Vital Information That You Should Know About IBS

Irritable bowel movement is a dysfunction in the bodys food excretion system that is characterized by pain and cramps in the stomach as well as diarrhea and constipation. IBS largely affects the large intestine, a part of the digestive system of the body that regulates the storage and the excretion solid body wastes.

Irritable bowel syndrome is classified under syndrome because it has a number of symptoms that must all be present before a diagnosis can occur unlike other body dysfunctions that may only manifest one symptom.

IBS is not a disease. It is not caused by a bacteria or virus that we have accidentally ingested. Rather irritable bowel syndrome is caused by an internal problem in the body. There is actually no primary cause that medical experts can pinpoint. All they know is that muscles in the large intestines become too sensitive to stimulation that they are easily irritated when digestion is ongoing. Because of this irritation, the body reacts to it by holding off the waste material or over excreting them.

Although stress is not actually a main cause of irritable bowel syndrome, the presence of many stressors can affect or trigger an episode of IBS. There are also some kinds of food that may trigger the problem when eaten.

The severity of the problem is actually different with each person. For most people, irritable bowel syndrome is actually an unheard of problem. The symptoms are often so mild that few people even consider it as a serious problem. Often, they dont even think that they have the dysfunction as they will largely dismiss the symptoms something they might have gotten from the food that they ate. Still there are some cases that the pain is so severe that the person can no longer take it on. These are the people that seek medical help for treatment.

Unlike the treatment of other diseases that has a specific cause, treatment of IBS is wide-range. Some doctors will initially prescribed a diet that is full of fiber to help combat the problem. This however can be a problem as most patients do not actually abide by the regimented diet. This is why most recommend the taking in of medications that contain fibers or those that are formulated to help people suffering from constipation. That way, people will be able to better follow with the prescribed treatment.

There are also some doctors who prefer therapies as they believe that irritable bowel syndrome is largely caused by emotional problems and stress that are transmuted to physiological problems. Others also perform acupuncture on the patient.

The Unknown Cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is a body dysfunction that is characterized by problems with the excretion of solid body wastes. Although not much people actually know that such a condition exists, it is nevertheless quite common, affecting one out of five Americans, placing it as one of the most common problems diagnosed by the doctor.

There is actually no gender or age factor involved with irritable bowel syndrome. Everybody can be afflicted. Still, statistics show that there are more women who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome compared to men. Most people diagnosed have also traced their symptoms back to when they were not yet twenty years old.

If you are under the impression that constipation and diarrhea are the main symptoms, you are wrong. Because there are a lot of body problems that may result in constipation and diarrhea, medical experts placed these two as secondary symptoms. What the doctor must have in order to make a diagnosis is the occurrence of abdominal pain. There may also be bloating especially if the person has not been able to excrete waste materials for a long time.

What makes it harder to detect is the fact that symptoms for most people are not so severe. Most in fact do not even know that they have irritable bowel syndrome. This is why little is known about this problem despite its prevalence. Most people who do experience the symptoms, they are quick to dismiss them as mere food poisoning. They dont know the constipation and pain that they feel is an entirely different matter.

Causes of irritable bowel syndrome

Until now, there is still no clear answer what exactly causes irritable bowel syndrome. Medical experts are still stumped as to why such a condition occurs. Unlike some diseases and other medical condition, which is caused by a bacterial or viral infection, irritable bowel syndrome is not caused by one culprit.

Research on the problem has mentioned a large intestine, the part of the digestive system that regulates the passage of the body wastes, that is awfully sensitive. It seems that the large intestines of people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome is more easily reactive to stimulation, which in turn can affect the bowel movement.

Stress is often attributed with irritable bowel syndrome. There are also studies that suggest the role of some food items that may trigger the problem.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – What is It?

Irritable bowel syndrome is a problem characterized by a dysfunction on the bowel system of the body. As the name will suggest, the disorder largely affects the bowel or the part of the body, which regularizes the storing and excretion of wastes. The large intestine come to mind but there are a host of other parts of the digestive system that may be affected in the long run. It is called a syndrome instead of dysfunction, mainly because irritable bowel syndrome has a number of different syndromes and not just one.

Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS,as it is called by most medical doctors, causes either constipation or diarrhea depending on the reaction of the body to the stressor. Because excrements are not regularly funneled out of the body, bloating and cramping may also occur. It is also not surprising that gas problems will also ensue after some time.

One point to clarify is that IBS is not a disease caused by bacteria or viral infection. It is only a disorder in the body, which may be caused by a number of things. According to experts, IBS is often brought on by nerves and muscles in the bowel system that has become very sensitive to stimulation, too sensitive. This means that the littlest movement or stimulation can trigger the muscles to contract too much. This can lead to diarrhea, even though you have not really eaten anything spoiled. Nerves may also be very sensitive and this can lead to cramping and extreme pain in the stomach. The pain according to depictions from patients are often dull, gas-like and non-descript. What is sad though is that pain will only disappear when the person has finally excreted the bowel.

Although the term IBS is not as popular as perhaps most of the diseases in the medical field, it is one disorder that people often suffer from albeit a milder version. This is actually a problem with IBS. People do not actually recognize the problem since the symptoms are pretty mild. Some will even assume that it is something that they ate. One problem with IBS is that there are no diagnostic tests that can support a physicians diagnosis of IBS. Unlike other problems, diagnosis will only rely on the symptoms that the patient will describe.

Still there are cases when the symptoms are so severe especially the pain and the constipation that people will go to the doctor for treatment. There is really no age or gender factor when it comes to risk. Almost anyone can suffer from this kind of dysfunction.

Do You Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is perhaps one of the hardest to diagnose especially if the symptoms are mild that few people think that they even exist at all. But the symptoms are there.

Most cases of irritable bowel syndrome are actually not reported probably because most people will not be able to connect this kind of problem with a dysfunction in the bowel system, the part which takes care of the storage and excretion of solid wastes of the body. Because of its strong connection with body wastes, most people are quick to dismiss the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as something brought about by the food that they ate or the time that they ate their food. But this is not the case.

Unlike diarrhea which is caused by a bacteria that people have ingested accidentally, irritable bowel syndrome is not a disease or an illness. It is a body dysfunction that is often associated with overly sensitive bowel areas. Slightest movement can trigger contractions that may lead to constipation. Sometimes, nerves are also affected that diarrhea occurs.

There is actually no known cause for Irritable bowel syndrome. Up until now, medical experts have not yet come up with answers to the question on where it comes from. All they know is that stress and food can sometimes trigger an attack.

Diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome is dependent on the symptoms present. Symptoms should be detected accurately as doctors often base their diagnosis on the symptoms alone.

In irritable bowel syndrome, there is often abdominal pain and bloating. These are the main symptoms of IBS. The rest of the other symptoms are only there to lend support to the diagnosis. Remember that there is actually no test that can confirm diagnosis. Oftentimes, the doctor will rely on the staff to get some results.

Constipation and diarrhea are actually only secondary symptoms. People suffering from irritable bowel syndrome may have infrequent bowel excretion. If course, as to what degree, the problem depends on the person as symptoms may vary from one to another. Some find it hard to excrete their wastes while others cannot excrete them at all. Mucus, a substance that moistens the passageway of bowels in the body may also be found with the excretion. There are also some who suffer from diarrhea instead of constipation. With this condition, the person will have frequent watery stools.