Some evidence indicates that the immune system, which fights infection, is also involved. Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms result from the following: The normal motility of the colon may not work properly. It can be spasmodic or can even stop temporarily. Spasms are sudden strong muscle contractions that come and go.

The lining of the colon (epithelium), which is affected by the immune and nervous systems, regulates the passage of fluids in and out of the colon. In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the epithelium appears to work properly. However, fast movement of the colon’s contents can overcome the absorptive capacity of the colon. The result is too much fluid in the stool. In other patients, colonic movement is too slow, too much fluid is absorbed, and constipation develops.

The colon responds strongly to stimuli (for example, foods or stress) that would not bother most people.

In people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, stress and emotions can strongly affect the colon. It has many nerves that connect it to the brain. Like the heart and the lungs, the colon is partly controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which has been proven to respond to stress. For example, when you are frightened, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure may go up, or you may gasp. The colon responds to stress also. It may contract too much or too little. It may absorb too much water or too little.

Research has shown that very mild or hidden (occult) celiac disease is present in a smaller group of people with symptoms that mimic Irritable Bowel Syndrome. People with celiac disease cannot digest gluten, which is present in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats. Foods containing gluten are toxic to these people, and their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. A blood test can determine whether celiac disease is present. (For information about celiac disease, see the Celiac Disease fact sheet from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).)

The following have been associated with a worsening of Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms:

-Large meals -Bloating from gas in the colon -Medicines -Wheat, rye, barley, chocolate, milk products, or alcohol -Drinks with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, or colas -Stress, conflict, or emotional upsets

Researchers have also found that women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome may have more symptoms during their menstrual periods, suggesting that reproductive hormones can exacerbate Irritable Bowel Syndrome problems.



Thanks to David Cowgill for contributing this article to our IBS blog:

Herbal Remedy For Ibs

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or simply IBS is something that inflicts discomforts with symptoms such as changes in bowel function, abdominal pain and bloating. Millions of people around the world are known to suffer form these symptoms of IBS. Fortunately though, these days there are many options available when it comes to IBS treatment. Among them, natural treatment of IBS is perhaps the most preferred by people.

One of the reasons why natural treatment of IBS is preferred by many is because it is not known to cause any major negative side effect. This may not be the case with other methods of treatment. Natural treatment procedures are also known to be effective in the long run, which is another reason which makes them the preferred mode of treatment.

Perhaps the most natural treatment of IBS lies in taking a healthy and balanced diet. The diet should be rich in fiber content. You should also take many servings of fruits and vegetable as part of your diet. Drinking plenty of water is another aspect that needs to be reiterated here.



Whole grains along with fruits and vegetables are known to be high in fiber and can therefore offer you relief from symptoms of constipation. They also help in preventing spasms of the colon region. Drinking water similarly helps in preventing dehydration as well as IBS related diarrhea. Drinking lots of water not only helps with IBS symptoms but also with improving your overall health.

Natural treatment of IBS with aloe vera is something that is finding a large number of takers these days. This plant is known to contain certain ingredients which can help in giving relief from IBS symptoms. Peppermint is another such natural product which helps in giving relief from IBS symptoms. Peppermint is in fact also known to be effective in many other digestive complaints too.

The key to beating IBS symptoms is to balancing the gut by introducing what are known as friendly bacteria. This can come in the form of various natural products. You can also find many natural IBS treatment coming in the form of capsules which can be purchased as over the counter medicine these days.

As part of natural treatment for IBS you should also know the foods items that you need to avoid eating too. Some of the food items that you need to avoid if you have any of the IBS symptoms are wheat, alcohol, diary products, caffeine, beans and fructose. Small changes in your dietary habits would in itself count among the many natural treatments available for IBS symptoms.



