Top 10 Home Remedies for IBS

Hey guys, Dr. Josh Axe here with Jordan Rubin. Welcome to Ancient Nutrition Today. We're going to be talking about how to overcome IBS and many other types of digestive issues. And Jordan, I know you've got an incredible story of overcoming digestive disease yourself. Before we get into your story and also jump into the top 10 secrets to transform your digestive health and overcome IBS with essential oils, Diet, nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, herbs, and a whole lot more. How many people today do you think are struggling with digestive disease and issues like IBS?

You know, I've heard a statement that 1 out of 2 people, if not 2 out of 3, will suffer from what you would call IBS at least temporarily in their lifetime. So IBS is typically chronic and it is predominantly alternating constipation and diarrhea, but now there's IBSC, Which is more prone to constipation, IBS. D, women are more likely to have IBS than men.

Wow.

And I believe that that has to do with what they're actually willing to share. I think that it's fairly equal, but women are more willing to go to the doctor, talk about it, etc. But women tend to have more IBS on the constipation side, whereas men will have more IBS on the loose bowel side. Now, understand, this is not Crohn's disease, this is not ulcerative colitis. But IBS in the past used to be called colitis, nervous stomach, which is a little insulting, right? Or spastic colon.

Yeah.

So back in the day, IBS was collectively referred to all those conditions. But if you're someone who is always bloated, you're constipated, you're dealing with gas, indigestion, you will likely be lumped into IBS. It's a catch-all. There's no pathology. We're going to do other programs. on inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. But if you do have IBD, which is what I suffered from, tune in. These principles are going to help virtually anyone with digestive issues, but we are focused today on irritable bowel syndrome and the tens of millions of people who have it.

Yeah, Jordan, I'll say there's actually a lot of people today, because I've had a lot of patients come in my clinic over the years in the past who were struggling with, as you're saying, Constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating is a big one. And some of them didn't even realize that if they would have gone into a conventional doctor, they would have been diagnosed with IBS. So if you're struggling with any digestive issue, especially gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or IBS, these tips today we're going to get in are going to help you. And I guarantee some of these tips that we're going to go over are really going to surprise you and they could transform your digestive health.

Listen, virtually everyone needs help with their gut. I don't know anyone who doesn't need help. And here's something you should understand, both Josh and I have been coaching and helping people overcome health challenges for years one-on-one. It's been one-on-one often, but now we do a lot of research and a lot of sharing and people will text me, I have a friend of a friend or my cousin or my father. And I want to help everybody that I can, but this literally will be a health coaching session. So if you know someone who could benefit, this information has taken us years and it's worth its weight in gold.

Right.

If you're suffering from IBS, I remember years ago watching a video, people in the UK literally doubled over in pain, depression follows, suicidal thoughts. When your gut hurts, nothing is right. So if you know somebody that needs help with their gut, adult or child, tell them to tune in now. Information here will absolutely change your life. It did mine.

Absolutely, Jordan. So let's jump into step number 1 or secret number 1 when it comes to overcoming IBS.

Talk to us about why we should avoid disaccharides and what is a disaccharide? Well, I like to start off with a really long word to make you understand just how smart we are, right? You always want to do that. A disaccharide is a double sugar. So di is double, saccharide is a term for sugar. Disaccharides include lactose in dairy. Almost everyone with IBS is also lactose intolerant. It's over 50%. Starches, so we're talking about grains, even healthy grains have disaccharides. So wheat, barley, oat, rye, people say, but I thought they had gluten. Gluten is a protein. Disaccharide is the starch. And years ago, Elaine Gottschall, who wrote Breaking the Vicious Cycle, back in the day it was called Food and the Gut Reaction, the SCD diet. She was a personal friend of mine and helped mentor me in my early days, and she thought that disaccharides might actually be more dangerous than gluten. But they always occur together. They're never one without the other. So who's the culprit and who's the accomplice? I don't know. Those are 2 big ones, starches and grains, lactose, but also starches and potatoes, that includes sweet potatoes.

Yeah.

Corn, right? Corn raw, I usually say, is a vegetable, cooked is more of a grain, but corn has disaccharides. Soy has various phytates that I would also lump into this as well.

