Irritable bowel syndrome is an immune reaction to a food normally tolerated in the past

Irritable Bowel syndrome is associated with cramping, diarrhea, and/or constipation, stomach pains, bloating, and fatigue.

Irritable bowel syndrome effects millions of Americans.  As frustrating as the condition may be, it gets more frustrating when doctors dismiss it as stress or “its in your head/imagination”.

These various gastrointestinal symptoms result in about 10% of people who had gotten either food poisoning or an abdominal/GI infection in the past, to become sensitive to a food they could handle fine previously.

Even if original event is mild, in these people, there is a link made somehow between what they were eating at the time of food poisoning/infection, and possibly becoming sensitive to that item later.  The other 90% recover fine and continue to handle the food(s) they were eating when they got the infection or food poisoning.

There is enhanced binding of IgE bearing, antigen recognizing (mistakingly here in this 10% of people) mast cells, releasing histamine, causing symptoms ranging from pain to diarrhea, bloating, constipation (ref).

Usually this occurs with more “antigenic” proteins, such as egg white or gluten, or portions of proteins that the immune system is more tuned to recognize.  Now, due to the past infection, in these people the link is made and anytime they have that food, IgE which is attached to mast cells, somehow due to that past event and other factors involved, result in release of histamine to something that should not and did not used to cause release of histamine.  Irritable bowel syndrome is an immune system reaction that is local (gut) vs allergy which shows more systemic involvement (ref).

Currently, IBS treatments focus on symptomatic treatment, because the condition’s causes have not been clear or definitive. But if mast cells and IgE are driving symptoms,  then immune system based therapies should help.

There is also a link with stress and IBS, as one would expect.   It turns out stress alone is enough to cause these changes in some cases (mice equivalent experiments).  All the observations with volunteers were duplicated in mice.

There is nothing better, than stress reduction for overall health.   Acupuncture and herbal medicine are so effective at treating IBS at the root cause.  This is what we do here at the clinic.  My specialty is the immune system, and helping it run smoother, more robust,  yet not over reacting is what I focus on.   When we are relaxed and our responses are more measured, our immune system is also more relaxed and handles whatever is thrown at it better.   Its strange but its true.

Its such amazing research to finally link IBD with an event, a cause.