Thanks to John Howard for contributing this article to our IBS blog:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diarrhea

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects over 25 million people in the USA. Contrary to popular belief, IBS is actually a very common disorder which is classed by the medical profession as a ‘functional disorder’ – in other words there’s nothing medically or organically wrong with the body. Generally, conventional treatments often do not work very well and IBS sufferers often feel that their symptoms are being ignored, downplayed or misunderstood. Besides that, IBS is a multifactorial illness which means that there are many causes. As a result of that, it is difficult to pinpoint the accurate treatment. Fortunately, IBS is not fatal nor is it linked to the development of other serious bowel diseases. However, IBS can bring about extremely frustrating and disturbing and often embarrassing experience to the sufferers. More and more IBS sufferers are opting for more natural home remedies and self help. One of the treatments which is gaining much popularity is hypnotherapy for IBS. In this article, we look at what hypnotherapy is and its effect on IBS.

Hypnotherapy is a therapy using hypnosis not only to alleviate symptoms but often to uncover the cause of the problem which can be corrected thus ensuring a complete and permanent cure. Hypnotherapy is used as a way to make people more aware of their bodies so that they may have better control over their general functioning. However, this therapy is not suitable for children aged under five or anyone with a severe mental illness. Hypnotherapy is the process whereby you become deeply or lightly relaxed, guided by words, phrases, suggestions and imagination. Hypnotherapy is usually carried out one-to-one with a trained and trusted hypnotherapist in a therapeutic setting, but it may also take place in small groups, for example in pain or antenatal clinics. However, these days, many people prefer to buy ibs hypnosis tapes or CDs to listen in the comfort of their own homes. IBS hypnosis are available as downloads on the internet as well.

So how does IBS hypnotherapy helps sufferers to alleviate IBS symptoms?

Hypnotherapy is beneficial not only for the relaxation it induces, but for the state of suggestibility that characterizes it. Hypnotherapy can reduce this stress and its resultant negative impact by placing you in a deeply relaxed state, promoting positive thoughts and coping strategies, and clearing your mind of negative attitudes. Hypnotherapy induces a state of relaxation while the patient is awake, and allows helpful suggestions such as those aimed at controlling health problems to be directed into the subconscious mind.

Many studies have shown that hypnotherapy is indeed effective in improving both symptoms and quality of life in patients with IBS. What is more important is hypnotherapy offer sufferers a drug-free solution to their symptoms of diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain and bloating. Hypnotherapy is not a miracle cure: rather it is a state of awareness that can be used for self-help. Hypnotherapy is time-consuming and it does take quite a bit of time to actually feel the effect. But to many sufferers, persistense pays off.

In conclusion, IBS hypnotherapy is recommended by authority IBS sites such as IBSTales.com. It has claimed over 80% success rate for alleviating all IBS symptoms. IBS hypnotherapy has been researched for 30 years and stands alone as the most significant long term symptom relief solution. Hypnotherapy has in fact proven highly effective in alleviating all of the various IBS symptoms. If nothing has work for you, why don’t you give IBS hypnotherapy a try?



Thanks to Audrey Lynn for contributing this article to our IBS blog:

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As discussed previously, irritable bowel syndrome is believed to be due to  the abnormal function (dysfunction) of the muscles of the organs of the  gastrointestinal tract or the nerves controlling the organs. The nervous control  of the gastrointestinal tract, however, is complex. A system of nerves runs the  entire length of the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the anus in  the muscular walls of the organs. These nerves communicate with other nerves  that travel to and from the spinal cord. Nerves within the spinal cord, in turn,  travel to and from the brain. (The gastrointestinal tract is exceeded in the  numbers of nerves it contains only by the spinal cord and brain.) Thus, the  abnormal function of the nervous system in IBS may occur in a gastrointestinal  muscular organ, the spinal cord, or the brain.

The nervous system that  controls the gastrointestinal organs, as with most other organs, contains both  sensory and motor nerves. The sensory nerves continuously sense what is  happening within the organ and relay this information to nerves in the organ’s  wall. From there, information can be relayed to the spinal cord and brain. The  information is received and processed in the organ’s wall, the spinal cord, or  the brain. Then, based on this sensory input and the way the input is processed,  commands (responses) are sent to the organ over the motor nerves. Two of the  most common motor responses in the intestine are contraction or relaxation of  the muscle of the organ and secretion of fluid and/or mucus into the organ.

