Asperger's and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

[Kathos]

When my son was born he had a very loose stool, acid reflux and other digestive issues that persisted into his late 2's. After much frustration with his pediatrician, my chiropractor offered to take a look at him. She explained that misalignments often occur during the birthing process so it's good to get babies checked early. She made a few adjustments and after 2 visits the condition that existed since birth disappeared, I was so excited to see his first solid stool!
Anyways, maybe it's worth taking a look at if you have tried everything. The method our chiropractor used is called the Gonstead technique.

 

[Merete]

The most important thing here is what is the root cause of your IBS. That is always the question, and that is why different things work on each individual. It can be difficult and very frustrating to try to figure out what is right for you on your own. My advice is to seek out some doctors who is trained in "functional medicine" or trained nutritionists who treat the root cause, and not the symptoms. Another one is how your medicines influences your digestion/other functional things in your body. This is what a trained nutritionist and/or functional doctor can figure out. All kinds of tests are always very helpful. Other symptoms you have should also be considered.

I have had success in balancing my digestive track. I needed to actually get a degree in nutrition to figure it out all on my own. It is not until recently I found a doctor who treat my root cause with help from tests and symptoms. (not the regular tests that every doctor take) For us with aspergers, it can be a challenge to try different kinds of diets since that is a big change of life. That is why it is important with guidance from a professional- also explaining you have aspergers.

Hope that helped..

 

[Full Steam]

I think it's important too to maintain responsibility for your own health.

Doctors ask for that responsibility , but it's yours until you give it away. Don't do it.

Build a support team, take responsibility and educate yourself. It may be the only way.

 

[pjcnet]

I've had times where I've had long periods of similar symptoms that have lasted weeks and sometimes even months, at the moment it seems to have settled down despite having the usual extreme anxiety and OCD, but it's bound to flare up again however sooner or later. My friend however who I strongly suspect is also on the autistic spectrum with numerous autistic traits suffers from IBS related symptoms nearly all the time and has done for years. Unfortunately our NHS doctor (in the UK) is absolutely dire at the moment however, despite numerous health problems it's almost impossible to get them addressed properly. My doctor might as well close with a sign up saying go to the NHS walk in centre which is also extremely poor, it's not meant to be a service for long term illnesses, they will even tell you to go to your GP (doctor). You can barely ever get an appointment with my doctor if you are ill within the week and even on the rare occasion you can, you get a total of 7.5 minutes per appointment where you're normally fobbed off and left unsatisfied, thinking what was the point in visiting. During each appointment you can only talk about 1 or maybe 2 conditions too and both of us have numerous where something like IBS is actually a lower priority most of the time. The NHS in the UK never used to be this bad, but because of it, it's likely IBS and various other long term conditions will be on the rise because there's little or no support. A pet can get better "free"** treatment and appointments the same day if you're on benefits, but humans can't (personally I pay for insurance for my cat).

People might say, well change your doctors then. Well there's less decent ones around these days although there is in fact a doctors with better rating, but you have to have either a photo driving licence (mine has expired as I'm not able to drive any more due to health conditions) or passport (I don't travel abroad) which is something the UK is forcing for many things recently despite having no national photo ID cards available. It's like I'm a second class citizen without one of these 2 documents, neither of which are supposed to be mandatory and yes like many others I'm being discriminated against, especially since a higher proportion of disabled people won't have these documents either.

**I quoted "free" because the NHS is paid for by higher taxes, so it's not truly free.

 

[Suzanne]

I used to suffer so badly, that I could barely stand up straight and would be curled up on the sofa in absolute agony, with hot stabbling pains darting around my abdomen.

I have actually got it a lot more under control and for me, seems to have calmed down along side my period issues, as I rarely bleed or have period pains now and ironically, do not suffer from bouts of ibs quite so much.

I find though, that if I am hungry and have not eaten, I get stabbing pains and they calm down when I have eaten.

I eat normally, but have replaced sugar with honey.

 

[Progster]

Yes, I have some IBBS symptoms. Some foods make me constipated, some give me the runs - it's a matter of experimenting and seeing which foods trigger either condition (constipation or diarrhea), then striking a balance.

 

[Sabrina]

Ever since I started taking this every night, I stopped having simptoms. The key ingredient is apple cider vinegar.

- A cup of warm water
- The juice of half a lime
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar

 

[S-Head]

Ever since I started taking this every night, I stopped having simptoms. The key ingredient is apple cider vinegar.

- A cup of warm water
- The juice of half a lime
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar

Yes, I imagine that's what's needed to offset the awful taste/smell of cider vinegar! But I hear that cider vinegar is a wonderful thing, so I agree it's worth a try.

Off topic: change the cider to whiskey and you've made homemade cough syrup... :-D

 

[DogwoodTree]

I was dx'd with IBS back in college...20+ years ago. It's been an on-and-off thing since then, but has gotten really bad over the past few years, and especially so over the past few months.

What's helping at the moment is acupuncture, turmeric (anti-inflammatory), and digestive enzymes. I just started the digestive enzymes about 4 weeks ago, and they also come with some probiotics. It's probably not incredibly awesome probiotics, but I'm taking them multiple times a day and that's better than nothing. I can't eat "anything" still, but it has opened up the possibilities somewhat. I was down to baked potatoes, one specific meal from my favorite restaurant, and walnuts. And that was about it. Now I'm able to eat a much wider variety of foods, and although I might feel some temporary discomfort, it's unusual that I get diarrhea now (it does still happen sometimes, but not nearly as severe or long-lasting now).

