Most of us feel some discomfort in our guts from time to time. It may be because we’re nervous about something, or perhaps we ate something that didn’t agree with us. But if you regularly feel aches in your abdomen, it might be a sign of a disorder called irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome affects about 1 in 5 Americans. It occurs more often in women than men, and begins before the age of 35 in about half the people who get it.

There’s no medical test to identify irritable bowel syndrome. Instead, doctors make a diagnosis based on the patient’s symptoms. The most common symptoms include bloating and pain in the abdomen, along with changes in bowel habits. People with irritable bowel syndrome may have constipation, diarrhea or both.

Irritable bowel syndrome doesn’t lead to cancer or other health problems. But its discomfort can be difficult to live with. The severe or frequent abdominal pain it can bring often leads people to visit a doctor.

Physicians and researchers don’t know for sure what causes irritable bowel syndrome. One possibility is that it comes from changes in the way that the brain and the gut communicate. Dr. Emeran Mayer at the University of California, Los Angeles, is an NIH-funded scientist who’s working to find treatments to correct altered brain-gut interactions.

“Most people would agree that stress plays an important role in triggering symptom flares in irritable bowel syndrome,” says Mayer.

Many patients first notice symptoms after a stressful event, like losing a loved one or changing jobs. People with irritable bowel syndrome often report higher levels of stress or anxiety. Stress reduction strategies and cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of talk therapy, can help relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Some researchers suspect that irritable bowel syndrome can be caused by a change in gut bacteria. The gut is usually filled with helpful bacteria, which our bodies need to digest food. But sometimes the types of bacteria can change, like after taking certain medications. For people with this type of irritable bowel syndrome, a supplement of probiotics—a collection of live, healthful bacteria—might help. Probiotics are available as capsules, tablets and powders, and they’re found in some dairy foods, such as yogurts with live active cultures. The potential benefits of probiotics, however, are still under study.

Many people with irritable bowel syndrome find that certain foods can make them feel worse. “There is no specific irritable bowel syndrome diet,” says Mayer. “Irritable bowel syndrome patients are generally more sensitive to a variety of foods.”

If you have irritable bowel syndrome, try keeping a diary of the foods you eat and how they make you feel. Then, you and your doctor can decide together if you should try making changes to your diet.

Every case of irritable bowel syndrome is unique, so if you have symptoms that disrupt your life, don’t suffer in silence. Your doctor can work with you to find the treatment that works best for you.

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This herb was usually used to create a solution that was employed as a locally administered eye wash. Its common use was for ailments such as conjunctivitis, tired eye, blepharitis, eye irritation and sty’s. In addition Eyebright has been experimentally used orally for eye irritation and eye strain, as well as for respiratory conditions like allergies, colds, and bronchitis and sinus infection

At one time or another many children have gotten an ailment known as pink eye. Pink eye is actually an inflammation associated with the membrane which covers the eye and the insides of your eyelids. The inflammation appears very unsightly and is usually very painful. I would like to present you a remedy that you can make at home to combat pink eye.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of Eyebright herb

5 drops of Eyebright tincture

1 clean and sterilized Eye cup

1 package of Chamomile tea bags

1 cup of water

Step by Step

1. Before doing anything wash your eye out with eyebright. You can readily find eyebright at your local health food shop
2. Create an herbal tea from fresh eyebright by steeping the herb in the water and bringing to a boil.
3. After allowing the tea to cool, strain it and remove the herb leaves.
4. Put the fresh brewed tea into an eye cup and rinse your eye with it every night. The pink eye should clear up within a couple of days.

Additional remedy

1. Place five drops of the eyebright tincture into a full cup of cold water which had been previously boiled.
2. Wash the infected eye every evening until the pink eye is gone.

Third remedy

1. Take a damp chamomile tea bag and place it over the pink eye.
2. There is no need to make a tea out of the tea bag but merely soak the bag with cool water
3. Let the tea bag remain on the eye for approximately ten minutes.
4. Repeat this process every evening until the pink eye has gone away.
5. It may take a day or so for it to heal you

Hints and Tips

Should your child develop pink eye it is very likely that he or she will be sent home from school and not be permitted to return until such time as it is cured.

Should this remedy not cure the pink eye within one week you should consult your family physician as your case may need antibiotics to affect a proper cure.

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