As already mentioned, abnormal function of the nerves of the  gastrointestinal organs, at least theoretically, might occur in the organ,  spinal cord, or brain. Moreover, the abnormalities might occur in the sensory  nerves, the motor nerves, or at processing centers in the intestine, spinal  cord, or brain. Some researchers argue that the cause of functional diseases is  abnormalities in the function of the sensory nerves. For example, normal  activities, such as stretching of the small intestine by food, may give rise to  abnormal sensory signals that are sent to the spinal cord and brain, where they  are perceived as pain.

Other researchers argue that the cause of  functional diseases is abnormalities in the function of the motor nerves. For  example, abnormal commands through the motor nerves might produce a painful  spasm (contraction) of the muscles. Still others argue that abnormally  functioning processing centers are responsible for functional diseases because  they misinterpret normal sensations or send abnormal commands to the organ. In  fact, some functional diseases may be due to sensory dysfunction, motor  dysfunction, or both sensory and motor dysfunction. Still others may be due to  abnormalities within the processing centers One area that is receiving a great  deal of scientific attention is the potential role of gas produced by intestinal  bacteria in patients with IBS. Studies have demonstrated that patients with IBS  produce larger amounts of gas than individuals without IBS, and the gas may be  retained longer in the small intestine. Among patients with IBS, abdominal size  increases over the day, reaching a maximum in the evening and returning to  baseline by the following morning. In individuals without IBS, there is no  increase in abdominal size during the day.

There has been a great deal  of controversy over the role that poor digestion and/or absorption of dietary  sugars may play in aggravating the symptoms of IBS. Poor digestion of lactose,  the sugar in milk, is very common as is poor absorption of fructose, a sweetener  found in many processed foods. Poor digestion or absorption of these sugars  could aggravate the symptoms of IBS since unabsorbed sugars often cause  increased formation of gas.

Although these abnormalities in production  and transport of gas could give rise to some of the symptoms of IBS, much more  work will need to be done before the role of intestinal gas in IBS is  clear.

Dietary fat in healthy individuals causes food as well as gas to  move more slowly through the stomach and small intestine. Some patients with IBS  may even respond to dietary fat in an exaggerated fashion with greater slowing.  Thus, dietary fat could–and probably does–aggravate the symptoms of IBS.

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Thanks to Brandon Bettes for contributing this article to our IBS blog:

Diet For Ulcerative Colitis

Despite being a fairly common disorder (affecting roughly 30% of the population), irritable bowel syndrome remains a mystery to us. Most do not really know what its symptoms are and, more importantly, how it can be treated.

This condition is usually associated with abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, bloated stomach, noisy tummy, dizziness, sickness, backaches, flatulence, and slow digestion. It could also cause people to suffer emotionally.

When you start experiencing any of these symptoms, consult with your doctor. During your visit, help him make the correct diagnosis by providing him with relevant information about your disorder. Let him know when it all started, how bad the pain is, and how often do these symptoms surface.

And even if this is a benign condition, you need to follow the doctor’s orders to the letter. Not doing so will make the pain more intense and force you to take leave of absence or refrain from doing your daily duties.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Medications

After examining your history and laboratory results, your doctor will prescribe a medicine to address your problems. Among the most recommended medicines for this disorder are Alostron and Tegaserod. Alostron effectively decreases abdominal sensitivity as well as relieves other symptoms of this disorder.

This also works for pregnant women, who are more likely to experience more intense pain. Tegaserod increases the movement of your intestines and as a result, eases the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

These medicines will help make you well enough to go about with your daily routines and activities. With their help, you could be having irritable bowel syndrome but still feel up for the challenges of day-to-day life. These are especially helpful to those experiencing severe pain, diarrhea, or constipation, but don’t respond to other medications.

A word of caution though: don’t drink these medicines on your own. If Alostron or Tegaserod is suited for your condition, your physician will give a prescription for any of these. This expert will determine, based on your severity and response to other medications, which one is more appropriate for you.

In addition, your doctor will most likely ask you to consult a nutritionist, a professional who will create a proper diet for you. You need to stick to this diet because it is the only thing that can prevent your irritable bowel syndrome from recurring.



Thanks to Jessica Bradbury for contributing this article to our IBS blog:

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