Irritable bowel syndrome is not something you discuss at a party unless you are among your closest friends and want to obtain advice from them. Otherwise, it is a taboo subject, and sufferers don't like to talk about it. Many don't even talk to their doctor, although doctors are exactly the right people to talk to about this problem. But what do doctors advise when you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome?

The most important question is, what exactly causes irritable bowel syndrome? Those affected know exactly what makes life difficult for them. A variety of bloating, constipation, sometimes diarrhea, and sometimes "just" abdominal pain. Examinations usually reveal no cause, so it is a so-called psychosomatic illness. But what to do about it?

First of all, it is always important to really talk to your doctor about it. Many people order a colonoscopy, which makes sense. Because sometimes the supposed irritable bowel syndrome can hide something more serious. Once that has been ruled out, they try to find out where the complaints come from. How hectic is everyday life? How good is the diet, or how bad?

Then there are ways that can help to make the painful irritable bowel syndrome at least more bearable. Because sufferers really do suffer. Some even avoid parties and other leisure activities over time because they are constantly afraid of having to go to the toilet at the most inopportune moment. This, in turn, leads to social isolation, which in turn, is not exactly conducive to mental health.

The first step is to identify and, if feasible, remove the causes of stress. You normally can't just quit your work if it's really stressful, but you can learn to deal with it better by carefully organizing your daily life. The term "independent" refers to a person who does not work for the government. This includes, for example, regular breaks and a good and balanced diet.

These sources of stress are also sought and tracked down in leisure time and, if possible, turned off. A woman who has small children cannot simply turn them off, of course, but she too can learn to cope better with the stresses of everyday life by simply consciously organizing her free time for herself when the children are asleep, for example. Sounds simple? It is if you take the time for yourself.

By the way, people who struggle with irritable bowel syndrome are certainly not alone with their problem. Every sixth German says they have it, and those are only the ones who go to the doctor. In the meantime, there are almost 14 million people in Germany who have already sought medical advice because of their irritable bowel syndrome. As you can see, there are quite a few of them, and no one needs to be ashamed of it or even hide it away. After all, you can't help it.

As already mentioned, the most important thing is to seek medical advice first. Once serious causes have been ruled out, the next step is to remedy the problem, such as stress reduction. At the same time, you should pay close attention to when you react with an irritated bowel. The best thing to do is keep a journal and record everything you consume. Especially those after which the problem occurred particularly badly.

Many people report that they have problems, especially after eating sugary foods or after eating certain vegetables. Vegetables such as peppers, but also salsify, and especially cabbage of any kind are very flatulent. These vegetables are super healthy, but for some people, it really hits the stomach and intestines and can cause unpleasant problems.

Dairy products also cause problems for many people; this is usually due to lactose intolerance, but it is quite easy to get to grips with. In the meantime, there are so many lactose-free products that you practically no longer have to consume any lactose. If you eat out, you have to avoid dairy products or get lozenges from the drugstore or pharmacy that breaks down the lactose and makes it tolerable again.

With vegetables, by the way, it helps to add various spices to make them more digestible. Our grandmothers still knew this and added the appropriate spices to the respective dishes to make them easier to digest. Fennel, coriander, and caraway are spices that can be added to cabbage and other flatulent vegetables, and the problem of difficult digestibility is solved.

If you don't like these spices in your food, you can simply drink a large cup of fennel-aniseed-cumin tea after the meal. This is usually given to children, but what is good for children cannot be bad for adults. In any case, this is a good remedy to get rid of flatulence and digestive problems quickly. You don't want to avoid all foods but continue to enjoy them despite the intestinal problems. However, this does not always help, so you have to keep looking.

If the spices or tea do not help, you really have to cut out the highly irritating foods, even if it is difficult. Therefore, it is essential to keep a diary of the foods or drinks after which the problems occurred. Maybe test against it again because you are not in the same shape every day, and if the problems recur, leave that food out for the time being.

This way, you can add foods to the list one by one or exclude them if most of them do not cause any problems. Also, be careful with drinks. Sugary drinks can cause a lot of discomfort, as can irritating drinks like coffee, black tea, or even alcohol. With coffee, it can be individual varieties; we have often heard that. First, switch to stomach-friendly types of coffee, and if that doesn't help, don't drink coffee at all.

Researchers have found out that this formula, "FODMAP," is responsible for the vast majority of intestinal problems. This abbreviation stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, i.e., lactose, fructose, sorbitol, and xylitol. They have found out that these substances especially trigger the problem. As already mentioned, these are almost all sugary foods, flatulent vegetables, lactose, and irritants.

They found out that the patients who completely changed their diet without these substances not only had hardly any problems if any at all, but also that the irritated intestinal mucosa completely recovered within a short time! However, this also means that in most cases, practically in more than 90 percent, the diet is simply the cause of intestinal problems.

However, this does not mean that you should never eat the affected food again! But, in order to calm the intestines, you should simply leave them out for a period of about six weeks. Then eat them again one by one. Whatever is well tolerated can remain on the menu. What immediately causes problems must be left out permanently. Your health should be worth it, as the reward is a better body feeling and, above all, freedom from complaints.

However, you should not do this test run without consulting a doctor because it can happen that important nutrients are left out, which in turn is not good for your health. Simply work out a diet plan with a nutritionist or a doctor of choice and test it until the complaints are practically at a minimum or, ideally, have disappeared completely.

Don't kid yourself, our way of life, or the way of life of many people, is simply not the healthiest. If everything goes well, it's wonderful. But when symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome develop, then for your own sake, you should really do everything you can to get well again quickly. If you have to give up a few beloved foods, that's not such a tragedy.

Especially not because the reward is better health and you no longer have to be afraid to leave the house just because you don't know when you can go to the toilet again. Therefore, the urgent advice to all those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome is not to sit it out but to actively do something about it in the form of an active change in diet.

But aren't there any medicines for irritable bowel syndrome that can help so that you can just keep eating what you want? They do exist. There are now capsules containing peppermint oil and the like and many other remedies that have a calming effect on the stomach. But is that useful? You could do that if you had a day or two when you didn't tolerate something as well as usual.

In the long run, however, it is important to remember that medicines, especially those for IBS, simply suppress the symptoms. So you keep eating and don't take care of your bowels anymore. But that is anything but good in the long run! Because the intestines have problems. It is really better to work on yourself thoroughly, especially on your diet, then you will hardly need any remedies and will feel well and healthy in the long run.