Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) causes abdominal pain, bloating and alternating constipation and diarrhoea. The cause is unknown, but factors such as emotional stress, infection and some foods can aggravate the condition.

Your body usually moves food through your digestive system by squeezing and relaxing the muscles of the intestines in a rhythmic way. However, in IBS it is thought this process is altered, resulting in food moving through your digestive system either too quickly or too slowly.

If food moves too quickly, you will have diarrhea because your digestive system does not have enough time to absorb water from the food. Alternatively, if food moves too slowly, you will have constipation because too much water is absorbed, making your stools hard and difficult to pass.

When your digestive system isn’t working properly, your body can’t breakdown food to access the minerals, vitamins, proteins, fats and sugars. You then can’t use them to make the hormones and neurotransmitters your body and brain needs to feel happy, calm, motivated and energetic.

A healthy digestive system is the first step to creating a healthy body. This can be achieved by:

• Enhancing your digestive juices and enzymes
• Repairing the lining of the intestinal track
• Replenishing the environment with healthy bacteria, eradicating the parasites and decreasing the bad bacteria.

Having a healthy digestive system will enhance every system in your body, improve your ability to absorb key nutrients, and reduce the toxic load that can brew within the intestinal track!