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 In normal digestion, food content is propelled through the digestive tract by rhythmic and coordinated contractions or propulsions called peristalsis.

 

When someone suffers from digestive motility disorders, peristalsis becomes impaired resulting in either slow contractions (hypomotility), rapid contractions (hypermotility), or a combination of both slow and fast contractions. In some cases, peristalsis may be totally absent.

After nutrients have been digested and absorbed in the small intestine, the waste material is propelled into the large intestine (also called the colon or bowel) for eventual elimination as a bowel movement. Under normal circumstances, regular muscular contractions (intestinal motility) move this waste matter along the five-foot length of the colon and into the rectum. When the irritable bowel syndrome is present, however, the pattern of motility becomes disordered by excessive muscular contractions, which cause the pain, diarrhea and constipation.It is not known what causes the overactivity of the intestinal muscle. Emotional stress is believed to be a factor in a great many cases. Some researchers think that the syndrome is an allergic response to particular foods. There also is some evidence that alcohol, caffeine and heavy smoking may worsen the problem. More info

Gut directed therapy using hypnosis is very effective at restoring normal gut action.
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This research paper shows how extensively our thoughts and emotions affect our intestines, and as a result, are actively involved in irritable bowel syndrome.

Their conclusion is that helping people to be aware of their emotional state, and to learn how to modulate feelings and thoughts, will assist people to manage the symptoms of IBS.

And we already know that our emotions affect our insides. We say "I had a gut feeling about it", and we feel sick when we are anxious.
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Our inside bits where IBS happens are well-hidden, so it is worth just checking where they all are.

The stomach (the size of your fist – really quite small!) is higher up than you might imagine!

This excellent review of our insides is from the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research.

Intestinal Anatomy

To understand IBS better, a basic explanation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is essential. The upper part of the GI tract includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Other vital components are the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen. The lower part of the digestive tract consists of two main parts, the small bowel/intestine (about 6 metres in length), and the large bowel/intestine or colon (about 1.25 metres). The upper portion of the small bowel is the duodenum and jejunum and the lower is the ileum. The colon follows the small intestine and consists of various segments, starting at the cecum and ending in the rectum and anus. (See diagram.)

Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and mixing with saliva. Further “food processing” is continued in the stomach; however, it is the small intestine’s principal function to absorb dietary nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Bacteria (the healthy bacteria we hear about on the ads) residing primarily in the colon aid the digestive process, while the colon extracts water. The small and large intestines work together in concert with the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas to break down complex foods and to extract the right amount of each nutrient.

The intestine has a thin inner lining, the mucosa, with a surrounding submucosa, where the blood vessels and lymph channels run. Around this is a thick muscular wall, covered by a thin membrane called the serosa. When food enters the esophagus, ring-like smooth muscle contractions intricately timed with nearby muscle relaxations in a process called peristalsis, propel food along the digestive tract. Long muscles farther along in the digestive tract contract differently, helping to mix food with the enzymes produced in the gut, whose role is to break the tiny particles of food into even smaller molecules (and there are enzymes throughout the gut, including in saliva – for more on enzymes click here), further processing and propelling meal contents and promoting the passage of waste. Although most individuals are aware of intestinal movement only through having bowel movements, movement occurs constantly and is particularly prominent after meals. Ordinarily, a meal passes through the digestive tract in 24 to 40 hours but this transit time varies greatly from person to person, often depending on dietary intake composition and quantity.
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