Peppermint Oil for IBS

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal condition in America, affecting 15-20% of the adult population. The most common symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain, and changes in the bowel pattern,either constipation, diarrhea, or alternating constipation and diarrhea. Amazingly, our understanding of IBS is still very limited, and treatments have been less than satisfactory. 

While there have been several prescription drugs developed for IBS over the last several decades, these advances have been countered by the fact that several of the new medications that were released had to be withdrawn from the market due to safety concerns. This has left many patients searching for safer, more natural solutions for their IBS symptoms. Enter peppermint oil. Recognized for years as a remedy for digestive problems, peppermint oil seems to have found new life as a natural treatment for IBS.

There have been numerous scientific studies supporting the effectiveness of peppermint oil for pain and bowel dysfunction resulting from IBS. But what seems to have caused the renaissance in peppermint oil enthusiasm is the aggressive marketing of a new peppermint oil product-IBgard-by a company called IM Health Science. IBgard’s sleek packaging and marketing campaign seem to be working. But the product is not cheap. The directions say to take 1-2 capsules three times daily. A box of 48 capsules is $29.99. If you take 6 capsules a day, that box of 48 will last only 8 days.  While this seems a bit pricey, the good news is that there are other companies making similar products at a lower price point. For example, Pepogest by Nature’s Way costs $11.49 on the Walgreen’s website for a container of 60 capsules, which comes to a 20 days supply (if taken three times per day as directed).

Although it is a natural, and basically safe product, peppermint oil does have some safety issues. For example, due to the potential for decreased milk production, it should probably be used sparingly toward the end of pregnancy, and during breastfeeding. It is generally not advisable for children under seven. There is concern about causing low blood sugar in diabetics, and there has been a link to gallbladder inflammation. Finally, those with gastroesophageal reflux must be aware of the fact that peppermint oil can lower the pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter and cause aggravation of the acid reflux.

Despite these cautions, I am enthusiastic about the renewed interest in peppermint oil as an option for my IBS patients. I am hopeful that as our understanding about the underlying nature of IBS evolves, we will have more to offer our patients.

http://www.webmd.com/ibs/news/20081113/peppermint-oil-fiber-can-treat-ibs

https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/peppermint

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16121521

http://www.lalecheleague.org/nb/nbiss56-09p38.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265214.php

Fecal DNA Testing: Passing Fancy or the Demise of Colonoscopy?

Fecal DNA Testing: Passing Fancy or the Demise of Colonoscopy?

For many years, there have been attempts to find easier and less expensive alternatives to colonoscopy as a means to screen for colorectal cancer. The stakes are quite high. There were an estimated 136,830 new cases of colorectal cancer in the United States in 2014, and 50,310 deaths from colorectal cancer in the same period.  The estimated 5 year survival is approximately 64.7%

As alarming as these statistics are, there has been a clear trend toward improvement since the advent of routine screening colonoscopy. Medicare began to pay for screening colonoscopies in “high risk” individuals in the 1980's and 1990’s and began coverage for average risk people in 2001.  Most analysts attribute the steady decrease in the rate of new cases and deaths from colorectal cancer to the more widespread acceptance of screening colonoscopy. In fact, it is estimated that if everyone age 50 (the recommended started point for most patients)and up were screened via colonoscopy, it would result in an 80% prevention of colon cancer, and a 60% reduction in deaths from colon cancer.

Despite these compelling facts, it is estimated that at least one in three Americans of the appropriate age(50-75)has not been tested for colorectal cancer, and therefore is needlessly at risk for this preventable problem. The reasons for this are multiple, and include inadequate public awareness, cost, inadequate access to medical resources, and fear of what some perceive to be an invasive medical procedure.

Current guidelines indicate that colonoscopy is the superior method for screening, since it effective for both early detection of colorectal cancer, as well as prevention(by detecting and removing pre-cancerous polyps). Average risk individuals are advised to have colonoscopy starting at age 50(45 for African Americans), then every 10 years if normal. For individuals who decline colonoscopy, yearly FIT(fecal immunochemical testing) is advised as an alternative.  This is a test that can detect tiny amounts of blood in the stool, which may indicate the presence of a colon tumor. While FIT is less invasive than colonoscopy(it involves submitting a scraping from a stool specimen), it is problematic in the sense that it is less likely to pick up cancers than colonoscopy, only detecting 79% of cancers.

To try and combat this lower rate of detection, researchers have combined the FIT test with a fecal DNA test, which can detect abnormal DNA in the stool, which has been shed by tumor cells in the colon.  The results were encouraging. The DNA test discovered 60 of the 65 cancers for an accuracy rate of approximately 92%.  The cost, according to Cologuard, by Exact Sciences Laboratories, is $599.

The role for fecal DNA testing remains to be seen. Like FIT, it is less likely to find colon cancers than colonoscopy. If it is utilized routinely to screen individuals, other issues such as the high false positive rate(meaning an abnormal stool test, when there is actually no tumor present), as well as the frequency with which such tests should be done, must be resolved.

Where does fecal DNA and FIT “fit” into my practice?(sorry-couldn’t help it!). I continue to recommend colonoscopy as the screening test of choice. It is hard for me to offer other tests as “first line”. Colonoscopy is the “gold standard” for accuracy, is well documented to save lives, and has withstood the test of time as en effective tool for detecting, and preventing colon cancer.

I offer fecal DNA testing and/or FIT as an alternate strategy for patients who refuse to undergo colonoscopy, or who-because of other serious medical conditions-may be poor candidates for colonoscopy. While cost and accuracy with fecal DNA testing remain a problem, it definitely represents an advance by offering another tool in the fight against colon cancer.

http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/colorect.html

http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/25/4/1153.full

http://www.hrsa.gov/quality/toolbox/measures/colorectalcancer/

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p1105-colorectal-cancer-screening.html

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/813850

http://gi.org/guideline/colorectal-cancer-screening/

http://www.cologuardtest.com/how-billing-works