Yeah.

Table sugar, maple syrup, and you want to be careful with fructooligosaccharides. FOS is something that you find in probiotics. And it is found in other foods. Agave is very rich in FOS, which is why I don't recommend agave.

Yeah.

So disaccharides cause issues. So many people that go on a low-carb or paleo-type diet feel better in their gut. One of the main reasons, it's because they avoid disaccharides. Now, just so you know, if you're someone who says, I don't really have IBS, but occasionally my gut doesn't feel well. There's a way to reduce disaccharides and still consume the foods, fermentation. So sourdough whole grain bread would have less disaccharides.

Okay.

Yogurt, kefir, amasi, and cheese, which is fermented dairy, would have less disaccharides, fermented soy, etc. But those are the big ones, the corn, the potatoes, the grains, almost every grain, not seeds but grains, dairy that has lactose. sugar, and maple syrup all have disaccharides. And when you start to eliminate them, you will feel better so quickly. I bet 3 days and you're going to feel significantly better. The only way you know that though is if you write it down. It shocks me how many people that I work with, do you feel better? I don't know. Because here's the deal, when you have a headache, you tell everyone you have a headache, right?

Yeah.

But how many times do you walk around, hey, I don't have a headache right now? You know when it hurts. You're unaware sometimes when you're better. So write down your symptoms, rank them, gas, bloating, indigestion, how many bowel movements you have, what the form is. I know this is kind of gross, but it's Tuesday morning, we can get into that. That's how you know. So disaccharides, if there's one thing you do, this could make a huge difference.

Yeah, absolutely. So again, some of this information might be new to you, but think about all the people right now who are struggling with digestive issues. Maybe it's gas. Bloating, diarrhea, constipation, IBS symptoms, and even another condition that comes to mind, Jordan, that is growing in popularity is SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which I know disaccharides could cause issues with there as well. Absolutely, that's true. And so again, we're talking potatoes, we're talking whole grains. If somebody's doing sweet potatoes, maple syrup, whole grains, typically they would think, hey, I'm eating healthy.

Yes, yes.

At the same time, that can be the root cause of digestive issues. And so we're going to jump here into step number 2, but Jordan, give our audience what would be your favorite sweetener to replace maple syrup.

Absolutely. It's a great question. What are monosaccharides? If disaccharides are bad, monosaccharides are the sweets that are best. Honey is really the best. Now, monosaccharides would be glucose and fructose, but don't go out and buy fructose. Fructose can cause problems with the liver.

Oh, yeah.

It's not a great sweetener, but honey is my favorite sweetener. Now, I know some people, I can even tell that your phone is magically having comments that say, what about stevia? What about this? I heard that's good. I don't love sweetening things with non-caloric sweeteners, but they are okay when it comes to the gut. You know what's not okay in my opinion? I'm not a big fan of xylitol, maltitol, and sorbitol. It's not the worst thing in the world, but those are sugar alcohols which behave just like disaccharides. So honey is God-created and it's good.

Yeah, Jordan, I read a study not too long ago about xylitol actually contributing to intestinal permeability, so leaky gut syndrome, other digestive issues. Question here from Jennifer, she says, what about coconut sugar?

That's a great question and it is one of my favorite sweeteners. Coconut sugar has Half and half. Coconut sugar is not a disaccharide sweetener necessarily, it's got a little bit of both. If you are seriously compromised, no sweetener or honey is best. Date sugar actually is another monosaccharide-rich sugar. Coconut sugar is good for so many reasons because it's a real food, but it is similar to maple in that it comes from sap.

Yeah.

I do think that it's good, it's probably my second favorite sweetener. Date sugar is harder to find. Honey, I use honey to sweeten things 95% of the time.

Absolutely, I'm with you on that. All right, let's jump into number 2 here. And guys, as we've been talking about, this is a big one. Jordan, there are millions of people walking into the doctor's office today, they're given steroids, they're given painkillers, they're given medications to try and just, you know, just basically work with the symptoms and not really take care of the root cause of this disease today.

Absolutely.

So number 2 here, we're going to get into the root of the matter with ginger. Do you like that?

It's actually a rhizome, but very good.

