Metabolic harmony depends on all the organs supporting the digestive system functioning in harmony and the gut itself functioning calmly and moving food along through the various stages of digestion until it is converted into a normal stool in the descending colon and discharged.
An irritable bowel is a system that has become irritated from any number of causes and thenceforth habitually either sends material through the digestive system too quickly or too slowly or worse still, alternates between the two.
The original reasons for this over or under activity is due to the nervous system initiating a hyper active peristalsis or the liver producing rather too much or too little bile. This pattern quickly develops into a self-perpetuating situation where the resultant irritation to the lining of the abnormal digestive cavity causes further hyper-sensitivity and irritation.
The problem is strongly linked to the fact that either a physical or an emotional trigger can cause an attack of Diarrhoea in all of us.
We are all familiar with the expression " such and such gives me the shits!” This is a simple statement based on observation. We also know that if we eat something that does not agree with us, our digestive system can go into overdrive and pass the offending material through at a rapid rate. In Australia we call this a 'gastric attack'.
This reaction to a situation is very much an episodic thing and is over and done with quickly, and does not necessarily lead to long term problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
The IBS sufferer is more likely to be a person who is in a situation where they cannot control what is happening to them (usually someone else has taken away their ability to influence their own destiny) and they become resentful (quite understandably) in this situation. This results in the liver over producing bile (resentment) and in their exerting control over their own digestive system subconsciously, (just because they can) and not allowing food to pass freely and easily through the gut at the programmed rate.
Obviously this situation cannot be maintained for too long and they then 'lose control' when the elimination becomes spontaneous. They repeat this pattern and eventually cause damage to the lining of the gastrointestinal system generally and especially in the colon, which is when the problem becomes self-perpetuating.
Treatment therefore must include provision for reducing overactivity in the liver where bile is produced, support for the nervous system that triggers peristalsis and healing for the damaged lining.
Additionally, I try to explain to my patients the sorts of emotional pre-conditions that seem to be involved and encourage them to make whatever changes are necessary to improve their circumstances.
My herbal treatment involves two recommendations.
Firstly a course of Slippery Elm Bark Powder.
One dessertspoon daily mixed into a paste with cold Chamomile Tea and taken for a continuous period of 12 weeks. Slippery Elm provides a protective lining to the mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal system, and in 12 weeks will completely heal an irritated lining.
Secondly a herbal mixture to support the healing is made up from the following ingredients; Vervain, Chamomile, Slippery Elm, Rhubarb, Yarrow and St Mary's Thistle with the Bach Flower Remedies Impatiens, Willow, Agrimony and Wild Oat. This mix is taken at a dose rate of 20 drops three times daily in a cup of cold chamomile tea.
The treatment must be maintained initially for at least 3 months and most folk find that when they have finished with the Slippery Elm they generally benefit further from maintaining the herbal tonic as a supplement for longer, usually until their circumstances have completely changed.
Robert McDowell's staff Herbalists can not diagnose your disease or illness. What they can do is offer a Herbal program, to assist with healing, after you have had advice from your doctor or specialist. If you have unexplained pain or symptoms, seek medical advice. If you wish to ask for any further information or clarifications on this product please click on the link below.
