Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Modern medical doctors are not sure what causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Opinions abound but the most common ones include being sensitive to certain foods, reactions to stress, immune system differences, or a person's colon and bowel not working normally in general.

IBS is a condition suffered by one in five Americans, and is thought to be undiagnosed and untreated in as much as 70 percent of sufferers. IBS is a problem for women more often than men, but it is not associated with more severe colon related diseases. There is no inflammation of the colon when someone has IBS, and no other growths or obstructions.

There are different symptoms for each IBS sufferer too. You may find more and more foods disagree with you or you may feel bloated as though you have eaten a very large meal, even when you last ate hours ago or after quite a small meal.

Common symptoms include abdominal cramping, bloating and pain. Some people with IBS will have chronic diarrhea though, while others will have chronic constipation instead. Still others will bounce back and forth between those two states.

The first approach to managing IBS is changes in your diet. If your IBS is caused due to intolerance or allergies of certain foods for instance, removing those from your diet can create drastic improvements. Often people have a lactose or gluton intolerance without knowing it.

Some people are also more sensitive to foods which contain heavy amounts of grease, or they're IBS problems flare up more after greasy meals. Another common trigger for IBS symptoms is eating large and heavy meals. Simply by cutting down the amount you eat in one sitting, and eating fewer but smaller meals each day, can help relieve IBS symptoms.

Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables can help with IBS, particularly when constipation is a chronic problem. Many people try taking extra fiber supplements, but these can actually cause the gas and bloating problems to become worse.