Читать книгу The Good Gut Guide: Help for IBS, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis, Food Allergies and Other Gut Problems - Stephanie Zinser - Страница 43

‘Can’t Wait’ cards: These credit-card-sized cards are available from associations like National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease (NACC) and are designed for people who often need to find a toilet fast. They state that the holder of the card is suffering from a non-contagious condition that causes them to need the toilet urgently. Can’t Wait cards can spare you the embarrassment of having to ask and explain, and give your request more credibility. Use them in shops and offices, aircraft or public places.

Go prepared: If urgency is a persistent feature of your daily life, then be prepared. Carry a spare change of underwear, or wear a discreet incontinence pad (even a feminine pad) in your underpants in case of emergencies.

Don’t rely on public toilets: You might be lucky enough to get to a public toilet, only to discover with horror that it has no toilet paper. Always carry a handy pack of tissues with you, just in case, and a small packet of wet wipes.

Identify your triggers: Some people find certain things act as triggers – try to identify what yours are. Stress often acts as a laxative and specific foods like coffee (caffeine), chocolate and alcohol can too. It could be that certain times of day are worse than others – morning is often a bad time for many people. Learn what your triggers are and then work around them.

Avoid smoking: Ask any smoker what gets them to the bathroom to open their bowels and invariably they’ll tell you it’s the first cigarette of the day. Nicotine exerts immensely powerful effects on the body, one of these being a laxative one. If you were ever going to quit smoking, now is the time.

Strengthen your pelvic floor: The muscles of the pelvic floor are structured somewhat like a figure ‘8’, running from back to front – from the anus to the vagina (in girls) or scrotum (in boys). They support our internal abdominal organs and help control the bowel and bladder sphincters. If you have urgency problems, it is very important that these muscles are toned. You can do pelvic floor exercises discreetly at any time. Just gently squeeze and tighten the muscles, as if you’re pulling up and in, hold and then relax. You can do it in stages, pulling up a little bit at a time, and holding in between. You can do them standing or sitting, and regular practice (several times daily) is essential.

Frequency problems: These can be lessened by avoiding any foods that act as laxatives or stimulants – like caffeine, alcohol and spicy, rich or fatty foods.

Relaxation: Relaxation calms the digestive system and can be useful if your problems are aggravated by stress – as they often are with IBS and even some of the inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. There may be some element of mind-over-matter when it comes to controlling urgency and frequency.

Herbal help: Valerian has a calming effect on the digestive system.