Colon therapy- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition that is characterized by cramps, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. While IBS doesn’t harm the intestines or cancer, it can turn a person’s life upside down, making it difficult to go to work, attend social outings or travel. Experts don’t know why some people develop IBS and others don’t. It’s thought that sufferers may have a colon that’s extra sensitive to stress and even certain foods, or that the immune system is somehow involved. What is known is that in people who have IBS, the colon doesn’t function normally: It may go into spasms or respond too strongly to outside stimuli, such as stress, or transport contents too quickly-causing diarrhea-or too slowly, causing constipation. Though there’s no cure for IBS, doctors usually recommend a combination of stress management techniques, regular exercise, and even medication to ease symptoms. And since many people often complain of IBS symptoms after eating certain foods, or large, rich meals, dietary changes make sense, even though no single food or dietary pattern has been implicated in the syndrome.
Now a study, published in the American journal of Gastroenterology, suggests that some IBS sufferers actually may have a hypersensitivity to common foods. British researchers tested the blood of 108 IBS patients and 43 healthy controls for IgG4 antibodies to 16 common foods, including milk, eggs, wheat, cheddar cheese, rice, yeast, potatoes, peanuts, cod fish, chicken, lamb, beef, pork, tomatoes and soy bean. Doctors also performed skin prick tests-which exposed patients to the same 16 foods-to determine allergic reactions. The result was that IBS patients had much higher Igg4 antibody lavels than did people in the control group to wheat, beef, pork, lamb and soy bean. Borderline significance was detected for egg yolks and egg whites. There was no significant correlation between antibody levels and the severity and frequency of symptoms. But the mechanism that leads to increased levels of Igg4 antibodies is still speculative, say the researchers. However, higher levels have been linked to food hypersensitivity in people with atopic condition such as eczema, hay fever and asthma, which suggests a similar process, might be occurring in IBS sufferers. Further research in this area could pave the way for more effective treatments.