Around 5% of French people suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. Also called “functional colopathy”, it is a health problem which specifically affects the intestines (the large and small) and which manifests itself through abdominal pain, disturbed transit (diarrhea or constipation, sometimes an alternation of both) and poor digestion.
To relieve the symptoms of functional colopathy, Health Insurance mainly recommends a healthy lifestyle: this involves exercising regularly, eating slowly and calmly, combating stress and reducing your consumption of FODMAPs. (dairy products, cereals, synthetic sweeteners, etc.).
30 minutes of deep breathing per day to alleviate the symptoms of functional colopathy
In a recent Instagram post, an American gastroenterologist, Dr. William John Bulsiewicz, adds a tip to this list: a breathing exercise to do every day to alleviate the symptoms of the disease…
The doctor bases his recommendation on a study published in 2022 in the scientific journal Frontiers in neuroscience : Chinese researchers explain that a simple slow deep breathing exercise is enough to improve the quality of life of patients, provided it is done 30 minutes every day, 5 days a week , for at least 6 weeks. The result: better digestion, less intense abdominal pain, less constipation and a less bloated stomach.
How to do the exercise? Stand upright, eyes closed, legs hip-width apart, arms raised horizontally on each side of the body. Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 seconds; exhale deeply through your mouth for 6 seconds. Repeat to last 30 minutes; you can (for example) do this exercise while listening to music!
Source :Instagram
