medicine. Diagnosis is primarily made through a process of elimination of more serious conditions, until no other possible cause can be determined. This unfortunately means that sufferers are left without much option other than managing it and learning to live with it for life. Fortunately this is an area where Chinese Medicine has a lot to offer. Irritable Bowel Syndrome doesn't actually exist in Chinese Medicine, this is because Chinese Medicine has its own rock solid diagnostic framework, which I discussed in detail in an earlier blog post. Most cases of IBS translate into what Chinese medicine diagnose as: wood/earth disharmonies or Spleen Qi deficiency generating Dampness. What does this mean? basically it means there is a disharmony between your Liver and digestive system, or the digestion has become weakened and cannot carry out its function of separating nutrients from waste properly. This tends to result in issues such as bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea etc. My clinical experience is the initial trigger for most IBS cases comes from either prolonged emotional stress, or a strong illness from which the digestion has never fully recovered. How many times have we heard someone say "ever since that trip overseas my digestion has never been the same"?. The good news is that Chinese medicine is very effective at strengthening bodily functions, in contrast to western medicine's speciality of supplementation -which is a good band-aid, but not a long term solution for this particular issue. The prognosis of each case is of course different, but every sufferer of IBS should consult a Chinese Medicine practitioner to see how they can be helped. Which has to be better than living with a restricted diet or never being far from a toilet...
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