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Post Infectious-IBS

Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) is where IBS symptoms begin after an episode of acute gastroenteritis, food poisoning or traveller's diarrhoea.

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What is Post Infectious-IBS?

Post Infectious-IBS is a type of IBS that begins after an infection of the digestive tract.  The same can be true following an event of food poisoning.

Due to changes in the gut lining, symptoms can continue once the infection has passed.

The symptoms include:

  • Bloating
  • Altered bowel patterns
  • Cramping
  • Nausea

Post-infectious IBS involves:

Inflammation

Gut Bacteria Imbalances

Immune Activation

In post-infectious IBS, symptoms can persist due to:

1

Inflammation

Following food poisoning or gastroenteritis a low-grade inflammatory response can persist along the lining of the digestive tract.
2

Gut Bacteria Imbalances

Inflammation can contribute to alterations in the balance of the gut microbiome. This can be in the form of an imbalance or an overgrowth such as SIBO.
3

Immune Activation

Microbial imbalances can activate the immune response. This can increase the reactions to foods which then contributes to inflammation, creating a vicious cycle in the gut.
Nutritional Therapist & Gut Health Specialist

Martin Cohen

Dip CNM, mBANT, mCNHC

Having graduated from The College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2015, Martin founded The IBS & Gut Health Clinic. This was born from the understanding that many people with digestive issues have not received the care they require through other avenues.

His passion is to address the underlying reasons for digestive complaints and to help his clients reach a symptom-free life.

Learn more

Martin Cohen

Registered Nutritional Therapist, Clinic Director

How We Can Support You

Our care and support process is focused on identifying and addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms. We also provide support and guidance throughout the consultation process by reviewing and modifying the program as we progress.

Our areas of focus include:
Registered Nutritional Therapists

Personalised support and guidance from a dedicated Nutritional Therapist. Your practitioner will specialise in your symptoms and condition.

Dietary Support

Personalised dietary support and meal plans to guide you through the support process. From symptom management to maintaining long-term gut health.

Evidence-based Supplements

Evidence-based supplements to address the underlying factors that may be contributing to your gut symptoms.

Gut Health Tests

While not required in all cases, tests can be considered to help us understand the cause of your symptoms.

Take back control of your gut health
Schedule a call with us

IBS and SIBO

IBS is an umbrella term that describes someone’s symptoms. Within this, there are 4 subtypes of IBS.  IBS with diarrhoea, IBS with constipation, IBS with a mix between the 2 and IBS with unclassified bowel movements.

Even though these subtypes give a clearer indication of someone’s symptoms, they go no further to inform us what the underlying issue is.

If you have a diagnosis of IBS we will work to identify and address the underlying issue with the aim of resolving your symptoms.

The SIBO tests measure 2 types of gas, hydrogen and methane. If there are elevations in 1 of these gases, we can name that Hydrogen or Methane SIBO. It’s also possible to have elevations in both gases.

The type of gas that is elevated helps to guide supplement protocols to target the specific organisms that produce that type of gas.

A third type of gas, hydrogen sulfide, can also be produced by gut bacteria. However, it is not currently possible to test for this gas in the UK.

There are 3 components to a supplement protocol to address the elevated bacteria in SIBO.  These can include a combination of probiotics, prebiotics, and antimicrobial herbs.

Depending on the underlying issue (eg. the reasons why the bacteria are there in the first place), additional supplements may be suggested.

SIBO is a bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine with several underlying causes. If we address the underlying cause we are aiming to fully resolve symptoms.

This SIBO test may be offered through the NHS, however, it’s not uncommon for the waiting time for this test to be several months.

By ordering directly from the laboratory, we are able to have the test sent to your home within 3-5 days. The results will be back 7-10 days after the laboratory has received the samples.

To read more about the tests that we often consider, click here.

Supplements

Supplements are not always needed and their requirement depends on your individual case.

We will discuss appropriate options with you at your first consultation.

The duration of a supplement protocol will vary on your symptoms, the underlying imbalance and any additional factors that may be contributing to your digestive issues.

Generally speaking, 8 weeks is an average time to be on a specific supplement protocol. Following this, a maintenance protocol may be recommended.

The supplements we recommend vary depending on your specific situation and set of symptoms. Common recommendations include probiotics, specific herbal extracts to help rebalance and modify the gut bacteria as well as beneficial, gut-friendly prebiotics.

We direct you to the specific supplements and brands that we know and trust.

Qualifications

We are not doctors and can therefore not officially diagnose your condition.

However, as with the diagnosis of IBS, labels may not always be helpful. By digging deeper and identifying and addressing the underlying imbalances we aim to bring symptoms under control.

We are fully insured Registered Nutritional Therapists with membership through BANT and CNHC, the main governing bodies within the UK.

Consultations

The initial consultation is 90 minutes long. Here we talk about your symptoms in depth, how and when they started, other contributing factors as well as your current diet and lifestyle.

From this consultation, you will receive your health plan. This will include detailed dietary suggestions, a supplement protocol, recommendations for further testing as well and appropriate lifestyle recommendations.

From this point, we suggest a follow-up appointment every 4-6 weeks to monitor progress and update your health plan.

We find many people can have questions about the approach we take. This is why we offer free 15-minute consultations which can be booked by clicking here.

It is also possible to book for the first in-depth consultation without booking the 15-minute consultation by clicking here.

For more information on the consultations and what is included please click here.

We understand this can feel like a big step and you might not be sure if this is the right approach.

To watch interviews with previous clients click here.

We also offer free 15-minute consultations. This is an initial assessment with one of the team where we will explain our consultation process and answer any questions you may have. You can book this here.

Without knowing more about your specific symptoms this is a hard question to answer.

However, generally speaking, the majority of those that we support typically need 3 consultations, over a 2-3 month period. In more complex cases, longer-term support is also provided.

There are several approaches that often offer symptom relief over a matter of days. While these are not long-term approaches, they can be a way to help ease symptoms and help you feel more comfortable as the underlying issues are identified and addressed.

Alongside these short-term interventions to calm symptoms, we are working to address the underlying issues.

The metric of progress that we use is wanting to see a significant improvement over the treatment window (the time being consultations).