Intro

If you're reading this, you and I both know IBS ain't no joke, and if you've found this you've prob tried a dozen other things that haven't worked. you're tired of chasing symptoms, carefully planning your meals, days, bathroom times - only to still be stuck in the same crappy cycle (pun intended)

IBS doesn’t just mess with your gut—it messes with your life. I know this firsthand because it completely derailed me in 2014 when I was working as a Director of Photography in NYC. Long days on set became even longer with constant discomfort, unpredictable flare-ups, and the stress of trying to keep it all together. If you’re in the thick of it now, I see you, I hear you. I’ve been there.

Enter Ayurveda

By divine grace, I found Ayurveda. My journey began with learning Vedic meditation, which led to meeting Ayurvedic Practitioners. In just three months, I went from feeling like a pathetic POS to being in charge of my life again! I was no longer a prisoner in my own body. 

Let me say that again—three months! That’s the power of Ayurveda.

The experience was so profound, I left my career in Film/TV  to pursue Ayurvedic Medicine to help others heal chronic and “incurable” illnesses. To help people get the answers and the healing they deserve!

Looking back, I was dumbfounded. After countless hospital visits, medications, tests and scans (some of them twice), I had ZERO results. None of it touched the root of my problem. I thought our doctors were supposed to have the answers. Ayurveda flipped that script entirely. It addressed my symptoms AND healed me at the core.

The Difference between Disease and Syndrome

IBS isn’t a disease—it’s a syndrome. What’s the difference?

A disease has a clear cause, like an infection or structural damage, and often comes with measurable physical changes in the body. 

A syndrome, on the other hand, is a collection of symptoms that occur together without a clearly identifiable root cause.

For IBS, this means there’s no visible damage or test results to explain the bloating, cramping, constipation, diarrhea, or unpredictable mix of all these symptoms. It’s why IBS can feel so frustrating and confusing!

IBS symptoms can vary widely depending on the type, and the person:

• IBS-C (Constipation-Dominant): infrequent, hard, or lumpy stools, often accompanied by bloating and abdominal discomfort. dryness in skin, mouth, or throat, thirst, gas, cold extremities. Can also have back or groin pain, weight loss, debility, anal fissures, insomnia, and anxiety.

• IBS-D (Diarrhea-Dominant): frequent, loose, or watery stools, IBS-D can make planning your day a challenge due to its unpredictable nature. IBS-D can also be accompanied by heartburn, thirst, feeling hot, irritable or angry, inflammation, sweating and fever. Often with foul/ sour smelling stools and belching.

• IBS-M (Mixed): The most unpredictable of the three, IBS-M involves alternating symptoms of constipation and diarrhea, making it especially tricky to manage. Can exhibit a mixture of any of the above symptoms. 

Conventional medicine approaches IBS primarily by managing or reducing symptoms. You might be prescribed laxatives, anti-diarrheal medications, or antispasmodics to reduce cramping. Sometimes, antidepressants are prescribed to address the stress-gut connection. 

While these can provide temporary relief, they rarely address why the gut is behaving this way in the first place. They can also cause more damage in the long run because of the constant fluctuations in what you’re consuming to try to control your digestion, rather than nurturing your digestive system back to a state of health. 

Ayurveda focuses on uncovering and addressing the root cause of the imbalance. Whether it’s poor metabolism (Agni), accumulated toxins (Ama), or stress, Ayurveda views IBS as a systemic issue that requires a personalized, whole-body healing plan. By restoring balance at the core, Ayurveda is able to provide relief and long-term healing.

How to Understand and Heal IBS with Ayurveda

In Ayurvedic literature, Grahani is most similar to our modern day IBS. 

Grahani (IBS) arises from a variety of factors that disrupt the natural order of digestion. These include:

• Eating an improper diet (foods that are incompatible or not suited to one's constitution)

• Consuming heavy or overly rich foods that are hard to digest

• Overeating or eating irregularly

• Chronic constipation or hemorrhoids

• Drinking excessive fluids, especially cold water on an empty stomach

• Exercising too soon after eating

• Ignoring or forcing natural urges (coughing, sneezing, pooping, peeing, farting, burping, etc.)

• Long-term use of chemical drugs that disturb digestive function

These, or any combination of them, weakens metabolism leading to the accumulation of toxins (Ama) and resulting in IBS (or other digestive disorders/ diseases). 

Identifying the Root Cause

Everyone’s “root cause” is going to be different. For me: I was working too hard, partying too hard, lots of caffeine, spicy food, fried food, stressed out of my gourd, had an avalanche of unprocessed emotions, and just kept pushing myself! I was living a very energetically “hot” lifestyle which exacerbated my Pitta Dosha (fire element), and eventually my body broke, it couldn’t handle all of that.

