Your Journey into Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized most commonly by cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

As its name indicates, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a syndrome. That is, IBS is a combination of signs and symptoms, but not a disease. IBS is classified as a functional disorder. A functional disorder refers to a condition where the primary abnormality is an altered physiological function (the way the body works), rather than an identifiable inflammatory, infectious, structural, or biochemical cause.

Research also indicates that IBS is a multi-faceted disorder. For example, the symptoms of IBS result from what seems to be a disturbance or imbalance in the interaction between the intestines, the brain, sensory function, and the autonomic nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function).

The articles on this site are provided to help you to better understand Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and your options for relief of these symptoms.

Click Here For a Special Report on the causes and treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome

What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Knowing whether you have irritable bowel syndrome or not can be found if you know what it means and what types of symptoms it includes. By defining the different areas of irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS, you can then begin to make the necessary steps to healing from the problem. It is also important to understand why IBS occurs and the factors that are related to it.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a condition that takes place by the lower intestine and then moves into the colon. This entire area will be stressed and unable to function at it’s proper level. From here, certain factors, such as stress or physical conditions will cause symptoms from these areas. Stress, physical problems, etc. irritate this area, causing a variety of conditions to be part of the problem.

One of the major signs for IBS is having pain in your abdomen and gut area. You may become hypersensitive or feel cramped. Your colon may also respond to these symptoms by having constipation and diarrhea or a combination of both. Your lower intestine and abdomen area continue to be irritated and not be able to take the stress of the body. Most will feel these symptoms after a meal or after something stresses them out during the day.

There are several reasons why IBS may occur. One of the most well known factors is from stress related problems. If you have family, work, emotional or physical stresses, it will cause your body to react in order to get you to relax. Another reason for IBS could be because of the way your muscle is moving in the lower intestine. The intestine will not have the ability to stress or move, causing it to react with irritation.

The things that you are eating may also play a part in the occurrence of IBS. If the symptoms have not been as consistent, you can easily change this by changing your diet. IBS may be occurring because you do not have enough fiber in your diet. This is one of the more popular reasons for problems from your lower intestines. Increasing fiber will help get rid of IBS. You can also take laxatives to relax your lower intestine and try to control the movements.

If you don’t take care of IBS when it begins to occur, you may have several other problems that result. If the symptoms don’t go away, it is best to see a doctor to see what options there are. If not, it can lead to dehydration or malnutrition. You will also have problems with normal activities and functioning.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome that occurs in several people. If you notice that you have these symptoms, it is best to find a treatment for them to give your body the relaxation that it needs. By doing this, you will be able to move back to your everyday functioning and relieve your body of the pains that it is having in the lower abdomen area.

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For information on a number of other common health problems, be sure to check out our home page at Common Health Problems.

Health problems are becoming more common as the "baby boom" generation gets older and will continue to do so for the next 20 years or so. Bowel problems are no exception.

New Irritable Bowel Information

Fiber and IBS
Fiber and IBS Those who have IBS may also hear the term fiber in relation to it. Fiber is one of the major ways to help prevent IBS. By knowing the details on fiber and how it relates to your symptoms, you can use it effectively to ease the discomforts of IBS. There are several characteristics to fiber that will help with your symptoms as well as several types of fibers to use. Fibers are mostly found in whole grains. Breads, spaghetti and wheat will all have a high amount of fiber i ...
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How Common is IBS
How Common is IBS? There are several that state that IBS is not a common syndrome among most. However, there are several statistics that state that it is a more common problem than most would think. If you are dealing with IBS, you may now be finding that you are not alone with the problem. There are several others that are having the same symptoms as you. In general, it is said that IBS affects between ten to twenty percent of the population. It is also known as one of the most comm ...
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How Is Stress Related to IBS
How Is Stress Related to IBS? For those with symptoms of IBS, they may have heard the stress is a factor that causes or is related to IBS. If you know the function of stress with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, it can give you new options for fighting IBS. When learning about IBS, learning it's relation to stress is one of the factors in determining what to do to prevent IBS from constantly occurring. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is known as a syndrome from the brain to the gut. This means that ...
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IBS in the News

12/22/2011 $6.75M Awarded To Case Western Reserve To Study IBD Investigators at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine received a $6.75 million Program Project Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to study the role of innate immunity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)... more IBS info

12/01/2011 Risk Factors For Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency Are Similar To Risk Factors For Developing Multiple Sclerosis: UB Study Summary: A vascular condition called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), which has attracted global attention as possibly being correlated with MS has, for the first time, been studied for the presence of risk factors in subjects who do not have a neurological disease... more IBS info

11/22/2011 Probiotics For Gut Health: VSL#3 Has Designations For Specific GI Issues As clinical studies continue to validate the use of probiotics to help promote general gastrointestinal health, a growing U.S. market1 for probiotics indicates that the U.S. healthcare community and consumers alike are recognizing the value of these beneficial microorganisms... more IBS info

11/02/2011 Targeted Antibiotic Drug Safest Among Recommended Treatments For Irritable Bowel Disease Among the most commonly used treatments for irritable bowel syndrome which affects as many as 20 percent of the United States population a targeted antibiotic was shown to be the safest in a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers, based on an analysis of 26 large-scale clinical trials. The study, for presentation at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Washington, D.C... more IBS info

11/01/2011 Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea Responds To Probiotics 'Good bugs' look promising as anti-inflammatory agent for patients with ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, chronic fatigue syndrome In four different studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC, researchers explored the effectiveness of probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea; as an anti-inflammat... more IBS info