Okay, there we go.

Ginger is one of the best gut-supporting products, period. How do you consume ginger? I like making a tea or a decoction. And just for you foodies out there or you tea aficionados, it's not technically a tea unless you have the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. However, I'm going to call it a tea because if I said an herbal infusion, you might wonder what it is. Hot ginger is awesome mixed with lemon and honey. It's truly amazing. You can take ginger in supplement form. Candied ginger wouldn't work because it's got sugar, which is a disaccharide. Ginger is great in juice. It's awesome in juice. When you make veggie juice, juice some ginger, you will absolutely love it. But ginger has many compounds that help calm the gut.

Yeah.

We know it's good for occasional nausea. It's good for bloating. It's probably one of the top 2 herbs or spices, we'll talk about the other one later, for your gut. Really, really good.

Yeah, and I'll mention this with ginger, just a couple of compounds. One compound it has is zingerbin, which is actually an enzyme that's very similar. We've talked about kiwi and some of these other fruits, but it's an enzyme that actually breaks down proteins within the body, which is great. It also contains gingerols, which contain a lot of the anti-inflammatory compounds. So a lot of disease today Including IBS can be caused when you have inflammation in your gut and gut lining. And that's why ginger, it's one of my absolute favorite superfoods out there for treating IBS, even Crohn's colitis, leaky gut syndrome, gas, bloating. It's been shown clinically to benefit the digestive tract in so many ways. And a few ways I like to do it, Jordan, I love juicing it. As you've said, I love doing actually pickling it. I'll put it in my pickled ginger sometimes when I'm eating salmon.

Absolutely.

It's a great way to get it as you talked about. Actually, just putting it in a pot of water and letting it simmer for 30 minutes along with some other herbs there, making a decoction or a tea out of it, so beneficial. So one action step, if you want to do something immediately and notice a difference in your health, hey, add some good ginger root into your diet in a tea, in a smoothie. I'll add it to an Asian dish and grate it in there. An amazing herb there.

It's wonderful.

So Jordan, we're going to jump into number 3 here. Unveil it, here we go. Peppermint essential oil. But Jordan, talk to me a little bit about how you personally use peppermint essential oil.

Peppermint can be used in many ways. It can be used to make a delicious drink. It can be used in recipes. You've talked about Thin Mint smoothies, etc. I just love it put in my mouth or on my toothpaste. I can never get enough of it. I put peppermint oil on my toothpaste in the morning, 3 drops or so. I don't care how many are on there, it's awesome. But also, peppermint oil has been very well documented in an enteric-coated capsule. We can't make this, this is a product, but peppermint oil in an enteric-coated capsule has had significant benefit for gut issues and IBS. So if you look for a supplement, that is enteric-coated peppermint oil, or if you have a 2-piece hardshell vegetable capsule, you can put peppermint oil along with coconut oil in there. When you take it by mouth, it doesn't necessarily get to the gut fully, but it's still really, really good. And of course, you can make other recipes with peppermint oil. You can make peppermint ice cream.

Oh, yeah.

Every time you consume peppermint oil, it soothes the gut, and when you are in the midst of an IBS attack, because IBS can cause attacks, pain, doubling over. It's a great time to take a couple drops of peppermint oil topically and— excuse me, orally and topically with a carrier oil.

You know, chamomile oil can be great because it reduces stress. That's one of the things I know that we'll talk and we'll unveil a little bit is some of what we believe are the most beneficial ways to reduce stress and remove that stress that can be on the gut, which we know can be a major cause there of IBS as well. So, and I just want to mention a few other oils here that you guys recommended. I believe peppermint, number one, ginger, number two, fennel is great as well, citrus oils are fantastic. And then even oils like chamomile and lavender to reduce stress can be great. You know, Jordan, one of the things I've recommended patients do for years is take a healing bath.

Yes, yes.

And so, you know, do 1 cup of Epsom salts. Get in the bath, you could do a little bit of lavender, chamomile, maybe even a little peppermint in the tub, sit there and just soak and relax for 20 minutes in a hot tub. It's a great way to use essential oils to naturally relieve stress. All right, Jordan, so that's peppermint oil. Let's jump into number 4 here, soluble fiber. Jordan, talk to us about soluble fiber.

