Spastic Colon
Stomach cramps, diarrhea, constipation, gas and bloating - these are all signs of a spastic colon otherwise known as irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. This condition can range from terribly inconvenient to devastating and is the most common chronic health problem in America surpassing even diabetes and asthma.
Characterized by cramping in the lower abdomen and either constipation or diarrhea or both, spastic colon attacks can happen at any time of the day or night and sometimes wake people up from a sound sleep. while many people think that this is a psychological problem it is actually a physical problem with the bowel or colon just doesn’t work as it is supposed to.
As you can imagine, this problem can be quite inconvenient and can actually cause some people to be afraid to go out anywhere if they don’t know when the next attack will come. Luckily, there are many ways of controlling symptoms of a spastic colon.
But before you start to try to control your spastic colon, you need to make sure that that is really the cause of these symptoms and the best way to do that is to see a specialist. Symptoms associated with IBS or spastic colon can also mean other problems and you need to have this diagnosed properly to be sure you are treated correctly. In particular, if you have a fever joint pain or notice blood in your stool you should see a doctor. Also, spastic colon does not typically involve nausea or other upper GI symptoms except some people do feel nauseous because of the pain of the cramping.
When you see a doctor, he or she will want to do some tests to rule out other diseases as there is no test to specifically pinpoint spastic colon or Irritable Bowel syndrome. some other diseases that your doctor will be rolling out include: colon cancer, diverticulosis, food allergies, ovarian cancer, Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. You should also be tested for food allergies to make sure that this is not your problem.
Once you have your diagnosis of spastic colon you want to work towards controlling and hopefully eliminating your symptoms. You can do this mainly through diet and eliminating trigger foods that cause your colon to go spastic. one thing you should do is make sure that you get enough soluble fiber as this will suit your digestive system and stabilize the cramping. Soluble fiber foods include oatmeal, Rice, soy, potatoes, carrots, squash, bananas, applesauce and pasta. You can also take a soluble fiber supplement to get more soluble fiber in your digestive system.
You will have to experiment with foods to see which foods trigger your symptoms but you’ll definitely want to stay away from high-fat foods as this seems to be a trigger for most people. dairy foods can trigger your spastic colon symptoms so you probably want and avoid all dairy. Also try to avoid coffee and alcohol.
Although fruits, vegetables and other foods full of insoluble fiber can be a trigger for IBS or spastic colon, you do need to include these in your diet as they have important vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Just remember to eat them with a larger amount of soluble fiber foods such as vegetables with rice or fruit with oatmeal and make sure they are cooked and peeled.
While a spastic colon can be inconvenient and sometimes devastating, you can work towards eliminating problems and get back to having a normal life with a little bit of patience and watching what you eat.
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