IBS A Common Digestive System Disorder

A common disorder of the digestive system is known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) because as many as 20% of the adult population in the U.S. has symptoms of IBS, whether they have been diagnosed or not. Women tend to have symptoms more than men and women typically start recognizing the symptoms of IBS between the ages of 35 and 50.

The symptoms can include abdominal pain, bloating, and abdominal discomfort. Other symptoms can vary from individual to individual but may include constipation, and infrequent bowel movement that may also include frequent straining and cramping while trying to have a bowel movement. These individuals often report seeing mucus in the stool movements. Others may have diarrhea, and have a frequent and urgent feeling that they have to gave a bowel movement. Others may alternate between having bouts of diarrhea with bouts of being constipated.

The thing to remember about IBS is that because the symptoms differ from one individual to another, so does the treatment. There is no one treatment fits all. There are however some common trigger foods that may help symptoms if you avoid or at least decrease your consumption of these items. The food triggers include: anything with caffeine in it, fatty foods, limit your intake of dairy products, fruits and any type of artificial sweetener like sorbitol and xylitol. Avoid beans, cabbage, uncooked cauliflower or broccoli to avoid bloating and gas. Another dietary habit that may help your constipation symptom is to increase your fiber intake and your water consumption.

Doctors suggest that making sure that you have regular physical exercise such as walking briskly; jogging or swimming may help to reduce the tension and could ease your bowels into a more regular pattern.

Your doctor may prescribe medications to go along with the lifestyle suggestions that may also help to manage your IBS symptoms. Medications for diarrhea include Imodium. Antidepressants may be prescribed such as Elavil or Paxil for antianxiety. To also help relieve stress triggers your doctor may recommend psychological therapy.

The treatment will involve understanding and learning how to manage long-term symptomatic relief methods, which will be a combination of therapy, medications and lifestyle improvements. Your symptoms may change as life changes occur so your treatment plan will also need to be changed.

Keeping a symptom journal and an event record may help to pinpoint both foods and life stressors that trigger IBS episodes. Knowing what triggers your symptoms will help you to make better choices for your diet and help you to avoid those situations that stress you out the most.

Smokers will have one more reason to quit. Taking a good look at all of your lifestyle choices dietary, beverage choices, and your exercise regimen can go along way in controlling the discomfort associated with IBS. You may have lifestyle choices that you are unwilling to give up and may feel that the discomfort of IBS is small prices to pay for say your coffee or smoking habit; the choice is yours.

Symptoms that worsen despite making healthier lifestyle choices and medication may necessitate further testing to see if the symptoms indicate other, more serous conditions. IBS does not lead to cancer or inflammatory bowel disease, but a person who has symptoms of IBS may also have other underlying conditions that share symptoms.