In orthomolecular medicine, we look at the causes that result in a spastic gut. This is often individually different, although there are also important similarities.

Healthy intestines have a very substantial number of microorganisms in them that have a health-promoting effect. In an adult human, the gut flora consists of 1014 bacteria (that’s 100 trillion – ten times the number of human cells in a body) with a total weight of one to one and a half kilograms. Together, this is also called the microbiome.

Various negative influences can cause this microbiome to be disrupted and the “good” bacteria to be displaced by pathogenic bacteria. These influences can occur as early as birth. For example, a cesarean section can result in a baby not getting the good bacteria from the mother.

Frequent courses of antibiotics also damage our microbiome, and poor nutrition and stress also have a negative impact. Fungi or parasitic infections can also be extra stressful to the intestines. So lots of causes.

In patients with irritable bowel syndrome, their microbiome is almost always found to be abnormal, and usually this has also led to chronic (low-grade) inflammation of their intestines.