And let me mention this before I do, this is not all-inclusive. In fact, There are several other steps, tips, keys, secrets, if you will, that are available to you. This is not all-encompassing, but we believe that these 10 little nuggets can help virtually everybody improve their digestion. So soluble fiber is interesting. It dissolves in water as opposed to insoluble. And when you have gut issues, particularly IBS, soluble fiber can be good for you. Now, some people will turn to psyllium. husk, which is soluble and it can help people. The challenge is it is so absorbent or what you would call hydrophilic, it loves water, that it actually could cause gas and bloating and some issues, and even it can cause some other things that people don't want when they're dealing with the gut. So, not to say that psyllium is bad, but if you're someone who has been used to taking psyllium, Soluble fiber and psyllium are not necessarily synonymous. There are other sources. In fact, one that's been studied for IBS is acacia fiber or acacia gum. There is actually some medical foods out there with acacia. And my little daughter, Isabella, who's almost 4, has had some digestive challenges and we give her acacia fiber each and every day, 1 teaspoon, and it has helped.

Okay.

can be good. But if you're looking for a whole food solution, there are fruits that are wonderful sources of soluble fiber for people who have IBS. Kiwi is my favorite.

Yeah.

Now, it's soluble and insoluble. No fruit is strictly soluble or insoluble, but kiwi is a good one. Blueberries are high in soluble fiber. Mango, you know that many people have really good gut results by consuming fresh or even dried mango, and it's so easy to find. So those are 3, there's several others, and one of my favorites is orange.

Okay.

Orange is a really good source of soluble fiber. If you've got serious gut issues, I like to consume at night kiwi fruit and orange, shop organic if you can. Not only are they rich in vitamin C, But they're a great source of soothing soluble fiber that can help your bowel. So kiwi, blueberries, as well as oranges and mango, certainly people like apples, etc., but those are a little higher in insoluble fiber. And some people who are very sensitive can be bothered by them.

Jordan, we got a question here from Tia Hall. She says, what about flax?

We're going to get to seeds in just a moment, so hold tight. Flax is a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. You know what else is a great source of soluble fiber is pumpkin. I know people that take canned pumpkin, mix it with coconut cream. And keep in mind, when you buy coconut cream, there's coconut butter, buy coconut milk in a can, not in a carton. Actually, it's better in a can, believe it or not. And all the cream comes to the top and then there's water on the bottom. So you pour the water out, you get the best stuff, and mix a little bit of that or some butter.

Oh, yeah.

Some honey and some vanilla in pumpkin pie, just puree. It is a great source of bulking fiber for the gut. It is really, really good. It's a gourd, a squash, but it is very, very soothing and it's not talked about very much.

Oh, yeah. Jordan, another question here. This is from Bella. She said, are these same fruits you mentioned also good for ulcerative colitis?

That's a great question. If you have ulcerative colitis and you have loose bowels, and I know that sounds strange because most people think, of course. Bloody bowel movements. It's not always the case. I know people with UC and Crohn's that have constipation. But if you've got ulcerative colitis and you have loose, unformed stools, those fruits are great. I'd start with pumpkin. Pumpkin is really good. But blueberries are good, chew them very well. And of course, the others that I mentioned, mango is surprising and orange is surprising. Most people don't associate that with gut health.

Yup.

They are all helpful. Kiwi may be my favorite. So soluble fiber from food. Acacia is good, just start slowly because it's just fiber. I like to try the fruit first.

Jordan, one more question before we jump into number 5. Another question is, are these foods also good for SIBO?

Are these foods also good for SIBO? It depends. My opinion is that SIBO is mainly caused by disaccharides. There's a lot of diets and theories out there, FODMAPs, which I'm not even going to go into all of that where people say that oleols and certain oligosaccharides are a problem and you can't have avocado. I don't get that deep. If you need it that deep, then you should just be consuming meat and a few vegetables, right? Because you can, or broth all the time.

Sure.

I do believe that those fruits consumed in the right quantities, which is a smaller amount with some fat, provided the rest of your diet has some Good gut-balancing products and foods can be really good.

