IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Free 30-minute First Step Conversation with Russell Mariani

The purpose of this First Step Conversation is to give you the opportunity to describe your current symptoms and condition and any relevant health/medical history to Russell. He will then explain his approach to addressing and resolving your health challenge(s). You will leave this session more hopeful and more confident about solutions!

Peg's Story: IBS: C&D (mostly D)

  • I had my 85th birthday four months into the process of working with Russell and his protocol to help my gut to normalize. The life changes inherently requested in and by this process have been challenging for me.

    Old habits and belief systems die hard and had to be addressed and let go of in order to accept a healthier relationship with my aging body.

    I AM CATEGORICALLY RESISTANT TO CHANGE!

    Hanging on to these old ways of being were not serving me (and never had). It was time to stop giving lip service to my desire to age gracefully and take responsibility for my failing health!

    It was time to put my money where mouth was!

    (I am good at "lip service”!)

    I needed this wise and experienced coach to assist and support me and keep me “honest” as I claimed this new relationship with my aging body. As I moved through the protocol with Russell by my side (and he was ALWAYS there when I needed him) and with his patient guidance I slowly began to experience changes in how I was feeling.

    I had more energy and began to move through the territory of my recovery with a renewed determination to “stick with it!” I had found a patient, kind and knowledgeable human-being to listen to me, educate me and help me to follow through.

    My body was experiencing what it needed to normalize, finally, after so many years.

    Before I found Russell, I think I thought it was not possible to overcome my disabilities which had been with me for so long. It was too late. I was too old!

    “You are never too old to heal.” Russell would tell me.

    Finally, my body and mind were getting the help they needed to normalize after so many years of insults and ignorance about the important issue of gut health and the health of the microbiome.

    As Russell has said to me so many times during the past few months: “Everything is downstream of the microbiome!” I understand this to mean that many challenging, problematic and negative symptoms are caused by an unhealthy microbiome. Conversely all positive and complementary symptoms of health throughout the whole body have a big part of their origin in a healthy microbiome.

    I really didn’t understand all this before but I am sure on some deep level I did intuit it or I wouldn’t have reached out to Russell in the first place!

    In any case, I have been validated by the many positive physical changes I have experienced in these 8 months of working with Russell. My many years of dysfunctional digestive performance; the issue of constipation and then urgency and frequency is now replaced by a dependable and a “healthy bowel performance” I can rely on.

    I have lost 30 pounds that just dropped away without my hardly noticing. Weight loss has been an elusive goal and a constant juggling act for all my adult years. I have more energy than before and the years that eczema tormented my neck and ears with itching, redness and flaking skin is no longer an issue.

    I feel better than I have in years. I am so grateful to share this testimonial with the readers of Russell’s website and books.

    My passion is to help others to know that emotional, physical and spiritual help is there for the asking. I am so grateful that I was led to Russell by a treasured friend and that I had the courage to reach out to him to help me.

    Blessed be!

    Peg Holcomb (age 85)

    Amherst, Massachusetts

    August 2020

What is IBS?

IBS stands for “Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” It is the most common digestive disorder by far and it is included in the category called Inflammatory Bowel Disorders or IBDs.

IBS can occur anywhere along the six feet of our colon which is divided almost equally in length into three distinct sections; the ascending colon on our right side, the transverse colon which crosses right to left across our abdomen a few inches above our navel, and the descending colon on our left side. The last foot or so of our descending colon is called the sigmoid colon. Most of the symptoms related to IBS seem to occur in the sigmoid colon, but it can occur anywhere inside the colon.

In my experience, IBS is the name doctors will give to a digestive disorder that does not fit neatly into any other category; like Constipation, Acid Reflux, Colitis, etc.

Like all other digestive disorders it is completely correctable and easily prevented from future occurrences. If and only if you eliminate the root causes and if and only if you become more proactive in your own self-care. 

IBS mostly affects the colon or Large Intestine

IBS Causes

As with all other digestive disorders the root causes of IBS consist of one or more insulting habits and influences over time in the seven root cause areas: mindfulness, hydration-dehydration, micronutrient deficiencies, macronutrient imbalances, intestinal dysbiosis, oxidative stress and redox signaling imbalances and deficiencies. A list of contributing causes, all habits and influences in our diet and lifestyle include:

  • poor diet in general

  • too many processed foods, not enough whole foods

  • unintentional chronic dehydration   (UCD)

  • broad spectrum micronutrient deficiencies

  • an overgrowth of bad bacteria and other pathological organisms (dysbiosis)

  • eating too many acid forming foods

  • eating too fast

  • not chewing enough

  • eating too many cold foods

  • drinking cold or iced beverages

  • inadequate sleep and rest

  • lack of proper exercise

  • too much negative stress

IBS Symptoms     

The most common symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain and discomfort. Most IBS sufferers report a tendency to bounce back and forth between the extremes of constipation and frequent, urgent, loose, irregular bowel movements; with or without occasional or chronic diarrhea. IBS symptoms can be mild, moderate, severe or extreme. Other symptoms include:

  • fatigue 

  • weight loss 

  • loss of appetite 

  • loss of nutrients  (mal-absorption of nutrients)

  • sinus congestion

  • lung congestion

  • skin problems like psoriasis and eczema

  • skin lesions 

  • headache

  • joint pain 

  • mood swings

  • anxiety

  • depression

  • growth failure (especially in children) 

IBS Remedies     

The remedies for IBS begin with your willingness to pay attention to and become more mindful of the relationship between what, when, how and how much you eat and the normal functioning of your entire digestive system. IBS is totally preventable and the remedies are completely within your control by making changes in your diet and lifestyle. Sometimes, with mild cases, it can be as easy as correcting one (bad) insulting habit; like addressing your condition of unintentional chronic dehydration by implementing the steps of the watercure recipe.

Most likely you will need to pay attention to and make corrections in all seven root cause areas to be effective. You will need to get properly hydrated and stay properly hydrated. You will need to slow down at meal times and learn to chew your food completely before swallowing. You will need to address micronutrient deficiencies. You will need to eliminate junk foods. You will need to minimize processed foods and learn to integrate more fiber-rich whole food recipes. You will need to address intestinal dysbiosis and learn about the importance of periodic colon cleansing. You will need to understand the importance of specific organic quality whole food supplements including superfoods, digestive enzymes, probiotics and antioxidants. And most importantly you will need to learn how to manage your emotions and all the other stress factors in your life more effectively.  

Conclusion

Like all other digestive disorders, IBS is completely correctable and easily prevented from future occurrences. If and only if you eliminate the root causes and if and only if you become more proactive in your own self-care.

My book, Principle Eating: The No Diet Way to Complete Health and video course The Course in Functional Nutrition will teach you how to do all this. If you want specific step by step guidance and detailed personalized instructions contact me directly through our website and sign up for a free 30 minute  First Step Conversation and we can explore the possibility of working together one on one.

Updated in January, 2024