Vacationing With IBS? Try The Emergency Anti-IBS Protocol

Photo credit: Herald

So you have a vacation coming up, but you're worried that your digestive woes will get in the way?

What kind of person worries about their digestive system when they're going on vacation? 

The kind who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, am I right?

If you're one of the millions of folks in the IBS club, then you've probably become a professional at cancelling events because you're digestive system decided to attack you. You've also become a pro in the excuses-department because the last thing you want to tell your friend (or date!) is that you can't go because your bowel is irritated. (Whoever came up with the term "irritable bowel syndrome" really didn't make things easier on us, did they?)

If you're one of the people whose life has to revolve around her IBS, you want nothing more than to get control back over your life, er, digestive system. Believe me, I know because I've been there. From the age of about 15 all the way into adulthood, I've been there. I've vacationed dozens of times with IBS, I've gone on dates with IBS tagging along. You name it, I've IBS'd all through it. And it was miserable. Many vacations were smothered in pain. Many dates cancelled or cut short.

 

Photo credit: James Palisad

 I was a teenager when my significant other (who I'd only been with for a year at the time) went on vacation with my family. I felt awful the entire time because the constant pain and digestive upsets. On top of that, I felt like I was putting a damper on everyone's time because even when we went out to eat, I'd be the only person not eating. It was impossible when the smallest meal would literally keep me down for an entire evening.

 I know from years of experience that IBS doesn't take a vacation when you do. This obnoxious little pest doesn't even take Holidays off.

When you have IBS, things that are supposed to be exciting and fun, like vacation are just stressful.

Normal people are so full of excitement the night before they're set to leave for vacation. For people with IBS? you can't sleep because you're darn near sick with worry.  

What if I get to the beach and there isn't a bathroom nearby?

What if I end up having to stay in the motel the entire time?

What if we get on a boat and my IBS flares up? No bathroom + a boat full of people = pure disaster.

 

IBS is a relentless SOB. He not only tags along on your much-needed vacation, but ruins your chances of spending any time outside of the bathroom and on that warm, relaxing beach. 

The minute you finally get out of the motel room and have trekked to the beach, bam! That gut-wrenching rumble strikes and you know that you better start surveying the area for the closest bathroom or place to sit as you try to secretly grit through the pains.

 

You finally get a vacation, but you don't actually get to enjoy it because your IBS won't allow it.

 

Photo credit: Moyan Brenn

 It's like waving a big steak under a dog's nose repeatedly, then finally giving it to him only to snatch it away and beat him with it the second he sinks his teeth in. 

 

That's precisely what vacation was like for me every year. So, when an unexpected invitation to go to the beach popped up, I gathered up all my remedies and supplies to come up with a way to keep my IBS from consuming this vacation. I needed a low-maintenance kind of remedy that I could use in last-minute situations like this. There are many remedies that can help with IBS, but I needed something powerful that would prevent a flare-up all together, and provide relief in the event that one did occur.

I only had a single week, so the pressure was on. However,  I had a few remedies up my sleeve, so I immediately began taking a sort of "emergency anti-IBS protocol."

And it worked! I made it all the way there and back without the IBS striking, even though I happened to be going through some severe emotional distress while we were away.  

Read on to learn the ingredients I used, plus many tips that'll help you come up with the perfect protocol for your own IBS needs. 

Choosing The Right Remedies for An Emergency Anti-IBS Protocol  (I like the ring that has to it)

I'm including all the steps I take when emergency strikes, but by no means is this a strict "protocol" that has to be followed. Feel free to "tweak" the ingredients to fit your needs.

Identify Your Symptoms Before Proceeding

The main symptoms of IBS are similar for most people -- pain, cramps, abdominal discomfort, irregularity, bloating, gas, etc. The severity of each symptom varies from person to person. For example, some people have IBS-C, which means they have constipation frequently while others will be the opposite and suffer with diarrhea, a.k.a. IBS-D. Then there's those of us who have the unpredictable "surprise me" version that could go either way on any given day.

Since I fall under the in-between category, I had to look for flexible options or else I could end up with a remedy of disaster. Imagine taking an IBS-C remedy  (one that's meant to fight IBS-C) when suddenly your IBS decides to come with diarrhea. That'd be like having diarrhea on top of diarrhea. A pure nightmare.

When it comes to IBS, you have to experiment and tailor your treatment based on your symptoms. Having the unpredictable "in-between" IBS, I had to use something that's friendly for all IBS symptoms, whether it's IBS-C or D.

I needed something extremely simple, easy, convenient, and low-maintenance, so I used what I knew to work best, was most readily available, and powerful enough to do the trick.

1. Take Aloe vera (preferably the "medicinal" variety but any will do) daily. You can also take aloe vera supplements instead of using the plants.