Yeah, and I found, Jordan, too, one big issue with SIBO is definitely overeating or eating foods that are going to sit in your stomach for a while. So eating things that are more easily digested can definitely help.

Absolutely.

All right, guys, we have number 5 here, chia seeds. And chia seeds are really incredible for so many reasons. Jordan, why don't you talk a little about chia seeds?

Chia is a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber, but what's great about chia It's got a mucilaginous property to it. So does flax, but flax is different because you can't just swallow flax and get benefits.

Yeah.

For years though, they would boil flaxseeds and strain the water off and it was like a gel, really soothing for the gut. Chia can be soothing for the gut. You can consume the seeds straight. I like to consume chia mixed in dairy products, kombucha, etc. Ground chia is wonderful as a source of another fiber product. 2 to 3 tablespoons a day, work up to that of chia, I find is a little better than flax, again, because of its versatility. But there are also other herbs and seeds, fenugreek, marshmallow root can be really good. It does tend to cause some gas when you consume it. Slippery elm is another. Those are all mucilaginous, fibrous herbs, spices, etc. But chia seeds are great for the gut.

Oh, yeah.

They're not going to work right away. As a laxative would, but I would work up to 2 to 3 tablespoons a day. Again, you can just mix them in water whole. Let it gel. You got to spoon it for a while. It will gel and the gel is very soothing to the gut.

Yeah, one of the things, Jordan, I love doing with chia seeds is making a chia seed pudding, a chocolate chia seed pudding using some coconut cream and cacao and things like that or just coconut cream, but chia seeds can be great. We have some questions about, Jordan, do you have anything specific? What is something specific we can do as a quick constipation remedy if somebody has chronic and long-term constipation?

Absolutely.

Actually, answer that now and then we'll jump into probiotics here.

If you need fast, effective relief, when it comes to laxatives, it can be very challenging because typically when you're looking at cascara, senna, etc., they can be a little bit rough, cathartic. laxatives, and that can move the bowel whether you're dead or alive, and that's quite literal. But when it comes to overcoming constipation, we talked about this on a recent program, get hydrated, number 1. Number 2, consume enough fats. I think one of the best constipation-relieving remedies is a couple of ounces of olive oil. Long-chain fats, avocados are good, somebody mentioned.

Yeah.

Long-chain fats can be very beneficial, so that's number 2. Number 3 is probiotics, which we're going to talk about in a moment. Particularly probiotics that have bacillus. Bacillus coagulans is one of the best studied probiotics for constipation. You can find it in a lot of foods and commercially available kombuchas now, in supplements, etc. And then number 4 would be fiber. I think chia seeds are great, but if you want to really move your bowels, take 2 tablespoons of olive oil, up to 2 ounces. It's kind of yucky to just drink olive oil, but—

Yeah.

You can do it. Flaxseed oil is another alternative. And then add those fruits I mentioned, 2 kiwis, they're small, some mango is really good, you can have blueberries as we talked about. The other option is to do the pumpkin coconut recipe. So all of those are good in my opinion for constipation. They're not going to work overnight always, but they will get things moving.

Yeah, and I'll say this, and by the way, my mom loves it when I talk about her constipation on air.

I'm sure she didn't.

Sorry, Mom. But my own mom struggled with chronic constipation for years, having sometimes just one bowel movement a week for years. And Jordan, what we did is we started doing a mixture of goat's milk kefir and flax meal. She did that every day. She would do carrot juice with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil, like you're saying, and then she would also eat blueberries throughout the day, do lots of water, and she would do a mini trampoline or rebounder.

Mini trampoline is really great. And look, last time We talked about our moms. Josh said his mom got our new multivitamin, mine didn't. So not to be outdone, my mom had chronic constipation even worse than your mom. So oops.

