Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Yoga
by Baxter As I am preparing for my upcoming web talks on Yoga for Healthy Digestion for YogaU Online scheduled for July 23rd and 25th, I am rediscovering a lot about both our digestive health and illness. Of particular interest is a very common gastro-intestinal (GI) condition called Irritable Bowel Syndrome, sometimes abbreviated IBS. The last time statistics were taken for this condition in the US, it was estimated that 15.3 million people suffered with IBS. It accounted for three million doctors office visits in 2004, 212,000 hospitalizations the same year, and 5.9 million prescriptions. Before we look at yoga�s potential impact on IBS, let�s take a look at how IBS shows up and what we know about its causes. According to the Mayo Clinic website: �Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects your large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating gas, diarrhea and constipation. Despite these uncomfortable sig...