Do you experience:
- Feeling bloated and gassy?
- Bouts of constipation, diarrhoea or switch between the two?
- General abdominal discomfort?
- A loss of appetite or excessive eating?
Maybe you have explored these symptoms with your health practitioner? Tests have been done but ‘nothing found’ and you’ve been told it’s IBS?
IBS (Irritable Bowel System) is a broad umbrella term that encompasses a set of symptoms related to the digestive system. As the name suggests the symptoms indicate that the digestive system is irritated but there are no other underlying causes for the symptoms that indicate pathologies of an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) i.e. Colitis, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns, which also display similar symptoms.
Symptoms range in their degree of severity and the impact they have on daily life and can last for hours, days, weeks or months at a time. The UK charity for digestive disorders indicated that 1 in 20 people are diagnosed with IBS (GUTS, 2021).
The NHS (2022) indicates the causes of IBS include:
- Food transit through the gut being too fast or slow
- Oversensitivity of the nerves in the gut
- Stress and family history
The NHS indicates that it is a lifelong condition without ‘cure’ although symptoms can be managed by:
- Dietary changes using the FODMAP protocol.
- Medication to reduce cramping, and contraction of the bowel and slow the transit of food through the bowel.
- Engaging in activities that aid stress relief e.g. Yoga, meditation.
Ileocecal valve (ICV)
An aspect of digestive wellbeing that is recognised within an eastern approach to understanding health and some complementary therapies but is not often mentioned in Western approaches is the Ileocecal valve (ICV).
The ICV is a value located between the small and large intestine located within the body approximately halfway between the right hip bone and belly button.
Like a door, its purpose is to open a close to allow waste to pass through and shut to prevent backflow from the large intestine back into the small intestine.
The small intestine is where we absorb nutrients from our food, whilst the main role of the large intestine is to absorb water and electrolytes and eliminate waste from our bodies.
The ICV can malfunction being excessively open, shut or in torsion. All of these result in the development of symptoms.
Inhibits Waste Material
When the ICV is excessively shut it inhibits waste material passing into the large intestine and spending too long in the small intestine. The waste material is a combination of faecal matter without the water removed and therefore toxins may get reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.
This can result in symptoms such as:
- Exhaustion, lethargy and fatigue
- Skin issues
- Constipation
- Burping/gas, bloating and flatulence
- Abdominal discomfort
- Bad breath or Body odour
Imbalance of organisms in the gut
Where there is excessive opening of the ICV the food matter may pass through the digestive system too quickly and the nutrition fails to be absorbed. This can cause an imbalance of the naturally occurring probiotic and non-biotic organisms in the gut resulting in more gas and mucus production. This can result in symptoms such as:
- Diarrhoea
- Bloating and flatulence
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
If a timing dysfunction develops in the ICV due to tension in the surrounding tissues it would appear that the body was switching between opening and closing symptoms.
Great Mimicker
However, the ICV is also known as the ‘Great Mimicker’ due to the number of seemingly unrelated symptoms it can be associated with such as:
- Hormonal imbalances
- Shoulder pain
- Pelvis/hip pain
- Back pain
- Sciatica
- Neck tension
- Tinnitus and dizziness
- Headaches and migraines
- Allergies and hayfever
- Emotional distress
What causes the ICV to malfunction?
Stress
Pressure, negative thoughts and emotions, upset, fears, phobias and anxieties can all be experienced on a daily basis. All emotions have a psychosomatic effect on the body. The mind directly affects the body.
We are familiar with the feeling of ‘butterflies in our stomach’ when under a perceived pressure or stress. Similarly, we can have a ‘gut reaction’ to a situation and use that to inform our decisions.
These sensations are our response to perceived stress and body preparation for fight or flight. Whilst we will experience emotional trauma e.g. divorce, bereavement or medical emergency, our nervous system is designed to experience stress, respond and then rebalance.
The stresses of modern life don’t tend to be less intense but more continuous e.g. the current economic climate, work deadlines and family situations, and our nervous system doesn’t get the opportunity to rest and rebalance.
Unable to release the emotional energy from the body can get blocked in the tissues and effect the function of the ICV.
Diet
Too much alcohol, caffeinated drinks, foods high in fat and sugar, as well as too much raw food, whole grains and nuts can cause the ICV to malfunction. Food sensitivities and a lack of stomach acid (often feeling like and treated as acid reflux as if there were too much stomach acid) can also impact the function of the ICV.
Physical Body
Physical exhaustion due to straining the structure of the muscles, bones and/or organs, lack of exercise or over-exercising can upset the smooth functioning of the digestive system.
How can Gentle Release can help?
Gentle Release Therapy (GRT) is an energy-based therapy underpinned by the philosophy and theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). GRT seeks to help release physical and emotional blocks in the body that prevent the free flow of energy that promotes health and wellbeing.
We do this by gently holding specific points and areas on the abdomen, head, face and feet encouraging any energetic blockages to clear to restore balance.
The ICV is treated in the process of rebalancing and harmonising the flow of energy of the TCM abdominal organs. This forms the start of the majority of the treatments due to the importance that they have for supporting all aspects of the mind and body.
We tend to find that a lot of emotion gets trapped there. Releasing blocked energy from the ICV can help it to release tension in the tissues, allow energy to flow and return to normal functioning easing symptoms.
If you would like to experience how Gentle Release Therapy can help you to support your digestive system book yourself a ‘Feel Less Stressed and Have More Energy’ appointment.