What’s behind your belly troubles? Eating for IBS

“A must-read for those with IBS!”

— Dr. Dale

What’s behind your belly troubles? Eating for IBS

http://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/whats-behind-your-belly-troubles-eating-for-ibs/

By Carrie Dennett

If you think a single bout of abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation can ruin your day, try having it be a daily, or near-daily, occurrence. That’s what most people who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) struggle with. When you fear running errands, sitting through a long meeting or going to someone’s home for dinner because you might be gassy or need to run for the bathroom, that’s a profound quality-of-life issue.

For years, a diagnosis of IBS came with advice to give up dairy, eat more fiber or to try to reduce stress. Fortunately, we’ve come a long way. While many individuals with IBS are lactose intolerant, and too much stress can give anyone some gastrointestinal distress thanks to the gut-brain connection, we now know that many types of fiber can actually trigger IBS symptoms. In particular, FODMAPs.

FODMAPs, otherwise known as Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, and Monosaccharides and Polyols, are highly fermentable sugars and dietary fibers that tend to be poorly absorbed in the small intestines of many people with IBS. FODMAPs then travel to the large intestine where they act as “fast food” for gut bacteria, causing excessive gas and bloating. They can also alter the fluid balance in the large intestine, causing diarrhea, constipation, or both.

The irony is that oligosaccharides are a type of prebiotic fiber, which in most of us has the symptom-free benefit of feeding our gut microbiota. This is a perfect example of why one diet does not fit all. Thanks to recent research out of Monash University in Australia, not only do we know about FODMAPs, but we have a way to figure out which foods are causing symptoms. It starts with avoiding high-FODMAP foods for a few weeks, including:

• Milk, yogurt and a few soft cheeses (high in the disaccharide lactose)

• Wheat, rye and barley (high in oligosaccharides)

• Fruits that have a higher fructose-to-glucose ratio (including apples and pears)

• Other foods and condiments high in fructose (a monosaccharide)

• Foods high in sugar alcohols (polyols such as xylitol and sorbitol)

• Beans and lentils (high in oligosaccharides)

• Certain vegetables, including the cruciferous veggies and the onion family (oligosaccharides)

Most people with IBS start to see symptom relief after a few days on a low-FODMAP diet. The next step is to “challenge” each type of FODMAP to learn which foods, in what amounts, cause problems. The ultimate goal is to be able to avoid symptoms while enjoying as varied a diet as possible.

So if you think you have IBS, should you try self-treatment? In a word, no. There are a number of gastrointestinal disorders that have symptoms in common, and some are quite serious. It’s always important to get a proper diagnosis.

IBS affects quality of life, but it doesn’t cause physical damage to the intestines. The same can’t be said for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, both autoimmune diseases (when your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake).

Symptoms of IBS and gluten intolerance may also be similar. Gluten is a protein, but the grains that contain gluten (wheat, rye and barley) also contain oligosaccharides. So some people who think they have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity actually have IBS. They have a problem with gluten-containing grains, but with the fiber, not the gluten itself. Another reason why it’s important to seek out a formal diagnosis and get dietary advice from an experienced registered dietitian nutritionist.

What's Your UV: IQ?

“Read about how you can protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.”

— Dr. Dale

From What's Your UV: IQ? 

The skin is the body's largest organ. It protects against heat, sunlight, injury, and infection. Yet, some of us don't consider the necessity of protecting our skin.

It's just smart to take good care of your skin

The need to protect your skin from the sun has become very clear over the years, supported by several studies linking overexposure to the sun with skin cancer. The harmful ultraviolet rays from both the sun and indoor tanning “sunlamps” can cause many other complications besides skin cancer - such as eye problems, a weakened immune system, age spots, wrinkles, and leathery skin.

How to protect your skin

There are simple, everyday steps you can take to safeguard your skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation from the sun.

• Wear proper clothing Wearing clothing that will protect your skin from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays is very important. Protective clothing are long-sleeved shirts and pants are good examples. Also, remember to protect your head and eyes with a hat and UV-resistant sunglasses. You can fall victim to sun damage on a cloudy day as well as in the winter, so dress accordingly all year round.

• Avoid the burn Sunburns significantly increase one's lifetime risk of developing skin cancer. It is especially important that children be kept from sunburns as well.

• Go for the shade Stay out of the sun, if possible, between the peak burning hours, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), are between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You can head for the shade, or make your own shade with protective clothing - including a broad-brimmed hat, for example.

• Use extra caution when near reflective surfaces, like water, snow, and sand Water, snow, sand, even the windows of a building can reflect the damaging rays of the sun. That can increase your chance of sunburn, even if you’re in what you consider a shady spot.

• Use extra caution when at higher altitudes You can experience more UV exposure at higher altitudes, because there is less atmosphere to absorb UV radiation.

• Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen Generously apply broad-spectrum sunscreen to cover all exposed skin. The “broad spectrum” variety protects against overexposure to ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. The FDA recommends using sunscreens that are not only broad spectrum, but that also have a sun protection factor (SPF) value of at least 15 for protection against sun-induced skin problems.