Wait till I talk about my mom's toenail fungus. Okay, here we go. All right, so number 6, we're going to talk about probiotics to benefit IBS. I'm going to talk about a few things here then pass this on to Jordan. So probiotics are crucial, Jordan. Age today of antibiotics. You know, I'll say for a majority of the patients I took care of over the years, one of the number one causes of leaky gut and inflammatory bowel disease was them taking a prescription antibiotic as a kid, taking it over and over and over again through the years. Those antibiotics kill not only the bad bacteria, they kill the good bacteria that line your gut, those probiotics. And so we know probiotics are important for so many things. Nutrient absorption, digestion, protection of the gut lining. You know, probiotics actually even produce enzymes that can help break down your food for you. They're actually responsible for helping produce certain vitamins like K2, certain types of fatty acids. Probiotics are a big deal. And I would guess, Jordan, that 98% of people have an imbalance in having enough good bacteria in their gut. And I know this is something that I know I've used in the past, and talk to us about Probiotics, how they can benefit IBS, and also are there specific types or species of probiotics we should be looking for?

There are, and keep this in mind, you can get probiotics from food. You mentioned that your mom consumed goat milk kefir, that's a source of probiotics. Sauerkraut, if your gut is not really, really cranky, you could do well to consume sauerkraut or kimchi, and I'll talk about why in just a moment. Other fermented foods can be really, really good. as well, but 2 particular probiotic species that are great for IBS are Lactobacillus plantarum, that comes from sauerkraut but it's also available in supplements, and Bacillus coagulans. In fact, Bacillus coagulans was just approved in Canada to make an IBS claim. That's a big deal for Health Canada.

Wow.

So both of those probiotics are helpful for alternating constipation and diarrhea Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus coagulans. I've used them for years, really like them. Consume sauerkraut. You can consume some other fermented foods. Natto is really, really good. Any Bacillus, I think, is great for SIBO, which is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, IBS, etc., and they create enzymes to break down your food. Bottom line, if you're on IBS, you need a probiotic and you need lots of it.

Yeah, absolutely. So I couldn't agree more. So get those probiotics. And here's the thing, you want to make sure when you're taking a probiotic, I recommend getting a certified organic probiotic, looking for species. Again, Jordan's saying the Bacillus species, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus subtilis, great probiotics. And again, those aren't just food-based. In a way, those are actually titled, and a lot of times soil-based probiotics we should be getting on a regular basis. So let's unveil step number 7 here in order to help support our gut. So Jordan, talk to us about your favorite sources of resistant starch. And also, there's this new nut out there I know that's becoming really popular and it's a source of resistant starch.

Absolutely. It's a nut that's not a nut. It's called a tiger nut and I think that's for the shock factor. Tiger nuts are actually small tubers and there's a really great company, there's a few companies that make tiger nuts. They're small, they're very high in fiber, sometimes you can get them peeled, I've seen Tiger nut horchata, which is a beverage that you can drink. There's tiger nut flour to make in smoothies, but tiger nuts are high in resistant starch, really high in fiber, and if you start slowly consuming them, they are very, very good. They're kind of sweet.

Yeah.

They're very chewy, and you can find them at your local health food store or online. So tiger nuts are my favorite source of resistant starch. I think anyone with IBS, gas, or bloating can benefit from tiger nuts. Potato starch isn't a food. Not nutritious, it's not organic. I don't recommend potato starch. You get the same benefits and more from tiger nuts. And if you're on a nut-free diet, it's not really a nut, it's a really small tuber that many people say was a large source of our diet thousands of years ago.

And one of the great things about resistant starches, Jordan, is they can actually support probiotics within the body as well.

They can, it's a prebiotic, absolutely.

So sort of imagine yourself as if we're getting all these prebiotics. So we need probiotics as these seeds that are going to grow in your system. We need some good fertilizer there as well. That's a great reason to get quality resistant starch in your diet from tiger nuts. In fact, I had a company recently, Jordan, send me some free product. They sent me the tiger nuts as well as the flour, and they actually had some great cooking recipes of tiger nut pancakes and waffles and things like that.

And in case you're wondering, I know people say, well, you tell me To buy tiger nuts, what brand? I'm guessing that it was Organic Gemini out of Brooklyn, New York. So they're good people. Organic Gemini has really good tiger nut products. They've got tiger nut oil. I just love it when somebody comes out with a great concept. And in fact, I want to mention Josh and I are going to be at Natural Products Expo East in a couple of weeks, actually next week. Next week, yeah. And so what we'll do is we'll find some of the coolest new products. This is a trade show where all of the industry gets together and brings their new foods and beverages, and I need to keep this guy focused because he'll just be walking around with my son Joshua getting samples of everything, and we're actually going there to work. But that's a great new product, and I really love it when somebody comes up with something innovative that can benefit people. So Tiger Nuts, it's just cool. I kind of wish I came up with that.

