Understanding the Complex Relationship between IBS & Emotional Eating
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) according to a study published in 2005 may affect over 14% of the population, with more than 50% of those patients suffering i…
I was super excited to do this interview with Dr. Stu Ackerman. One, he is one of my best friend’s from high school’s husband and Two, he is a progressive GI doc who appreciates the relationship between. the body. and the emotions.
When he first approached me to collaborate on this interview, I thought perhaps he would be like the other GI docs I work with who shy away from addressing the reality that IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) was created as an umbrella term for abdominal discomfort and the like, with an unspecified clinical diagnosis.
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I thought I would be debated out of my philosophy that IBS is the physical manifestation of unintegrated emotional trauma wreaking havoc on our digestion, and that treatment is not a pill or a laxative but rather a multimodal functional approach with the goal of understanding the cause as well as alleviating the symptoms.
Lucky me, Stu aligned on my POV and we had a delightful conversation. Here are some of the highlights:
In IBS and anxiety, what came first? The chicken or the egg?
Do you need to do the FODMAP diet if you have IBS?
How do hormones get impacted by IBS?
How does the microbiome get influenced by IBS?
How does attachment theory impact IBS?
The causes of Inflammation & how it impacts IBS
Strategies to Help with IBS symptoms
Holistic treatments to treat symptoms of IBS
Truthfully, IBS is one of the most ambiguous of medical syndromes because of how individualized the cause of the symptoms are in each individual.
The goal of all my work is to help people relate to symptoms as messengers. So often, we want them to go away, but it is in the leaning in and the willingness to ask deeper questions and commit to uncovering the deeper roots of our suffering that lead to long term sustained wellness.
My personal struggle with IBS now offers me an opportunity to look closer at my life choices and take responsibility for where and who I share my energy. It lets me know when I am not safe and when I am not treating my body well, be it physically or emotionally It challenges me to take interest in my food choices and reminds me that I am connected and impacted deeply by the energy of the world.