Which is exactly how disease develops in Ayurveda. A dosha gets aggravated too much, to the point that it can’t be contained anymore, then that dosha forces itself into other systems in the body and causes disease. 

The dosha’s can be aggravated by both mental and physical means - so bringing both back into harmony is of key importance in healing IBS (and any disease). I always consider the body and the mind to be the left and right foot on the path to wellness. You cannot get to true health by focusing solely on one or the other, both must be addressed.

Luckily - IBS is a digestive condition. The digestive tract is one of the easiest places in the body to access and heal!

My IBS clients often feel a sense of relief within a few days and significant (70-90%) symptom relief in as little as two weeks 🎉

Ayurveda’s Holistic Treatment Approach

The first thing that needs to be done in healing any disease is discovering all the “dont’s” and immediately eliminating those from your diet and lifestyle.

One of my Ayurvedic Doctor Mentors says, “When eliminating the causative factors, you’re already 50% to healing the disease” That’s a lot of progress!

Some dont’s might not be so easy to get rid of entirely or quickly - like an overbearing boss, a challenging relationship, tough housing situation, etc. Those can be worked on over time and mediated to a degree.

Anything that is easy to control, grasp, and manage should be managed immediately. Some good tips are:

• Eating meals at regular times EVERY DAY is so important and I see it with nearly every client. 

• Eating correct foods (see nutrition guide)

• Eating according to your dosha

• Eating with the seasons

• Eating fresh foods

• Avoiding cold, leftover, fried, and carryout foods (or limiting them as much as possible)

A personalized diet is massively more beneficial, but if you don’t have access to one, eating according to your dosha is plenty enough.

Incorporate herbal teas. One of the best is Cumin, Coriander, Fennel tea. (CCF Tea)

CCF Tea

Mix equal parts of each whole seed:

1C Cumin
1C Coriander
1C Fennel

Mix well and store in a jar

To make the tea:

Bring 1L water to a boil, add 2 Tablespoons of the CCF mix.

Remove from heat, let steep for ~5 minutes.

Strain and sip throughout the day.

Ayurvedic Lifestyle For IBS

Lifestyle plays a pivotal role in managing and healing IBS (and all disease). 

Dinacharya, or daily routine, helps stabilize the body's natural rhythms and supports consistent and strong health. The body LOVES consistency! 

By establishing regular patterns of eating, sleeping, and activity, you create a manageable cadence for your system to function optimally. 

Key aspects of Dinacharya for gut health include:

• Eating Meals at Regular Times: (again) Consistency in meal timing helps your metabolism stay strong and predictable. The only way to strengthen and condition your gut is through consistency because it is part of the autonomous nervous system.

• Waking and Sleeping on Schedule: A regular sleep-wake cycle supports hormonal and digestive rhythms, helping to minimize stress-related triggers for IBS.

• Morning Rituals for Digestion: Starting your day with warm/ hot water is a great way to ease your gut into the day. Tongue scraping also removes toxins and activates (by acupressure) your digestive system for the day.

• Mindful Eating Practices: Chewing food thoroughly, eating in a calm environment, and avoiding overeating can significantly ease digestive strain.

• Daily Movement: you don’t have to be a yogi or a gym bro, but moving your body is super important so engaging in whatever physical activity is fun and easy for you, go for that!

Staying consistent (again, consistency) with these simple practices can make a profound difference in reducing symptoms and restoring digestive balance.

I was able to heal my IBS with literally, SO little information. The meditation, regular meal times, and eating according to my dosha were the three key components to my healing process. I wish I had met someone more skilled to help me heal faster (like myself now) but, there wasn’t that person, so I became that person, so I can help people like you! 😉

Benefits of Ayurveda for IBS

This article/ blog is really skimming the surface of what Ayurveda can do for you and for your IBS. It is really challenging to give general, “one-size-fits-all” advice. Because in Ayurveda - every single person is different, disease development is different, chronicity, intensity, list of adjunct symptoms - all different on a case to case basis. 

If you’re looking for deep healing at an individualized level - you can work with me here:

That said - I really hope that you found some of this information helpful, and the additional resources of use! 

I am wishing you the best on your healing journey, if you’re new here - welcome to the wonderful world of Ayurveda. If you’re already in Ayurveda/ natural healing, I hope this was enriching.

The power of Ayurveda is to heal the body at a cellular and systemic level. I really hope that bit came across - that disease does not have to be a lifelong sentence, you don’t have to be a prisoner of your body or circumstances.

Ayurveda is a powerful science of understanding the human body, disease, and repairing that so you can live a healthy, vibrant, energetic, joyful life!

Just like physics, chemistry, and biological sciences have offered humanity a host of benefits and understanding of the natural world, so too - Ayurveda can give that to you, but on a much more personal level.

Book your consultation now or explore more resources!