Irritable bowels?

When you’ve got IBS, it’s not just your bowels that are irritated.

This disease brings with it so much misery that it can inevitably wreck your mood, leading to anxiety and depression.

But the latest research reveals one easy action you can take that’ll help ease the mood disorders that too often come hand-in-hand with IBS.

And if you do it right, this same action can also ease the worst of the tummy troubles that mark this condition.

The answer is in probiotics, or the healthy bacteria that live in your gut and help with digestion.

Folks with IBS often have serious imbalances in those bacteria, with low populations of the essential ones that are so important to overall health.

But if you can restore that balance, you can reap some pretty big rewards.

Start with Bifidobacterium longum, especially if your IBS is making you feel down in the dumps.

In the new study, this healthy bug — one I recommend to my own patients, even those without IBS — led to dramatic mood improvements in IBS patients.

While only 32 percent of folks given a placebo had better scores on a test that measures depression levels, a full 64 percent of those given the probiotic enjoyed a significant boost in the mood.

Scans confirmed what the patients felt, showing new activity in the parts of the brain responsible for mood and wellbeing.

The study didn’t get into the whys and hows, but other research has shown that B. longum supplements can slash levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol.

While we do need SOME cortisol, many people have too much — especially when in the grips of a chronic disease such as IBS. Bringing those levels down can restore some degree of calm, ease anxiety, and lift the mood.

Think that’s good? It is — but that’s only the beginning.

A quality probiotic supplement containing B. longum as well as a blend of multiple human-tested strains can do more than just lift you out of the dumps. If you have IBS, it can ease the condition itself with fewer painful cramps and fewer urgent runs for the toilet.

That’s some pretty powerful medicine!

Just bear in mind that bacterial imbalances are generally a symptom of IBS, not a cause. Restoring that balance will certainly help, but it won’t cure the condition.

That’ll take a little more work.

IBS can be caused by food sensitivities (especially to dairy and gluten), undiagnosed gut infections, fungal growths, and even parasites. If you have this condition and haven’t had much luck with a mainstream doc, seek the advice of a holistic physician experienced in treating gut disorders such as IBS.