"Oh my, I feel bloated again. It's been three days since I've
had a bowel movement. This cramping is killing me. It always
seems to be worse with stress. Metamucil and laxatives really
don't seem to help very much. What am I going to do?"
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with constipation is very common,
as well as being very frustrating. This patient would want to at
least take care of the basics--the standard migraine care as
outlined in my book, Doctor, Why Do I Feel This Way? The
possible offending food list is the same for IBS and migraines.
All people, especially people with IBS with constipation, should
have certain bowel habits. They are encouraged to have their
bowel movement 10-20 minutes after breakfast; to put the feet in
position to allow them to unweight (in other words lift the body
up slightly); not to hold breath while defecating; to consume
adequate water; and to increase gradually fiber intake.
Magnesium oxide can help migraines and increase the intestinal
motility of contents. If these measures are not adequate,
medicines can be prescribed. Your doctor can help you decide on
the correct approach to IBS symptoms.
This person falls into the migraine syndrome profile. Let me
explain what I mean by the migraine syndrome. It
is the outward expression of the body's sensitivity to light,
sound, smell, food, and/or stress. Some people are more
sensitive than others; therefore, their reactions to different
stimuli are greater. This sensitivity can be manifested in the
body as migraines, sinus headaches, neck aches, palpitations,
irritable bowel syndrome, motion sickness or vertigo, reactive
hypoglycemia, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), panic
attacks, and/or fibromyalgia. Now that's a mouthful!
Understanding what is going on with you is very important in the
healing process.
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