• Re-apply broad-spectrum sunscreen throughout the dayEven if a sunscreen is labeled as "water-resistant," it must be reapplied throughout the day, especially after sweating or swimming. To be safe, apply sunscreen at a rate of one ounce every two hours. Depending on how much of the body needs coverage, a full-day (six-hour) outing could require one whole tube of sunscreen.

• We now offer Alastin Skin Care, one of the highest rated skin care brands on the market with an amazing sunscreen.

When to protect your skin

UV rays are their strongest from 10 am to 4 pm Seek shade during those times to ensure the least amount of harmful UV radiation exposure. When applying sunscreen be sure to reapply to all exposed skin at least 20 minutes before going outside. Reapply sunscreen every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating.

Protecting your eyes

UV rays can also penetrate the structures of your eyes and cause cell damage. According to the CDC, some of the more common sun-related vision problems include cataracts, macular degeneration, and pterygium (non-cancerous growth of the conjunctiva that can obstruct vision). 

• Wear a wide-brimmed hat To protect your vision, wear a wide-brimmed hat that keeps your face and eyes shaded from the sun at most angles.

• Wear wrap-around style sunglass with 99 or higher UV block Effective sunglasses should block glare, block 99 to 100% of UV rays, and have a wraparound shape to protect eyes from most angles.

Using the UV index

When planning your outdoor activities, you can decide how much sun protection you need by checking the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) UV index. This index measures the daily intensity of UV rays from the sun on a scale of 1 to 11. A low UV index requires minimal protection, whereas a high UV index requires maximum protection.

The best workout you're not doing: Taiko drumming

“I love exploring new and different ways to stay active. This looks interesting!”

— Dr. Dale

The best workout you're not doing: Taiko drumming

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-taiko-the-drumming-workout-20160423-story.html

By R. Daniel Foster
 

I took up Japanese taiko drumming because it looked fierce. Legs are planted wide as arms wield bachi drumsticks in broad arcs, striking barrel drums in communal precision.

Everyone wears a scowl that borders on delight.

For me, taiko felt like a way to express aggression in a productive way –– in a world that increasingly lacks such outlets.

I discovered that psychological benefit, along with other health rewards, in a 12-week class held by TaikoProject in downtown Los Angeles.

Taiko offers an excellent cardio workout, builds endurance and employs most joints. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Taiko originated in feudal Japan partly as a way to inspire troops, synchronize marches and terrorize enemies. Today's taiko ensembles, called kumi-daiko, were developed in Japan in the early 1950s and were brought to the U.S. in the late 1960s.

"What attracts most people to taiko is the reverberation –– so deep and thunderous," said TaikoProject's Artistic Director Masato Baba. "It hits them right in the gut, the heart."

Here's how taiko drumming can help you sharpen up, inside and out:

Excellent cardio workout

Taiko begins with the all-important leg stance –– wide and slightly crouched –– what Baba terms a drummer's "strong roots" that enable the expansive arm strikes. Core strength, in Japanese called hara (the stomach region), is emphasized. To master correct form, the exacting strikes are first broken down into four movements.

We played on chu-daiko drums, placed at 45-degree angles, and in the naname or "slant" style, with the body beside the drum. I soon learned that taiko is a meticulous, highly systematic art form, and yet the body must be kept loose to engage with the rhythmic flow, the communal beat.

Taiko offers an excellent cardio workout, builds endurance and employs most joints. After increasingly accelerated rounds of a four-part kata drill, our group of 10 was exhausted.

Builds mental stamina

There's plenty to keep track of when playing taiko: correct form; knowing taiko's oral musical notation, called kuchi shoga; recalling memorized beat patterns; counting rhythms; keeping time with the foundational beat set by the leader, called jiuchi or ji; sounding out kiai, the spirited vocalizations (aiyah!) used to energize the group; and syncing with everyone, among other details.

In short, you have to be sharp to play taiko.

Taiko also improves coordination and dexterity. As the class progressed, we added stylized arm movements (circles and pointing) as opposite arms struck drums. The interlocking patterns (a different rhythmic movement for each arm) that TaikoProject performs can grow complex. The group, founded in 2000, is known for pushing taiko's traditional bounds.

Emotional and psychological benefits

The sense of congruity with others that taiko offers is inescapable. Playing in rhythmic union naturally creates a sense of belonging and community. The perhaps overused trope of "becoming one" with others actually happens when playing in a taiko ensemble. Sometimes I would forget to count the rhythms because I had begun to feel them, incorporate them.

Taiko demands that you blend with others in a tenacious, beat-by-beat manner. At times, you quite literally forget yourself.

Spiritual teachers stress the importance of mindfulness and what has become the trendy Art of the Now. Perhaps then the simplest way to be present is this:

Go beat a drum with others. And don't forget your earplugs.

TaikoProject offers 12-week classes for beginner and intermediate students, as well as for children: taikoproject.com