​​THE ONLY THING "CHRONIC" ABOUT IBS
​IS THE MISINFORMATION THAT SURROUNDS IT
Why can't doctors cure your IBS?  Because they don't understand what it is.  As you may be aware, there is no definitive diagnostic test to determine that you have IBS.  "Irritable Bowel Syndrome" is simply a label given to a collection of symptoms--including abdominal pain or discomfort and altered bowel habit--when other diseases have been ruled out.  

​Unlike these other gastrointestinal disorders, such as Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, IBS is not an inflammatory condition, so tests and scans tend to come back "normal". Your doctor, at first, may even tell you that nothing is wrong. Eventually, by process of elimination, you get diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and are told the condition is "chronic"--meaning it can be managed, but not cured. ​
Frankly, we think that's hogwash.  Let's break it down:
"Chronic" is how conventional medicine labels diseases it doesn't understand. And let's be honest:  
​If conventional medicine was good at treating chronic illness, it wouldn't be called "chronic illness".

WHY DOESN'T IBS SHOW UP ON INTESTINAL SCANS?

​​These scans detect inflammation; yet, IBS is not an inflammatory disease. IBS is a neurological disorder; its symptoms are caused by imbalance in the gut brain.  The cells that comprise the gut brain are located within the lining of the digestive system (stomach, large intestine, and small intestine), and therefore are hidden from the scope the doctor uses to try and figure out what's wrong.   

WHY ARE TRADITIONAL TREATMENTS FOR IBS LARGELY INEFFECTIVE?

Conventional medicine acknowledges it doesn't know what causes IBS. As such, it focuses on managing symptoms (a drug for constipation; a drug for diarrhea, a drug for cramping), not restoring proper digestive function. Masking symptoms leads to further imbalance and, often, serious side-effects. Further, most doctors are unfamiliar with the enteric nervous system, or gut brain.  There is a huge neurological component to the digestive system; we believe that the research into the gut brain holds the key to treating--and healing--IBS. 
Why hasn't my doctor mentioned this?
One of the unfortunate realities of modern medicine is that what the researchers discover in the laboratory often takes years to become common knowledge amongst the doctors who treat us. While we are beginning to see more discussion about the brain/gut connection, the role of the gut brain as a functioning “brain” is still largely ignored.
​

GUT BRAIN CRASH COURSE

  • The pioneering science of neurogastroenterology has discovered a second neurological center (a second brain) located in the lining of our digestive system.
  • This "gut brain", like the head brain, is a highly complex network of neurons. It is because of the existence of the gut brain, for example, that you feel the sensation of "butterflies in the stomach" when you are nervous.
  • The digestive process is orchestrated by the gut brain, independent of direction from the head brain (unlike most bodily processes).
  • Healthy functioning of the gut brain hinges upon the proper balance of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, just like healthy functioning of the cranial brain. 
  • The gut brain is actually largely responsible for manufacturing these chemical messengers. 
  • The gut brain is fed locally, meaning that the nutrients it needs to regenerate itself are absorbed directly through the gut wall.  Because of this, a bout of digestive dysfunction can easily become a vicious cycle of imbalance. 
Learn More About The Gut Brain

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS

Once we understand the complexity of the gut brain, the importance of neurotransmitter balance in digestion becomes undeniable. The gut brain runs by way of these chemical messengers in the same manner that the head brain does.

Neurotransmitter imbalance affects both the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system (gut brain). Indeed, the use of serotonergic drugs (like Prozac) in the treatment of IBS underlines the need to consider neurotransmitter production in the gut and its critical role in digestion. 

We know that over 90% of the body’s serotonin is made in the gut.  Most people are familiar with the cognitive and behavioral consequences of imbalanced serotonin. Imagine the impact of such imbalances are having in the gut brain as well. 

​The gut brain uses protein to manufacture neurotransmitters; good protein metabolism is, therefore, essential to healthy neurological activity--and healthy digestion. 

​Drugs that affect neurotransmitter balance often carry gastrointestinal side-effects. Serotogeneric drugs (like Prozac) are often used in the "treatment" of IBS. Neurotransmitters play a critical role in the digestive process. 

PROTEIN ABSORPTION

Protein malnourishment seems to be a central issue in IBS.  And this is difficult to correct, because it tends to set off a vicious cycle: Without adequate protein, the gut can't make critical neurotransmitters. When neurotransmitters get out of balance, so does the gut brain, since it runs on neurotransmitters.

​When the gut brain is unhealthy, it can't direct the digestive process properly, and we get digestive disruption. Digestive disruption makes it even harder for the body to process protein and nutrients essential to healing. And so the cycle continues. 



​IBS symptoms are a sign that your body isn't digesting protein properly. Restoring proper protein metabolism is critical to resolving the imbalance causing IBS symptoms. 
We've all heard the adage, “You are what you eat.” It's much more accurate to say, “You are what you digest, absorb, and assimilate.”  The fact is, it doesn't matter what you eat if your body can't absorb and utilize it.  You can eat a steak every day and still be protein malnourished if your body can't properly utilize that protein.

THE "S" WORD

What causes poor protein metabolism in the first place?  Many things can, but the main culprit is stress. When the body is under chronic stress, digestion can go haywire.  

​The stress we encounter on a day-to-day basis is very different from the stress our ancestors experienced, but our biology still responds in the same way: with a surge of cortisol and adrenaline, and energy funneling away from non-essential functions and toward the large muscle groups (the classic "fight or flight" response).

 For those of us under chronic stress, this means a chronic deficit of energy for digestion--this energy deficit is in many cases what causes us to enter into a state of protein malnourishment and sets off the cycle of digestive dysfunction that leads to the symptoms of IBS.

​GETTING TO THE ROOT OF IBS:

Remember, no one knows for certain what causes IBS.  But at ForeverWell, we know more about the gut brain than most doctors in America, and based on all the research, our theory is this:  

​The root of IBS symptoms is poor protein metabolism (often caused by stress) which leads to inadequate or incomplete production of the critical elements--including neurotransmitters--that allow for the proper functioning of the gut brain. This imbalance results in a cycle of digestive complications and the collection of symptoms we call IBS.

​OK, SO WHAT DO WE DO?
We stop the cycle of dysfunction by improving your body's protein status, healing the intestinal lining, and restoring proper digestive function.  One simple protocol can address the underlying imbalance causing all of your IBS symptoms. We call it Gut Brain Therapy™.  

​Gut Brain Therapy™ is rooted in the principles of natural medicine: By honoring the body's own innate intelligence, we can help to restore balance and allow its natural, perfect healing mechanisms to do their job.  Gut Brain Therapy works to:
 1. Feed the gut brain: deliver highly bioactive protein and nutrients directly to the gut wall, restoring gut integrity and allowing for the balanced production of critical hormones and neurotransmitters
2. Optimize digestion, absorption & assimilation with superior, totally natural probiotics
​3. Ensure proper elimination and detoxification: support the liver and kidneys in detoxifying and cleansing the body. The gut and the liver are part of a whole system that nourishes the body and keeps it clean (the foundation of good health).

LEARN MORE
​ABOUT GUT BRAIN THERAPY™

READY TO START
​HEALING?