Articles by Rick Faye
Drills >>
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A Brief Biography: Guro Dan Inosanto >>
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The MKG Menu and Jeet Kune Do: >>

Articles by Jon Baklund
Private lessons >>
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Having fun while training. >>
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Physical, Mental, & Spiritual income from the martial arts. >>

Articles by Paul Boyajian
Accelerating Toward Your Goals: Learning in the Martial Arts Studio >>

Articles by Bob Carver
Giving Back >>

Articles by Roy Harris
What Makes a Good Instructor? >>

Articles by Sarah Kennedy
Training With Your Significant Other >>
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Curing Depression With Muay Thai >>

Articles by Peter Kwong
It's All In The Detail >>

Articles by Roy Liang
Teaching and Training Young (4 to ~7 yrs) Kids in the martial arts. >>

Articles by Tim Mousel
The Thaiboxing Workout: A Scientific Approach >>
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The Making of a True Martial Arts Master >>

Articles by Diana Rathborne
Self Defense Self Assessment for the Martial Arts Instructor >>
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Personal Safety For Women >>
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Mind Over Matter >>
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Competing With Your Instructor >>
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Basic Truths >>
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Muay Thai in Minneapolis, Minnesota with Kuhn Kru Rick Faye >>
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Be Safe - Be strong: Simple self defense tips >>

Articles by Rudy Rogers
Warriors and the Weed >>
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Progressive P.C.T. >>
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Ram Muay: Thai Boxing's Calm Before the Storm >>
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Martial Arts and Your Health: An Interview with Scott Schmaltz >>

Articles by Scott Schmaltz
Overcoming Fitness Plateaus >>
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Genetically Modified Foods >>
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Misconceptions of IBS >>
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Toxins In Meat >>

Articles by Anthony Sell
Building rapport with your students - 5 Sure-fire ways to improve your teaching skills >>
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Infusion-based Learning - Making the most out of your seminar experiences >>
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Lessons from NAGA - Why competition is an Important Experience. >>
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The Wisconsin Martial Arts Camp Experience >>
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Growth and Expectation in the Martial Arts >>

Misconceptions of IBS

There are many misconceptions as to the cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Digestive problems of one sort or another seem to be a characteristic of our society. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome are characterized by pain, an inability to absorb nutrients properly, constipation, and diarrhea, among other symptoms.

There are natural herbal remedies, like Omega 3 fatty acids, that can help alleviate the symptoms of IBS, but it is better to find the cause of the problem. This will lead to a better understanding of how to manage the situation.

(http://www.betterlifeunlimited.com/healthnews/newsletters/display.aspx?id=69188361080) - Article on IBS and Omega 3.

Many times IBS is due to activity and lifestyle. The majority of foods consumed in America, Canada, and Argentina are genetically modified along with many of our personal hygiene items. Everyone's body responds to these chemicals in different ways, but this is a huge topic that should be looked at in a different posting. There is a posting on this site for modified foods.

I would like to comment on one more brief aspect of diet before I move on. Fiber is important to bowel regularity, and it is true that according to ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) guidelines you need 25-30 grams of fiber, per day, in your diet. However, this can be too much fiber for most people. Especially if you are not used to this level of fiber or if you are not used to grainy fibers. This will only lead to flatulence, bloating, cramping, swelling, and general discomfort.

Water is also a good choice for helping with constipation, and you've heard that you need 8-10 glasses of water a day. Though, this is can be subjective and may not help. It doesn't say how big the glasses should be, if it is based on your activity, diet, or body weight. Instead, you should look more closely at drinking half of you body weight in fluid ounces per day. If you weigh 100 pounds, than you should drink 50 fluid ounces of water per day, and you may need to increase this as you become more active. You should slowly work yourself up to this level if you aren't used to a high amount of water, or you may end up frequenting the restroom along with having a general discomfort. You will also want to drink water that is purified by reverse osmosis, distilled, or something with a fluoride filter. These are one of the few ways to remove all the chemicals, chlorine, and fluoride from water. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If a food allergy to GMO's is ruled out, than you should look at your lifestyle. Trigger points are the cause of many undiagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed health problems. A broad range of medication is prescribed on this basis with frequently disappointing results.

Trigger points are small contraction knots in the muscles of the body, and they are common causes of many aches and pain. (eg. IBS, headaches, neck pain, jaw pain, TMJ, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, dizziness, earaches, arthritis, heartburn, heart arrhythmia, false heart pain, low back pain, shin splints, bed-wetting, nausea, etc.)

Most of what is known about trigger points is very well documented in the two-volume medical text "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual", by Janet Travell and David Simmons, but I will give you a brief description of GI tract problems from "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook", by Clair Davies.

"Pain in the upper abdomen from trigger points can be mistaken for heartburn, hiatal hernia, gallstones, stomach cancer, peptic cancer, heart disease, or simple indigestion. These upper trigger points can also cause nausea, projectile vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Trigger points in the mid-abdomen can be to blame for colic, stomach cramps, and chronic diarrhea. Excess gas and a sense of bloating, fullness, swelling, or burning in the abdomen can be due solely to trigger points in mid- and upper abdominal muscles. The can also mimic an appendicitis when they occur on the right side of the abdomen by the appendix.

Lower abdominal trigger points can make you think that you have an inguinal hernia. They also cause painful spasms in the urinary bladder and may affect urinary retention, making it urination difficult in some cases and hard to control in others. Bed-wetting in older children can be due to trigger points in this region.

* Lower abdominal trigger points can cause constipation and swelling, and can cause a great deal of unnecessary distress when they refer pain to the sexual organs. Much of the menstrual pain felt in the lower abdomen, and in the ovaries, uterus, and vagina, may come from trigger points in the lower abdomen. Pain in the testicles and penis may be nothing more serious than trigger points in the lower abdominals. *

Causes:

Too much worry and too much sitting do more to predispose you to developing trigger points in the abdominal muscles than most anything else.

Though over exercising a soft stomach and leg-ups is famous for developing trigger points. Overexertion on the job or in an athletic activity can promote trigger points in the abdominal muscles. Sitting in a twisted position, sitting too much, a chronic cough, and EMOTIONAL stress can all provoke trigger points in the abdomen. The abdominals are among the muscles that are overworked carrying a heavy backpack.

Trigger points in the abdomen can also be initiated after by internal disease and can be the reason for continuance of pain after the disease is cured. Surgeries can also create trigger points around the surgical site." (2001: Davies 141-142)

The best thing to do is find a qualified massage therapist, in trigger point therapy, in your area. You may email us for information on how to apply self-treatment or locating a qualified therapist in your area, at (precision.fitness.co@gmail.com).