No matter where Laura went, her first mission was to scout out where the bathrooms were. That’s because she never knew when the abdominal cramping would begin, accompanied by the urgent need to go NOW! She sat in the back at movie theatres and had to have an aisle seat at her friends’ weddings. Traveling, one of her favorite hobbies, had completely fallen by the wayside since the day her digestive issues began. Sadly, Laura’s life now completely revolved around IBS.
Living with IBS Takes Guts
Laura certainly isn’t alone. For an estimated 60 million Americans (which includes twice as many women as men), the digestive struggles of IBS are just part of a normal daily routine. Sufferers, however, feel anything but normal. The symptoms are uncomfortable—cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation—and can also be seriously embarrassing—have you ever tried to sit through a meeting, unable to concentrate on anything other than the quickest escape route to the nearest restroom? In addition to dealing with struggles in the workplace, many IBS sufferers have to forego social functions, travel plans, and other enjoyable events because of the disruption symptoms can cause in their daily lives.
While the symptoms of IBS can be lifelong, it’s lack of solutions that often frustrates patients the most. Many people are told their symptoms are all in their heads, and for those who are given a diagnosis, conventional medicine offers little in the way of treatment. This can leave those who are a slave to their IBS feeling defeated and depressed, adding psychological distress to their long list of symptoms.
Do you have IBS? Symptoms can include:
| Cramping, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation | A sense of incomplete bowel movements | Abdominal pain relieved by bowel movements | Fatigue, nausea, headaches, vomiting |
Hope in an Herb
The bottom line is that IBS is stealing the joy from the lives of millions of people. But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to. By making intentional lifestyle and dietary choices, patients can drastically eliminate IBS symptoms from their lives. On top of that, a little known botanical called boswellia is offering new hope for those struggling with IBS.
To understand how boswellia works for IBS patients, it’s important to know that IBS is caused by inflammation in the digestive tract. What’s leading to this inflammation? One of the more frustrating things about IBS is that it’s often difficult to pinpoint a cause. It could be just one factor or a combination of many that contribute to a patient’s intestinal inflammation. Diet quality, food sensitivities, and the amount of stress in your life all play a role in your digestive wellness. Other conditions, such as allergies, hormonal disruptions, and bacterial imbalances in the intestines can also influence IBS.
The Key to 5-LOX
No matter what outside factors are present, IBS inflammation is triggered by an enzymes called 5-lipoxygenase, commonly known as 5-LOX. This enzyme is responsible for activating healthy inflammatory compounds in the body that can contract the smooth muscle tissues in your intestines. Sometimes those inflammatory compounds overreact, initiating a cascade of unhealthy events that contribute to the symptoms of IBS. The key to relieving intestinal inflammation then is to control that 5-LOX enzyme, which is exactly what boswellia can do—better, in fact, than anything offered by conventional medicine.
Most prescription medications only act on one enzyme enzymatic pathway. Natural compounds like boswellia, however, often contain various compounds that exert a multitude of therapeutic effects throughout the body. While boswellia is one of the world’s most effective natural medicines because of its unique ability to temper 5-LOX inflammation, it’s also able to stop other cellular inflammation and damage from taking over the body.
Boswellia is effective for patients dealing with IBS, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, but the type of extract is crucial to how well it works for these digestive disorders. A specialized boswellia extract is crucial to how well it works for these digestive disorders. A specialized boswellia extract that contains at least 10% of naturally occurring Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acids, or AKBA, is ideal. AKBA is the important component of boswellia, responsible for its powerful effects.
A recent Italian study examined Boswellia serrata for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in patients with various inflammatory bowel diseases. When used proactively, the herb helped to protect intestinal epithelial cells from inflammatory damage. The study also verified the safety of boswellia, as the trial showed no negative effects on cell viability or function.
In another study in Germany, individuals with Crohn’s disease were treated with boswellia or a drug called mesalazine, which is commonly used to treat patients with Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, and IBS. Boswellia performed equally as well as mesalazine, but caused none of the dangerous side effects that often stem from the use of the prescription drug.
In addition to a powerful, effective boswellia supplement, a daily probiotic is important for patients suffering from any form of digestive distress. Best known for their role in yogurt, probiotics are live, active strains of beneficial bacteria that naturally live in the intestines. Probiotics have been proven to improve IBS symptoms by eliminating gas, bloating, and cramping, reducing inflammation, and resolving constipation and diarrhea. Three of the best probiotic strains you can take for IBS support include Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Taking one product that contains all three of these is ideal.
With the recent discovery of boswellia’s therapeutic effects on IBS, there’s no better time to rid yourself of the agonizing pain of IBS and regain control of your life—a life meant to be spent doing things you love, not searching for the nearest restroom. You can find safe, lasting relief with boswellia.
Gaetano Morello, BSc, ND, is a licensed naturopathic physician practicing in West Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a clinician at the newly formed Complex Chronic Diseases Program at BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver, making him the first Naturopathic Doctor working at a leading North American Hospital. Dr. Gaetano is the author of Whole Body Cleansing and Cleanse: Ultimate Inside-Out Approach, as well as a contributing author to A Textbook of Natural Medicine and a member of the Quality Assurance Committee for the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia.
Article originally published in Good Health Lifestyles magazine.