The Hindu Business Line : Soothing the irritable bowel

I’ve been suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) for the last six-seven years. I’ve tried all remedies from allopathy to alternative therapy and have even done the 10-day Vipasana course at Igatpuri. But nothing helped. Recent losses in the stock market have aggravated matters. I’m putting a lot of effort to maintain my equilibrium and calm without worrying about the future with not much success. Please show me a way out.

C. Srihari

Just like an irritable, grumpy person, IBS is a grumpy, irritable bowel. You’ve got to avoid certain food, drinks, situations and thoughts that make it snap back at you with pain, diarrhoea or constipation. Here are a few suggestions:

Accept that you have an irritable digestive system, don’t fight it or be obsessed with it. Often, getting stressed thinking about your IBS itself brings painful symptoms. Just accept it without any emotion attached to it. It is part of your life just like an unavoidable pesky relative.

Relax more and more. Find a relaxation technique that suits you, resonates with you — like daily relaxation meditation, chanting, visualisation meditation, self-hypnosis or biofeedback, or a combination of some of them. Consult a meditation master or biofeedback specialist and learn under him. Practise what you learn daily. Carry the stillness, the calmness you derive from such an activity around with you. Breathe deeply to invoke it if you feel the calmness is slipping away. Unwind with a trusted friend, or by watching a sitcom on TV. Avoid TV programmes that show violence and stressful events, avoid chat shows that leave you feeling heckled.

For a day, live without any goals. Relax in the beautiful knowledge that you are exactly how the universe wants you to be right now without any goals. Just go along with the natural flow of life. Gradually increase from one day to two to a week. This will benefit you greatly.

Abandon the attitude of ‘nothing works for me’. Therapies work if you allow them to.

Stop judging, it is stressful. Be open, be free, be welcoming about any therapy. Look benignly on the gains you must have got from Vipasana, for example.

Don’t jump to negative conclusions. Every time you find yourself doing this, say ‘Stop!’ firmly to yourself. In time, negativism will vanish.

Avoid foods and drinks that irritate your system. Don’t feel deprived or isolated in renouncing certain old favourites. You’ll be surprised how many people have given up their favourite chocolate bars to prevent migraines. You’ve got to take it philosophically. Some people suffering from IBS find that milk produces discomfort. Others find beans, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, onions bring on symptoms. A few have had to give up eating spicy curries to be at ease. Acidic foods like oranges, grapefruits, vinegar-based dishes and tomatoes can also aggravate IBS in some individuals. So, keep a close watch on which foods trigger off your IBS and avoid them lifelong.

All IBS-sufferers are advised to avoid fried foods and oily stuff altogether as fat worsens IBS by targeting the colon. On your no-no list are: coffee, alcohol, chewing gum, artificial sweeteners and smoking.

Add fibre and fluids to your intake. Fibre that’s friendly is oats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and isabgol. Irrigate your bowels well with 10-12 glasses of fluids — water, coconut water, juices included.

Eat small, regular meals, never large ones.

Cycle 32 minutes on your stationary bike daily to tone up your bowels and bust your stress.

Apply a heating pad or hot water bag on bad days.

Above all, decided to live an inner rich life instead of an outer rich life.

I am 56 and regularly do exercises like sit-ups, stretches, crunches, push-ups, etc, for half hour daily. I am a vegetarian. My waistline measures 87 cm currently. I’d like to reduce it and welcome your suggestions.

S. Balasubramanian

To determine whether 87 cm is okay, do this chest-waist ration test: Measure your expanded chest. Then, measure your waist at the navel in a relaxed position. The waist should be at least 5 inches smaller than the chest. It’s good that you are doing half an hour of body-toning exercises. I suggest you add a stamina-building exercise like walking half hour daily or cycling 20 minutes daily. This would also burn any excess fat you may have on your waist or other parts of the body. Also do standing side-bends. Keep left hand on hip, extend right arm over your head as you bend your trunk to the left. Bounce gently to 20 counts.

Repeat on the other side. If you do it with 5 pound weights, you will really feel the stretch, and tighten your waist.

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’.

Queries may be sent to life@thehindu.co.in