What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Also known as functional bowel disorder, this syndrome affects the large intestines by disturbing its motility. Due to this disturbed state, the large intestine is unable to expel its contents appropriately. Though there is no damage sustained by the intestines in this disorder, it could cause a great degree of discomfort to the sufferer.

When we eat food, it passes through the long expanse of the small intestines. It is at this stage the majority of the digestion process takes place. As the food passes into the large intestines, only trace minerals and water are left to be absorbed, after which the remaining matter is expelled from the body in the form of feces.

A normal, healthy person has a set rhythm or pattern of expulsion of the contents of the bowel with a slight deviance from the pattern now and then. However, when this deviance from the normal pattern becomes frequent, the rhythm of the bowel movement is disrupted, which results in either diarrhea or constipation. This is termed as irritable bowel syndrome.

Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The exact causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are not known. It is believed that if the colon or the large intestine is sensitive to particular foods and reacts to it, it results in irritable bowel syndrome. It is also believed that stress or the immune system may also be involved.

The use of alcohol, pregnancy, obesity, consumption or excessively fried and fatty foods, caffeinated drinks, chocolates, spicy foods, garlic and onions, tomato based foods, mint and citrus fruits are also common causes of irritable bowel syndrome. Smoking can also induce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Yoga for irritable bowel syndrome

With a combination of yogic postures or asanas, it is possible to deal with irritable bowel syndrome. Yoga is considered an irritable bowel syndrome alternative treatment. It makes you feel relaxed and reduces anxiety. It also helps deal with stress which is considered one of the causes of irritable bowel syndrome. It gives overall health benefits in addition to being an effective cure for irritable bowel syndrome. However, with that, a change in the diet and lifestyle is also important to manage the symptoms and preventing it from occurring again.

Some of the yogic techniques that can be used as irritable bowel syndrome remedies are the easy pose, wind relieving pose, cat pose, corpse pose, half spinal twist, dog pose and finally the relaxation pose.