- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Supplement Hampers Thyroid Cancer Treatment
- Wristbands May Lessen Nausea After Radiation
- Quit Smoking the Holistic Way
- ANIMAL CARE
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- BONES & JOINTS
- Human Ancestors Put Best Foot Forward 1.5M Years Ago
- Alcohol Abuse Can Damage Bones
- Gene Therapy May Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis
- CANCER
- Vitamin C Shows Promise as Cancer Treatment
- More Cancer Tests Mean More False-Positive Results
- Acupuncture May Help Relieve Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- CAREGIVING
- Babies Born in High Pollen Months at Wheezing Risk
- Recession Scrambling Health Spending in U.S.
- What Moms Learned May Be Passed to Offspring
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Drink a Little Wine, Live a Little Longer
- Night Shift Work Hard on the Heart
- Obesity Linked to Heart Failure Risk
- COSMETIC
- Wrinkle Fillers Need Better Label Warnings: FDA Panel
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease
- Acupuncture May Ease Anxiety Over Dental Work
- Dental Implants Need More Work Than Root Canals
- DIABETES
- Drug May Not Help Diabetes-Related Eye Damage
- Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
- Abnormal Heart Rhythm Boosts Death Risk for Diabetics
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Mediterranean Diet May Help Prevent Depression
- Caffeine May Offer Some Skin Cancer Protection
- Natural Oils Help Lower Body Fat For Some
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Warmer-Than-Average Temperatures Raise Migraine Risk
- Fish in U.S. Rivers Tainted With Common Medications
- Common Pesticide Tied to Development Delays in Kids
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Clues Found to Brain Mechanism Behind Migraines
- Drinking Green Tea May Protect Eyes
- Impotence Drugs Don't Harm Vision: Study
- FITNESS
- Exercise Guards White Blood Cells Against Aging
- You Can Get Great Exercise In The Garden
- Research Confirms How Valuable A Healthy Lifestyle Can Be
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Peppermint Oil, Fiber Can Fight Irritable Bowel
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- GENERAL HEALTH
- It Pays to Eat Less as You Age
- Workplace Wellness Seems to Really Work
- After Job Loss, People Report More Health Issues
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Western Diet Linked To Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome
- Polyunsaturated Fats Really May Lower Heart Risk
- Brown Rice Tied to Better Heart Health in Study
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- KID'S HEALTH
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old
- Even Young Kids Can Learn CPR
- Time to Remind Teens About Sun Protection
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- Eating Fast Until Full Triples Overweight Risk
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Eight Spiritual Universal Principles in the Art of Practice
- Fear Response May Stem From Protein in Brain
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- PREGNANCY
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- Breast-Feeding Benefits Moms and Babies
- Sleeping Could Help Women Lose The Baby Fat
- SENIORS
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
- The Healthy Habits of Centenarians
Peppermint Oil, Fiber Can Fight Irritable Bowel
By eHolistic.com Published: 11/13/2008
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- For some patients, the best therapy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be older, cheaper drugs such as fiber, antispasmodics and peppermint oil, a new study finds.
According to researchers, these simple treatments have fallen out of favor because of the availability of newer (and more expensive) drugs, some of which have been taken off the market due to safety concerns.
But more traditional therapies should become first-line treatments in guidelines for the treatment of IBS, the experts say.
"IBS can be difficult for physicians to treat," noted lead researcher Dr. Alex Ford, from McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada.
"New drugs are always being developed, but recent ones such as alosetron and tegaserod have been withdrawn, and are now only available on a restricted basis, and renzapride has not been shown to be effective," he said. On the other hand "older drugs, which are cheap, safe, and in some cases available over the counter, appear to be effective in IBS."
The report is published in the Nov. 14 online edition of the BMJ.
As many as 45 million Americans may have IBS, the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders reports. Between 60 percent and 65 percent of IBS sufferers are women.
In addition to pain and discomfort, people with IBS experience chronic or recurrent constipation or diarrhea -- or bouts of both. While the exact cause of the condition isn't known, symptoms seem to result from a disturbance in the interaction of the gut, brain and nervous system, according to the foundation.
For the study, Ford's team reviewed trials that compared IBS treatment with fiber antispasmodics and peppermint oil to a placebo or no treatment. The trials included more than 2,500 IBS patients.
The researchers found that fiber, antispasmodics and peppermint oil were effective treatments for IBS. Specifically, that meant that to prevent IBS symptoms in one patient, 11 needed to be treated with fiber, five with antispasmodics, and 2.5 with peppermint oil.
There were no serious side effects associated with any of these treatments, the researchers note.
Peppermint oil appeared to be the most effective therapy of those reviewed, the researchers found.
In trials comparing fiber with placebo, insoluble fiber such as bran was not effective. Instead, only soluble fiber, such as ispaghula husk, reduced symptoms. For antispasmodics, the most effective was hyoscine. This should be used first among antispasmodics, Ford's group advised.
"Physicians, particularly those in primary care, who are being asked to take increasing responsibility for the management of IBS, should consider the use of these agents as first-line therapies for IBS," Ford said.
Dr. Roger Jones, from Kings College London and author of an accompanying journal editorial, welcomed the study.
"These treatments might be slightly more effective than recently thought and they are worth trying," Jones said.
For some patients with pain and diarrhea the antispasmodics may be useful. Patients with constipation should try fiber and for other patients, peppermint oil may be helpful, Jones said.
"If you have IBS which is not under reasonably good control or you are not happy with your symptom profile, you should see your primary-care doc or gastroenterologist for review and perhaps remind them that there is new evidence about the effectiveness of these traditional medicines and you would like to give it a go," Jones said.
"Alternatively, if you feel sufficiently well-informed and confident, you can go do it yourself and get these treatments at the pharmacy," Jones added.
More information
For more information on IBS, visit the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
SOURCES: Alex Ford, M.D., McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Ontario, Canada; Roger Jones, M.D., Kings College London, London; Nov. 14, 2008, BMJ, online
Last Updated: Nov. 14, 2008
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