What is IBS-D?

IBS or irritable bowel syndrome has a label for when we have chronic diarrhea or loose stool. This is where the D comes into play. Unfortunately many go undiagnosed by a family physician, yet the issues are very real. 

Let’s talk symptoms:

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Gas
• Loose stool
• Diarrhea
• Altered bowel movements (more frequent with sudden onset)

Many will go for testing to rule our crohn’s, stomach ulcers or ulcerative colitis. But what if those tests come back negative and you still experience there symptoms?

Pharmaceutical drugs are often a mask but do not actually help, unfortunately for many it is the only option they THOUGHT they had. 

Let’s look at a few causes:

Gut flora out of whack: This is known as gut dysbiosis. Simply put, your gut flora has been thrown out of balance due to stress, diet or medication factors. Many times people think they just have a bug and write if off. The issue can be much larger and does need to be addressed. You want to look at fixing the easy stuff first. Balancing stress, diet and lifestyle. If those do not work you may want to look into yeast, parasites, a GI pathogen screen to see levels of bad bacteria etc.

Malabsorption of carbs: This is one of the reasons I love a (modified) ketogenic diet. I modify it to remove bacon cause that shit isn’t exactly a health food, and of course a few other tweaks here and there. When we do not break down carbs efficiently it can cause digestive issues. If you relive the majority of the population and suffer from leaky gut, also known as intestinal permeability – then this one is likely you. How did you get intestinal permeability? Stress, our daily life/activities, exposure to toxins, processed food and did I mention stress? When we have a damaged gut lining we can’t split the sugar molecules which means they sit around in the small intestines. They don’t get absorbed and create a fantastic feeding ground for the bacteria and organisms that we don’t want fed…

Diary intolerance and sensitivity: This is one of the main reasons I tell people who ares switching to a ketogenic style of eating to MODIFY it. Many of us cannot tolerate conventional dairy. Either you can’t digest the protein or the carb in milk or milk byproducts. This leeds to gas, bloating and often the “runs” as I call them cause they are sure to send you running t the toilet. How do I test for this? The cheapest way is to perform an elimination diet. Want immediate results then skip the blood test (it’s unreliable) and go straight for the breath test. Want to know if you can tolerate casein? See my list of labs I run below. 

Gluten: No one needs this stuff. Even if you are not celiac and don’t show up positive for sensitivity, does not mean it doesn’t exist. It’s a problematic protein. Not to mention the chemical shitstorm of today’s wheat. 

SIBO: that stands for small intestinal overgrowth. Even too much of a good thing is a bad thing, which means bacteria too. When a specific type of bacteria take over you get an overgrowth and it crates symptoms like listed above. 

Antibiotic use: Extended use or multiple dosing in a 2 year period can lower the total number of good bacteria in your gut. You need to reinoculate to build them back up again. This can mean introducing a good probiotic (which isn’t as simple as you may think). You are going to need to feed that bacteria with probiotics and functional foods. Even is you too an antibiotic for a tooth issue or sinus infection it will still disrupt the delicate balance of our gut bacteria. 

Probiotics: you will want to make ensure you are taking the right type of bacteria strain for your individual needs. Remember that bacteria are antagonistic, this means if not packaged properly you are not getting the amount you think you are. Some people are intolerant to probiotics and need to have a specific strain or slower dose. If it is the wrong bacteria, has fillers or simply have too delicate a gut it can create GI issues.

Eggs: Personally I made the switch to duck eggs as they are much easier to digest. Once a gut has been healed (from leaky gut) you may find you tolerate eggs once more.  This is a tough one as it can sometimes take days to react to an egg which is why I recommend a specific tracking app. Easiest way to test? Remove eggs altogether for a week or two, then reintroduce them  Track yourself and see how you do. 

Low stomach acid: This is so common that it is part of almost every protocol I give out. Most doctors miss the ball on this one. They diagnose and medicate based on high stomach acid, making the issue such worse. We need to build it back up to alleviate the symptoms but squash it.

Chronic stress: This is a killer. Stressors can be environmental as well as food. If you have a diet full of processed food then you are stressing your gut. Personally I run an adrenal panel for this to test your cortisol levels. Addressing stress and learning how to manage it will help. Stress not only affects our life it affects our gut bacteria and the delicate balance. 

Tests I offer: 

• Functional Adrenal  Stress profile
• Heidelburg test (for low HCL- stomach acid)
• GI pathogen test (for antibiotic related imbalance testing)
• SIBO test 
• Fructose breath test (Carbohydrate malabsorption)
• GI pathogen screen for Gut Dysbiosis 
• Milk protein sensitivity stool test (fecal anti-casein IgA
• MySymptoms App is a fantastic symptom tracker. I recommend everyone get it, add it to your mobile device and track EVERYTHING.

If you would like to know how to fix these issues, order testing or discuss your options please do not hesitate to contact me to book a consultation.