Jordan, let's talk about the benefits of digestive enzymes for IBS specifically.

Now, I'm going to stand back here because the main benefit of digestive enzymes Is because you're still going to eat disaccharides, they break them down. So think about it. If you take digestive enzymes with meals, lactase will help you digest lactose.

Yeah.

Invertase or sucrase helps you digest table sugar and maple syrup. Cellulase helps you digest raw plant fiber which we can't digest. We don't have the enzyme. And the list goes on and on. Amylase is for starch. I have to say that someone with IBS, the number one product I may recommend for them is a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme.

Yeah, and that might surprise some people. Again, I know anytime I've recommended products, Jordan, for IBS, it's been these 2 right here. It's been probiotics and enzymes every single time. And people ask that a lot because, you know, when you go online and start researching, sometimes there's like, hey, here's the 50 different supplements that are beneficial for this condition. As you're saying, IBS, you want to take digestive enzymes, probiotics. That's the perfect one-two punch there you want to follow. And of course, diet is number one, but those things can definitely benefit the body. And when you're buying enzymes, I typically recommend people looking for certified organic supplements when you're going to go buy a supplement brand there as well. And I can say this can be big as well, number one is disaccharides. Oftentimes, although for certain proteins such as gluten. I know it's probably not as much of a problem in IBS, but it can be. So again, digestive enzymes can support the breakdown of those things as well. So I'm going to talk about broth here, one of my absolutely favorite superfoods. And listen, broth can include chicken broth, it can be beef broth. We know that— I know that you and I, Jordan, love mushroom broth. We call it shroom broth.

Yes.

So many benefits. Chaga, you know, we've talked about that as well. So again, we love broth. And the reason why broth is so beneficial, let's talk about chicken broth. Chicken broth contains type 2 collagen, which specifically can be used as a repair substance by the body for your joints and your cartilage, also for your gut lining. You know, Jordan, I've written a book called Eat Dirt and written several articles on leaky gut syndrome. And leaky gut and IBS can absolutely be connected and correlated in certain instances, but I love broth because it's one of the best foods. For supporting the repair of the digestive lining, and it's one of the easiest things for your body to absorb and digest. And Jordan, I think— I know one of the things that you and I have both taught over the years is having people do a broth cleanse and really just focus on getting broth in their diet. And this also is part of Chinese medicine.

Yes.

They call it one pot where you're putting in things like chicken, chicken broth, then lots of veggies and ginger root. As part of a soup, I think it is the perfect meal for anybody suffering with IBS is doing a chicken soup on a regular basis.

Now, broth would seem to be the opposite of raw juice, but it's really very similar. Broth has colloids, hydrophilic colloids in a similar fashion that juice does. I can tell you if you have IBS, particularly the loose bowel kind or the spastic kind, raw juice is not good. I mean, it typically will cause loose bowels. Broth is amazing. Veggie broth is good.

Oh, yeah.

Miso, just putting miso, which is fermented soybean paste, in warm water, the warming itself helps to soothe in general. So broth is really, really amazing. And the number one, and I don't want to say number one because it's the number one way to heal IBS, but it's the number one, I would say, common denominator in all people that have IBS, and that is stress.

