Having dedicated the last few years of clinical work solely on coaching clients to end their IBS naturally, one common theme has prevailed. For one reason or another I tend to be the practitioner clients come to when nothing else has worked! When their GP has written them off, invasive hospital testing has come back negative and every medication has been tried without success, yet still their symptoms remain.
The reoccurring statement I often hear from these people is, “I don’t want to have to live with it, make the best of a bad situation and minimize the symptoms as best I can. Surely there must be a way to end these symptoms? I haven’t always been like this, so why has it started now?”
Well when you work with the body instead of against it, when you promote healing from the inside out, truly remarkable things can happen!
Fact vs. Fallacy
No1 – It is Curable
Now that statement may shock some of you BUT I am living proof. Following the recommendations and protocols I run with my clients, I went from being chronically constipated, going once a week at best. Experiencing intense winding pain under my rib cage, which left me doubled in pain and trying to hide what looked like a 6 month pregnant belly to a slim, happy, healthy, pain free body. I remember when all I wanted was to simply have a regular daily bowel movement and be able to slip into my favorite jeans without having to fight with the zipper to stay closed!
No2 – It is NOT Your Body’s Way of Saying ‘You are Deficient in Anti-Spasmodic, Antacids, Laxatives’ or any other medications!
No amount of prescription or over the counter medications will truly end your IBS symptoms. You may reduce them but you are simply papering over the cracks and believe me they WILL come back. Getting to the root cause of your IBS symptoms (and remember it is different for each person!) is the only way to truly kiss goodbye to them for good. Every client who I work alongside experiences a comprehensive whole body assessment to ascertain their specific IBS driver.
No3 – It is Lifestyle Induced
I know that may be hard to accept but it is TRUE. IBS is lifestyle induced. An IBS diagnosis from the GP simply means you have a collection of symptoms to which they have no known cause. Well like many rising western diseases and ailments, our lifestyle and dietary choices along with mental, emotional stress from a poor work/life balance are to blame. The great news is that if you caused it, you can change it by following my simple yet effective nutrition and lifestyle coaching you really can reverse your IBS. An anti-inflammatory eating plan, meaning no grains, dairy, processed sugar or soy reduces that overheating internal furnace giving your body valuable breathing space to start to heal. When I created my own dietary eating plan, now featured in my second book Meals That Heal – Anti Inflammatory Healthcare & Free From Cooking, I flipped my health around in record time, symptoms started to shed like old skin, it was truly incredible.
No4 – You Have Something Living in Your Gut That Shouldn’t Be There…
Parasites, pathogenic bacteria, worms, yeast and fungal overgrowth all play a big part in painful and uncomfortable IBS symptoms. A comprehensive DNA stool analysis through a trained practitioner such as myself is a valuable tool!
No5 – It’s Common NOT Normal
Never let anyone tell you that IBS is normal, it may be increasingly common but it is certainly NOT normal.
No6 – Classic IBS Symptoms Are The Tip Of The Iceberg
Remember the gut is responsible for a large portion of our immunity and produces feel good hormones too! So when you have a damaged gut and IBS symptoms you can often experience depression, anxiety, food sensitivities, chronic lethargy, low libido, weight management challenges, eczema and more.
No7 – The Right Dietary Changes CAN Eradicate Your Symptoms
One of the first things I do with a new client is to get clear on the pain inducing foods and the gut healing foods. I have seen clients eradicate painful cramps and bloating in as little as 2 weeks by following my recommendations.
Following a Paleo style diet helped me squash my symptoms in half within a matter of weeks! When I went Paleo a few years back, people here in the UK weren’t even talking about Paleo. I found this style of eating simply by trial and error and now I have a plan which works almost every time with every client I work with, pretty awesome huh! I love sharing these nutritional philosophies in my Cookery Workshops, I have people traveling from across Europe just to attend so that they can witness the transformation, enjoy the creative delights of inspired cooking and be in the company of fellow gut healing buddies!
Karen Maidment is a Health & Nutrition Specialist, Personal Cookery Coach and Author.
Karen’s personal mission is to provide support and guidance through coaching, workshops and talks for individuals wishing to be educated and empowered on healthy dietary and lifestyle choices.
Karen is the author of 2 books, including Meals That Heal – Anti Inflammatory Healthcare and Free From Cooking. She tours the UK hosting Live Cookery Workshops; educating and teaching the principles of correct meal balancing, food selection, food preparation and cooking.