In honor of National IBS Awareness month [http://www.aboutibs.org/site/about-ibs/april-ibs-awareness-month] here are Holistic Nutrition Consultant Christina Rutheiser's top tips for natural approaches to managing this condition:

Manage stress with a comprehensive program including nutrition, breathing, writing exercises, stretching or other gentle movement.

Exclude dietary allergies and intolerances as root causes-elimination diet can be a useful tool. Common allergens are wheat, cheese/dairy, corn, and eggs.

Address yeast issues (candida overgrowth) if applicable.

Eliminate processed / packaged foods and sugar-focus on whole fresh foods with fiber and enzymes.

Avoid caffeine, coffee, soda, nuts, seeds, dairy, citrus, wheat and fried foods while healing.

Digestive enzymes with pancreatin or protease-take according to label directions at the beginning of each meal. Helps digest food, especially proteins, which will help to alleviate / avoid an autoimmune response to undigested food particles.

Acupuncture can help to strengthen the qi in the spleen, stomach and kidneys.

Drinking adequate water is extremely important for both constipation and diarrhea.

Eating 25-40 grams of fiber, especially soluble fiber, will help to regulate and strengthen the bowels. Avoid wheat bran, which may be too irritating; choose oat bran or psyllium seeds or ground flaxseeds.

Enteric-coated peppermint oil is an antispasmodic which can decrease pain (especially in children).

Aloe vera gel or juice can help dramatically with ulcerative colitis.

Wheatgrass juice can help reduce rectal bleeding in ulcerative colitis patients.

Probiotics can help rebalance flora in the gut. Avoid yogurt if dairy is a trigger for your symptoms.

Prebiotics-that is, the food that probiotics eat-can be a useful adjunct to probiotic therapy: look for inulin, resistant maltodextrin, oligosaccharides such as fructooligosaccharide and galactooligosaccharide. Probiotics and prebioticsput together in one supplement are called synbiotics.

Essential fatty acids (omega 3 acids) like fish oil or flax seed oil are helpful in combatting all inflammatory conditions and can reduce the need for corticosteroids.

Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be coincidental with IBS/IBD-you might consider getting moderate sun exposure or supplementing with a vitamin D3 (which is the natural form of D).

Herbal teas like ginger or peppermint can help with gas and intestinal spasms. Chamomile, slippery elm, or pau d'arco teas can help soothe the intestines.

DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) chewable tablets can help with stomach pain-the DGL helps rebuild the protective mucous layer inside the stomach.

Green drinks (which have superfoods like chlorella, spirulina, or similar) can help with immune support, supplying nutrients to your liver, and to ensure adequate nutrition during times of poor absorption.

YOU CAN CONTACT CHRISTINA BY CALLING 410.296.5160!