Photo credit: Florena Presse

Why: Aloe is the most important ingredient in the protocol because it stops flare-ups and brings almost instantaneous relief. It soothes the gut and intestinal lining, relieves intestinal cramps, discomfort, and inflammation while also working to kill off any harmful bacteria or fungus that contribute to the problem. 

P.S. Recurring or chronic diarrhea is often caused by harmful numbers of bad bacteria residing in your digestive system. With aloe vera working to kill off these bad guys, diarrhea usually subsides.

Instructions: Start taking aloe vera a week ahead of your big event or vacation. If it's last minute I begin as soon as possible because any aloe is helpful. 

If I take aloe vera daily for a period of time (the length of time depends on the severity) it'll keep it away for months to come. I always aim to take a daily dose for a week straight for maximum results.

How to Use Aloe From the plant:  I typically cut whichever shoot is the most mature/largest from my plant. Using a knife, I slice one side of outer leaf away, then using the knife (or a spoon), I scrape the clear, inner material off. You'll end up with a glob of clear, gooey aloe vera. This is the edible portion. The green outer leaf isn't used. Rinse it well to ensure the latex (a yellow liquid-y substance that oozes from the cut shoots) isn't consumed as it's been reported to have a mild laxative effect for some people and some have suggested it could be bad for the liver.

There isn't a recommended amount of aloe vera to consume, but it doesn't take much to inhibit a flare-up. I typically just cut the largest stalk on my plant and with a drink of water, swallow the inner "gel." The inner gel usually comes away in bits and pieces, hardly ever in a whole piece. Unless the stalk produced a really large amount of inner gel, I'll take all of it in one day. Otherwise, I save the remaining pieces and store them in the fridge.

Aloe Supplement method: If you're using a capsule/supplement, follow the recommended dosage on the label. Personally, I take 2 when I'm using the cheaper brand of aloe vera gel caps from Wal-mart (Nature's Valley is the brand, I think. It's the one in a dark green bottle with a yellow lid.) Others types, like freeze dried aloe, for example, may recommend up to 5-6 capsules daily.

Aloe Vera Usage Tips

• Choosing A Plant or Pre-Made Supplement

 Personally, I prefer eating the aloe vera I grow myself because it's cheaper and I don't have to worry about fillers, pesticides, or additional ingredients that might be harmful. However, I like keeping a bottle of aloe supplements on-hand for traveling, emergency flare-ups, and convenience in general. If you're going to use a supplement, consider choosing one with a "certified organic" label and no questionable "other ingredients."

•   Be Wary of Aloe "Infused" Beverages

 Aloe vera is showing up in many consumer products, like beverages, but none of these have been very useful for IBS symptoms. Convenience of the aloe infused beverages may be tempting, but I seriously don't recommend that you rely on them for this part of the protocol.

• Which Brand of Aloe is Best?  I've used most of the aloe vera supplements that can be purchased in a Wal-mart or over the Internet, and it really doesn't matter which brand you use or whether you go with freeze dried aloe or a gel capsule. Just as long as the ingredients are 100% pure aloe vera and free of harmful additives/chemicals. Some of the brands differ in potency and quality to an extent, but the purpose is to get relief fast, and all of them do that in my experience.

•   What About the "latex" in aloe vera? Some people say the "latex" found inside the green aloe vera leaf can cause stomach discomfort or have a laxative effect. To remain on the cautious side, rinse your freshly cut aloe vera gel  thoroughly.

In my experience, eating many aloe vera plants of many different species, including the "latex" hasn't produced any ill side effects. Never have I experienced stomach discomfort or a laxative effect from consuming the latex along with the gel.

 If you've been one of Healthy, Happy, Wholesome's long-term readers, you've probably read about how aloe vera helped me recover from IBS. Through all the years I've been experimenting, aloe vera has been an infallible, most helpful remedy. 

If you were to only choose a single ingredient for relief of IBS, aloe vera would probably be the best one you could go with. 

2. Eat Garlic Cloves Daily. 
 

Photo credit: Allison Turrell

Why? Consuming garlic regularly will help kill off the bad bacteria and keep your system in check. 

Garlic contains prebiotic substances, which feed and promote the growth of the healthy bacteria within the colon. 

This makes garlic particularly beneficial since most people with IBS don't have enough healthy bacteria. Without enough healthy bacteria, the "bad bacteria" (like candida albicans or "yeast," for example) take over. These guys, when in large quantities, are responsible for a lot of the painful symptoms associated with IBS. 


Instructions for use: Get a head of garlic and starting a week before you plan to go on vacation, eat 1-3 cloves daily. 

I took 1-2 cloves of garlic daily for the week leading up to our vacation and stopped taking it the night before we left. If your concerned about the pungent aroma lingering during your vacation, you can stop a day or so before your big event.

