IBS is a common and long-term condition when you feel pain or discomfort in your belly and you have troubles with your bowel habits. You start going to the toilet more or less. The stool changes. You will feel these symptoms at least 3 days a month and the first thing you have to do is to visit an irritable bowel syndrome doctor. The main causes of Irritable bowel syndrome typically include:
- cramping
- abdominal pain
- bloating and gas
- constipation
- diarrhea
- food intolerance
These symptoms will disappear from time to time.
But what exactly causes these symptoms?
IBS affects the gut and more specifically the large bowel or colon. First let’s look at how the digestive system works. When you eat food it passes through your digestive tract including your stomach and small bowel before it reaches the large bowel. During this journey food is being broken down and absorbed into the body to keep the food moving through the system. The wall of the bow squeezes in on itself in a rhythmic way slowly pushing its contents through. In IBS the gut will become more sensitive and excitable .The contractions sometimes occur too quickly, causing diarrhea or they occur too slowly causing constipation.
There are no specific reasons why the IBS issue happens, but a number of possible triggers have been identified.
They are:
- stress and emotion
- changes in gut microbes
- infections such as gastroenteritis
- certain medications
These are thought to affect the way the nervous system interacts with the gut. Doctors are able to diagnose IBS based on the symptoms and after other types of bowel disease have been ruled out through blood tests and stool tests. These are the bowel conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease and bowel cancer. If you experience different symptoms such as weight loss, fever and blood in the stools, it is very important to see a doctor to rule out these more serious bowel conditions.
Triggers:
- This happens because of food allergy and intolerance. You can easily worsen your condition using specific food such as dairy products, citrus fruits, beans, cabbage, milk and carbonated drinks or drinking caffeine, using alcohol.
- Studies show that while being stressed, you may have worse IBS experience or more frequent signs.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment that works for everyone. But there are lots of things you can try such as:
- Stop using caffeine
- Regular physical exercises
- Healthy diet with smaller meals
- Stress Control
- Taking probiotics
- Stop using spicy, sour, salty or deep fried food
By keeping a symptom diary you can see which foods or activities seem to bring on symptoms so they can be avoided. Certain food groups which form the acronym For maps are common triggers for IBS symptoms. Before making changes to your diet you need to speak to a dietician or doctor. A range of over-the-counter medications can also help with symptoms, including those that reduce bowel spasm and drugs to help relieve constipation or diarrhea symptoms. If these simple medicines and steps aren’t helping, doctors might also suggest other options such as antidepressants and psychological therapies, particularly if stress and anxiety is an issue. There is no single fix for IBS and it is often a lifelong condition.
Just remember to take actions in time. Every issue can be healed in the early stages. All you need to do is pay extra attention to your health and the lifestyle. Stay hydrated and safe!
