Understanding IBS Disease and How to Live with It

IBS is short for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and the CDC says it is the most common of all functional bowel disorders. Affecting over twenty percent of the United States' population, it is one of the top 10 reasons for doctor visits and the second most common gastrointestinal diagnosis. Right at 70% of sufferers are female, and over 8 million dollars a year is though to be spent in direct medical costs. Normally patients lose a lot of time from work and activities due to the symptoms and an have adverse affects on the psyche.

IBS is a functional disease whose cause is unknown and at this time, there is no cure. The malfunction that takes place is between movement of the intestines and the brain waves that cause the intestines to properly do their job. Sometimes it is also called spastic colon or colitis, and mucosal colitis. Symptoms include bowel movement changes that are abnormal for you, pain in the abdomen and frequent constipation or diarrhea. Among the many treatments, no cure has emerged, and many do not help with all of the symptoms, but only the constipation or diarrhea.

Tests to check for IBS are not really specific, as multiple tests must be conducted to rule out other diseases instead. Colonoscopy, blood work, endoscopes and fecal occult tests are just a few that are considered helpful in diagnosis. The treatment for IBS consists of mostly antispasmodics or antidiarrheals and antidepressants. These generally help the brain to correct the error in transmission for a short period of time, but normally only affect the bowel movements.

Ways to deal with your disease can be confusing and numerous. Everyone has suggestions, but only you can figure out what works best for your body. Before going to the physician, keep a food diary daily. Make sure you write in all the foods and drinks that you take in, so that you can see what foods are triggers for your bowel movements. If you eat manufactured sugars or starches and white flours, your fats and dairy should be taken out of the diet for diarrhea. This will help to slow down the process, but not completely stop it. There is no one diet to cure IBS, but keeping a food diary and noting changes in bowel movements and nausea will enable your doctor to help hone your treatment to your disorder.

Not much is known at this time about IBS, other than it is considered a malfunctioning colon. For some, surgery would be a welcomed sight, but at this time there is no reason to have any surgery at all. Since the disease originates in the colon and brain, and is considered functional, there is no physical disorder to be found. This simply means that the organ is not working properly, but there is nothing physically wrong or bad about the organ. If you have bouts of uncontrollable constipation or diarrhea and have had them for longer than a few months, contact your doctor to have a few tests run. IBS is not a death sentence and you should not be afraid. There are over the counter drugs such as Immodium that help thousands of us sufferers every day. Find one that works for you by experimenting, and always pass new medications by your