So...now I carry the digestive enzymes supplement with me wherever I go, and take a pill before each and every meal. I even had a sandwich the other day that I hadn't been able to eat in a couple of years--it had jalapenos, tomatoes, leaf spinach, and avocados--all stuff that had been kicked off my list for a while, and I didn't get sick.

 

[SteveH]

My IBS was similar to yours in some ways. My anxiety, stress, and insomnia made my IBS much worse. I dedicated myself to stress management(I practiced Progressive muscle relaxation every night immediately before sleep), behavioral insomnia management, meditation, and mindfulness. My IBS eventually stopped(knock on wood!).


My current diet has been life-changing. Time-restricted fasting. I finish my three meals and snacks by 4 o'clock every day. I go to sleep at 10, I eat my breakfast at 6 o'clock . Every day 12-14 hours of strict fasting(No food of any kind 6 hours before sleep). Dr S. Panda, from the Salk Institute created this and is doing research on this. He is one of the leaders in the world in circadian rhythm research. He initially designed this protocol to improve circadian rhythm and improve sleep. However, many participants in the study reported that their chronic stomach issues improved or went away altogether. You are giving your entire digestive system 14 hours of bowel rest every single day. My life-long gastric reflux completely stopped(in 2 weeks and it is still hard to believe if it didn't actually happen to me).

To be totally transparent: I also took sugar out of my diet years ago. I also don't consume omega 6 fatty acids-like corn, soybean, and sunflower oil. I use olive, canola, and avocado oil--and Krill oil supplements. My carbs are mostly from quinoa, barely, oats, and beans. I don't eat a lot of meat or processed carbs.

Because of my AS traits, I am repetitive with my eating so once I figured out the what, how, and when of this diet, I just just put it in repeat cycle. In addition, I do a 18 hour fast once/week. I am healthier and more fit now than when I was 20(of course I did have uncontrolled stress, and bad insomnia, and IBS at that time). Dr Rhonda Patrick interviews Dr Panda about this diet and research on her site, Found My Fitness. She is one of my favorites. She has phenomenal information and interviews on her website and on YouTube.

Another point. She looks at a lot of lifestyle changes that can improve brain function. I think they can be particularly helpful for our community. Her PhD is in bio-medical science and she works as a researcher for her full-time job. She is smart as heck. and cool

SteveH

 

[SteveH]

1.

Increase intake of cruciferous vegetables. There are a few small trials that indicate an important component of cruciferous vegetables, sulforaphane, can help behavior modification for those with ASD. Additionally sulforaphane provides sulfur proteins which are essential for a key antioxidant, glutathione, and there is some evidence to indicate glutathione deficiency is present in some people with ASD. Do not consume raw cruciferous vegetables because there is an anti-thyroid component in the raw vegetables that is destroyed in cooking.

I agree! I make a Broccoli sprout and wild blueberry smoothy every morning for breakfast. and take vitamin D supplement. Not to be a broken record about Dr Rhonda Patrick, but she has several videos about Broccoli sprouts and Sulforaphane--including an interview with the leading researcher on this topic on her site, Found My Fitness(and on YouTube).

 

[Azul-Infinito]

I have had digestive issues foor years, and i have to take fiber religiously. I read recently that all of our neurotransmitters, like serotonin, dopamine, GABA, Glutamade, Adrenaline, etc... are made in the stomach, and that there is even nuerological tissue in the stomach. So, i am no medical expert, but i wonder if they will ever identify a link between ASD and these two biological systems.

 

[Full Steam]

I have had digestive issues foor years, and i have to take fiber religiously. I read recently that all of our neurotransmitters, like serotonin, dopamine, GABA, Glutamade, Adrenaline, etc... are made in the stomach, and that there is even nuerological tissue in the stomach. So, i am no medical expert, but i wonder if they will ever identify a link between ASD and these two biological systems.

I'm no expert either, but I do know that we have serotonin and GABA receptors in our gut.

GABA can't cross the blood-brain barrier, but it can bind to gut receptors, so supplements may still work.

They now think the gut is a second brain. Or maybe the only brain for some people.

 

[Sander-Schagen]

Hullo...

For those who are interested in my experience and research on IBS, Autoimmune reactions and the relation with Autism, read my introduction:
Who am i ?

Sander

 

[Misty Avich]

I have irritable bladder and irritable sinuses, but thankfully not irritable bowels.

 

[Sander-Schagen]

I'm no expert either, but I do know that we have serotonin and GABA receptors in our gut.

GABA can't cross the blood-brain barrier, but it can bind to gut receptors, so supplements may still work.

They now think the gut is a second brain. Or maybe the only brain for some people.

OK.
Then maybe you are interested in some of my research.
Central in this is the Neurotransmitter GABA, which is part of the complex Immune_System, which is one of the oldest systems in at least all Vertebrates. The Immune systems eliminates strange proteins, but unused and excessive own protein structures too (Like when you do not use some muscles, they get thinner and when you over-use them, they are allowed to grow even thicker).
In this case it is the GABA-Switch Delay just after birth. (search for it in Google.)

Sander.