I mean, I can tell you right now, Jordan, and myself and working with a lot of patients, that stress can affect or cause a trigger irritable bowel syndrome just as much as if somebody went out and ate some disaccharides they shouldn't or ate some gluten or something else where they'll notice a reaction. We know emotional stress absolutely wreaks havoc on the digestive system. And some of the tips that I'm going to talk about, then Jordan will pass it to And you can talk about your top tips in reducing stress. You know, Jordan, one of the things that I've done for years and taught patients to do is start off every morning the right way with a spiritual triathlon. I believe it's a great way to reduce stress, spending the first 5 minutes every morning saying everything you're grateful for. But that's really the way that I love to start my day is 5 minutes of praise and what I'm grateful for, whether it's just you start saying it out loud. Yeah. What you're grateful for, you start praising God for everything you've been given. It's a great way. The next 5 minutes, I like to read a devotional or something that really supports growth. And so really reading something that's very positive in nature. And then the next 5 minutes I'll spend either in prayer or meditation and visualization, really being outward in prayer or just sort of visualizing and meditating on what I learned. I found for me, When I start off every morning like that with that spiritual triathlon, I just— it changes the rest of my day. It relieves stress. So I love doing that. I love getting out in nature. I think too many of us today are stuck inside. There's something about walking on the beach. There's something about walking out in the woods or grass that is just freeing to the body as well. And last but not least, I mentioned this with essential oils earlier, taking a healing bath at night. Some Epsom salts, some essential oils, soaking in the bath is big. And I want to talk to those moms out there, Jordan. I know, and some dads, but especially moms, especially. You get almost zero you time. If you're a mom right now and you know that you need more you time, can you get an amen if it's like, hey, kids at soccer practice and you're rushing around and maybe you're even working part-time or full-time or you're just— your schedule is packed. When was the last time You had 3 hours or half a day completely to yourself?

He's only asking because we're going to do a 3-hour program to take the time up if you have it.

So exactly. So I just think that one of the best things you can do is schedule in biblically a Sabbath or just time to rest. Maybe it's just 2 or 3 hours a week and you're doing lunch with a best friend. Maybe my mom goes and walks around the mall or exercise or some sort of class, but doing Scheduling time for you, I think, is an important way to reduce stress as well.

It is, and there's several additional areas. Josh mentioned going outside. Walking barefoot in the grass or on the sand at a beach is great. Exercise is important. Mini trampoline is a great way, but exercise is great for stress, really, really important. Massage, deep breathing is really good for stress. Let me give a shout-out. I'm not going to do this every program, I promise, but my children and my wife are hopefully watching. Today, but I want to illustrate a point. Yesterday I got home and my kids were telling me about our program yesterday and how they were taking notes.

Okay.

And they are using our Ancient Medicine Today program as their nutrition or even part of their science curriculum.

Okay.

And you know what I love about it? It reinforces why I give them things because then if they say, Dad, why are you making me eat whatever? Oh, well, you remember on the TV, they hook the computer up to the TV. And anything on TV is the truth for kids, you know what I mean. But moms, get your kids to watch. You would be so surprised if you think your kids are resistant to eating the way that you want them to eat, to this lifestyle. When they own it, when they internalize it, it becomes amazing.

Yeah.

It says in Proverbs 22:6, train a child in the way they should go and when they're old, they'll not depart from it. So make this a family affair. So many of you are enjoying these programs, tell a friend, share this message because I guarantee if you made a list, you know half a dozen people if not more that have IBS and others that are not telling you they do because let's face it, it's a hidden disease. Years ago—

Yeah.

People didn't want to talk about this. It was not okay to talk about your gut. So it was, he has a lot of stomachaches, he has nervous stomach, he has failure to thrive, he's weak and sick. There is an answer to IBS, gas, bloating, diverticulitis, celiac disease, and the list goes on and on, chronic constipation, C. diff, SIBO, a lot of names, one cause, and we want to get to the bottom of it.

What do you think about protein shakes for IBS?

Here's the issue, protein is typically isolated, so I believe that if you're suffering from IBS And you're consuming a protein with pea or rice protein, I just don't feel good about that. Now, probably the only protein that I would recommend of the plant variety would be hemp, but even that can be a little rough because of the way that it's processed, but it is pretty good. Egg, dairy is not my favorite. So when it comes to protein, you got to be very careful to consume a real food protein powder when you've got gut sensitivity. Look for one that is gut-friendly.

Okay.

Yeah. But for many people, stick to food or a real food protein, and there's not too many of them.

Hi, Dr. Axe here. I want to say thanks so much for checking out this YouTube video, and also don't forget to subscribe if you want to get more great content on things like herbs, essential oils, natural remedies, and how to use food as medicine. Also, check out more of our content on my YouTube channel. Thanks for watching.