The cloves can be used as flavoring in your meals or if you can tolerate it, chop up a clove and pop it into your mouth. Just be sure you don't allow it to sit in your mouth for too long as it can burn. I chop the clove into small bits, then wash them down with a glass of water.

Garlic's powerful anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties will help kill off the harmful parasites, yeast, and bacteria that are known for causing IBS flares.


Tips for using garlic

•  Anti-fungals can cause folks with IBS and candidiasis to have a Herxheimer reaction a.k.a. "die-off." This occurs when a number of the candida albicans "die-off" and release toxins in your system. I have had the Herx reaction in the past and it was a highly unpleasant few hours. With that said, you may want to be careful not to over consume things like garlic.

• Most experts agree that eating garlic cloves, rather than using garlic powder or taking a garlic supplement is the best way to reap the most benefits. I usually find a head of garlic for only 99 cents at the grocery store.

• Make sure to crush or chop the cloves and leave them exposed to air for a few minutes in order to as doing so release the important enzyme allicin.

3.  Take Peppermint As a Natural Pain-Killer and to Prevent Colon Spasms

Photo credit: Kim

Most IBS sufferers would agree that a spastic colon can cause extreme pain and cramps.

Why? Peppermint calms and numbs the gastrointestinal tract, providing relief from bloating, painful cramps, spasms, and inflammation associated with IBS. These benefits can be attributed to the active ingredient, menthol, which is a natural anti-spasmodic that relaxes the tense muscles that line intestinal tract and stomach. It also improves the functioning of these important muscles.

Additionally, peppermint helps your body digest fats and relieves diarrhea and gas.

Instructions for use:
Take a peppermint oil capsule or drink peppermint tea before meals, if possible. I like to start taking a single soft capsule of peppermint essential oil the day before I leave for vacation as well as at the start of my day for the duration of the trip.

Most people recommend taking the mint after a meal, but I like to take it at the beginning of my day to help keep the typical symptoms (discomfort, spasms, and gas) away.
 
Tips for using peppermint

•  While peppermint tea has been reported to be useful for minor discomfort, using peppermint extract or a peppermint oil capsule seems to be the most favored approach. I personally find relief when I take a soft capsule that contains peppermint essential oil. I haven't had much luck with other peppermint products, like teas.

• Only use food grade essential oils. Some essential oils are only meant to be used aromatically. Never take an essential oil internally if it does not specifically say that it's safe to consume.

 4.  Take Coconut Oil

Photo credit: Meal Makeover Moms

Why? A daily dose of high quality, organic, un-refined coconut oil kills candida albicans (the "yeast" fungus that plagues IBS sufferers.) Coconut oil anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, so it'll also help kill some of the harmful bacteria in your gut.



Instructions for use: A teaspoon of coconut oil taken everyday for a week leading up to the day you plan to leave. (Of course last minute vacations don't allow for this pre-planning, so it's still plenty beneficial to take the small doses while on vacation.)

Coconut oil can be eaten by the spoon or added to meals like oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, etc. You can swap your cooking oil with coconut as well. 

Tips for Coconut Oil Usage

• Like garlic, you should also be careful with coconut oil unless you're prepared to experience some "die-off" symptoms. When I first tried coconut oil for my severe IBS, I started with half a teaspoon a day. When I decided (after a week or two) to up my intake to 2 tablespoons, I ended up having Herxheimer's reaction.

• Use the highest quality you can afford. It's best to choose an un-refined, organic, cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil. When I use regular store-bought coconut oil, although it's easier to get down, I don't notice improvements. A reputable brand that I did notice results with is Gold Label Organics.

 5. Cinnamon

Photo credit: Marat Assanov

Why? The eugenol in cinnamon is a natural pain-killer that stops cramps and prevents diarrhea for those with IBS-D.

Instructions for use: Take a teaspoon of ground cinnamon with a warm beverage like tea to relieve cramps or diarrhea.
You can take a teaspoon of cinnamon powder 1-2 times daily to prevent the occurrence of IBS symptoms.
 
 

IBS-sufferers find themselves in "emergency situations" more than average, and it isn't just on vacation that we need a quick patch. Whether you're somewhere that doesn't have a bathroom nearby or you're stuck in a meeting, having this little remedy for "just in case" days is a life saver. 

Over the years, I've experimented with dozens of remedies to find relief from IBS. The ones mentioned have been some of the most useful for treating or preventing an IBS episode.

There's truly nothing like the horror of being stuck somewhere (especially somewhere quiet and surrounded by people) when your stomach starts rumbling, am I right? 

Next time a last-minute vacation (or similar event) arises, you'll know exactly how to make sure the IBS stays at home.