What is IBS

IBS ( Irritable Bowel Syndrome ), also known as spastic colon, is a bowel disorder which affects 30% of people at some stage of our lives. 10% of people get such bad IBS that they have to get medical attention. Should you suspect you have IBS you need to get confirmation from a qualified GP.
Even though the exact cause of IBS is not known, it is commonly considered that Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a disorder in the interaction between the brain and gastrointestinal tract. There are likely to be abnormalities in the immune system or gut which contribute to this condition.
The most common IBS symptoms are: stomach pain/ cramps; constipation; bloated stomach; diarrhea; wind; noisy tummy; very rapid or very slow digestion.
Sometimes people who get IBS are not able to work. They complain of not being able to socialise due to it too. Sometimes the effects of IBS are so debilitating that people take anti depressants.
There are no cures for IBS; there are treatments which can help relieve symptoms. These include meditation, kundalini yoga, medication as well as changes to the diet . Certain IBS sufferers have identified the source of the problem as food intolerance, that is, they have allergies to particular foods.
A way to do this is to one by one eliminate certain foods; a common food which people are allergic to is wheat.
For lots of people IBS started shortly after a very stressful period in their lives, such as, sudden unemployment, divorce, death of a close one, exams and so on.
A website which is likely to be useful for stress management is www.stressmanagement.co.uk .
Another site which would be good is for further information about IBS is www.ibsnetwork.org.uk .