GERD - IBS Diet and Stress

GERD and IBS are related to many factors. Two fundamental focal points are diet and stress. What your diet consists of and what your stress levels are can be your friends or your foes when it comes to your suffering with GERD or IBS.


Problems of the gut can be a difficult subject to broach. GERD and IBS for instance are painful both physically and emotionally for those who suffer with them. Symptoms can be embarrassing and are often left not talked about. They can keep you from the enjoyment of doing the things that you love. They can keep you wanting to stay home when you could be out engaging with others. This can be not only aggravating, but truly demoralizing as well. Yet millions suffer with gut issues that can be affected by their diet and stress levels. What sufferers need to know is that there is hope for the regaining of a sense of control over your body, your health and your life.

The digestive tract is a complicated network of functions. It begins in the mouth, goes through miles of pipes, organs, pouches and tubes and ends up as elimination. Food, of course, is the starting ingredient for the process of digestion. The culture we live in determines what sorts of foods we have to choose from. Various cultures around the world have beliefs in what diet is best designed for health. Often, these foods are the only choice that is offered.

The American culture offers a mind boggling variety of foods for us to choose from. This makes us unique in the world, yet increasingly our eating habits are being introduced into other cultures. And increasingly we are becoming more and more confused about what a “healthy” diet is. “What foods are going to be best for the digestive tract?” isn’t usually the first question we ask ourselves when shopping at the supermarket or looking over a menu at our favorite restaurant. Or worse we will make a conscious selection saying, “I know my GERD or IBS will pay for this later…” Yet the diet that we choose is the most vital part of the state of our health and well being. So how can we make sure we are making the right choices for ourselves with the intention of being and staying well? Making the right choice to understand and adhere to the concept of pursuing true happiness?

But diet isn’t the only culprit. Some medications can be upsetting to the stomach and intestinal tract. We also live in a fast paced society where we are under stresses that seem impossible to get a hold on. We live in a competitive society where we feel the need to stay in pace with everything that is going on around us. We feel stress and anxiety about jobs, finances and family. And as women we feel pressured to take care of other people’s needs – to be “nice” even to people that we don’t know. Where do we tend to store all of the anxiety and bottled up frustration that we feel about not being allowed to truly express our selves? You guessed it…in the stomach and colon. It is said that the stomach acts as our second “brain.” It tells us when things are just not right, with the “gut feeling” that we get. When it becomes dis-eased such as with GERD or IBS you know it is past time to listen.

Health and happiness go hand in hand. This much we do know for sure. Beginning a pact with ourselves for keeping track of what we eat and how it makes us feel is the essential first step to a sense of well being. Another start is keeping a journal of the way our gut responds to the stresses and pressures of our lives. We need to truthfully answer the question, “Am I taking care of me?” and to understand to the core that it is not selfish to do so. We then need to design our lives in a manner that includes ourselves as important…..as worthy of health and of happiness.


*Please know that I am not a medical doctor or a health practitioner. I cannot diagnose your stomach problems nor can I guarantee a cure. I am here to share my knowledge, which applications have worked for me and to offer suggestions of where you may go physically, emotionally and spiritually for healing and self-empowerment. If you choose to explore alternative medicine, do not independently stop taking your prescribed medications. Always consult with your current doctor as well as your new practitioner when changing your medical program.