Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)


Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an intestinal disorder that causes abdominal pain or discomfort, cramping or bloating, and diarrhea or constipation. Irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term but manageable condition. IBS is one of the most common intestinal disorders. Most people's symptoms are so mild that they never see a doctor for treatment. However, some people may have troublesome symptoms, especially abdominal cramps, bloating, and diarrhea. The cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not well understood. In IBS, the movement of the digestive tract is impaired, but doctors can find no change in physical structure, such as inflammation or tumors.

Treatment will depend on the types of symptoms you have and their severity, as well as how they affect your daily life, and will likely involve changes to your lifestyle. Active involvement in treatment is important to managing it successfully. Treatment usually focuses on changes in diet and lifestyle, avoiding foods that obesity symptoms, and managing stress.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS) is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, unrelated to any structural defects. It is characterized by the presence of some or all of the following symptoms: abdominal pain or distention, erratic frequency of bowel movements, constipation/diarrhea, abnormally large secretions of mucous from the colon, bloating, flatulence, nausea, anorexia, headaches and depression.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Food and Chemical Sensitivity


For over 24 years, the ALCAT Test has provided both patients and healthcare professionals with a tool to successfully overcome a wide variety of conditions, such as digestive disorders, migraines, obesity, chronic fatigue symptons, skin disorders and arthritis, which result from food and chemical sensitivities.

Food Sensitivity:
The inability to tolerate foods and environmental factors, also known as sensitivity or intolerance, induces chronic activation of the innate immune system and gives rise to inflammatory processes, which includes excess production of reactive oxygen species and the release of preformed and newly synthesized mediators of inflammation.

Food Sensitivity differ from classic Food Allergies:
True food allergies refer to foods that trigger the immune system to acutely produce massive amounts of the chemical histamine that leads to anaphylaxis.  This potentially fatal condition causes the throat and esophagus to swell, cutting off air from the lungs, or may simply cause hives, skin rashes, and other non-life-threatening reactions.