Have you ever experienced a dull headache that lingers for hours? Do you have chronic dark circles under your eyes or “puffy” cheeks? How about non-specific lower GI discomfort or chronic sinusitis? While these symptoms could have a variety of root causes, they can also be associated with Ileocecal Valve Sydrome – a condition I see in patients on a regular basis.

The ileocecal valve (ICV) separates the last part of the small intestine from the first part of the large intestine. Think of the small intestine as the kitchen – it digests food and assimilates the nutrition into our body. The large intestine is similar to a septic system – designed to eliminate waste from the body. The ileocecal valve acts as a door that prevents waste materials from the large intestine from backing up into the small intestine.

Proper functioning of the ileocecal valve is critical to our health. The valve should remain closed most of the time and open only briefly to allow the passing of waste into the large intestine. The valve should then close to prevent any matter from leaking back.

Problems start to occur if the valve stays open too long (causing waste products to back up into the small intestine), or does not stay open long enough (preventing or constricting waste products from being passed into the large intestine).

A malfunctioning ileocecal valve is an extremely common condition. It can give rise to an almost unbelievable list of seemingly unrelated symptoms, including:

• Sudden, stabbing, sharp low back or leg pain that feels just like a disc pain, especially when sitting or driving, with no mechanical cause
• Sharp, pinpoint headaches, especially on the left side, at the base of the skull
• Dull headaches, which often linger for hours in the frontal area.
• Migraine headaches, which can be a system-wide response to the toxicity caused by a malfunctioning ileocecal valve.
• Chronic sinus infection, dripping sinuses, especially when not during allergy season.
• Allergies, the type often wrongly attributed to dust, cat hair and mites.
• Dark circles under the eyes, puffy cheeks.
• “Loose bowels” not quite diarrhea, but looser than should be.
• Any of the “colon syndromes” such as Crohn’s Disease, spastic colon, irritable bowel, Celiac Disease.
• Chronic constipation, followed by bouts of diarrhea.
• Burning leg pain (that feels like a nerve) into the front of the left thigh.
• Asthma-like respiratory symptoms.
• General non-specific lower GI discomfort or symptoms (often attributed to a psychological cause by practitioners unfamiliar with the ICV).

To ensure the ileocecal valve is functioning properly and to reduce the stagnant toxins in the body, make sure you are eating healthy foods with natural fiber. Foods most likely to irritate the ICV include chips, popcorn, seeds, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and coarse cereals. Also, be sure to chew food thoroughly in order to aid digestion. Certain supplements taken at meals to further help digestion can also be effective.

There is sometimes a physical component associated with ICV syndrome, so ensuring the ileocecal valve has sufficient nerve flow to operate properly is important. Oftentimes the nerve can be partially blocked or irritated, causing dysfunction out into the tissue. Spinal manipulation can help, as well as massaging of the valve itself.

A proper functioning ICV is vital to your overall health – it supports healthy digestion, promotes healthy bowel movements and helps detoxify the body. If you think you might have a malfunctioning ICV, it’s important to get evaluated by a kinesiologist.

A myriad of symptoms can often be alleviated simply by restoring function to the ICV.

If you have questions about ICV syndrome, or would like further guidelines for treating the issue, please e-mail me at pathwaysth@gmail.com and put “ICV” in the subject line.

 

Dr. Haley Lance can be reached at Pathways to Healing, 706-454-2040.