IBS - What is IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition that places primary focus on the patient’s bowel movement. “Chronic” means that the progression of the condition is gradual, even longer than 6 months. During the time of development, the symptoms of IBS are not very obvious, so a lot of people do not think that they are affected with the disorder, but know that they do not feel “right”. There are even times when these symptoms are overlooked as temporary ailments, thereby leaving them untreated.
A healthy bowel moves food along the intestines through muscle contractions, commonly known as “propulsion”. Along the intestinal tract there are areas that hold-up the food matter, commonly known as “segmentation”. This combination of propulsion and segmentation is how our bodies process food, and we are completely unaware of it when it is working properly. The bowel is the part of the body that stores our produced stool, which is the end
product of everything that passes through one’s digestive system, but is not used by the body.
The best way to regard IBS is as a loss of coordination of these muscular contractions.
In addition, there is evidence that people with IBS have increased sensitivity in the gut to external stimuli such as stress. This means IBS is often the result of a complex interaction between psychological and physical factors. Because of this, many people perceive IBS to be a psychological disorder, when in fact, it is a very physical disorder.
People of all ages can be afflicted with IBS, and the disorder can begin at any age. However, recent studies show that the syndrome usually starts with people in the range of 15 to 40 years old. No cure has been developed for the disorder, but there are methods that you can employ to alleviate IBS symptoms, mainly through proper diet and lifestyle.
Visit our Helpful Links page to find a comprehensive list of questions to help you determine if you have IBS or something masquerading as IBS.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome cannot be self-diagnosed, especially because there are so many other disorders that share IBS symptoms. These must be ruled out by medical tests. We do not recommend that you undergo medical self-treatment methods, either. You just may be doing more harm to your system than good, if you treat your condition without medical supervision. Once you have been diagnosed by a physician, the most important thing you can do to help yourself is to be more aware of the symptoms of IBS, and how your body “interprets” them. This way, you can get your symptoms under control so you can live your life the way you want to, without constantly worrying about when your next bout will strike.
Getting an accurate diagnosis is difficult to achieve because IBS symptoms are common to many other diseases. The first step toward an accurate diagnosis is to eliminate the possibility that you are afflicted with an organic disease (any disease that causes the anatomical structure of an organ to be harmed to the point of interfering with its function), as this is a common alternate disease that shares IBS symptoms. The next thing to eliminate is the possibility that you are lactose intolerant, as this also shares symptoms. Lab tests are needed to do this - specifically the testing of fecal matter, X-rays, and even a colonoscopy.
