Three Possible Causes of IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome)

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Title: Three Possible Causes of IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome)

Word Count: 475

Author: McEvoy

Email: davemcevoy2004@...

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Three Possible Causes of IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome)

Copyright 2006 McEvoy

IBS can seem to come from nowhere, and its sufferers often

have trouble figuring out why they are afflicted. The

latest research sheds some light on the problem.

A number of theories aim to explain the disease in terms of

physiological disorder. These include possibilities such as

smooth muscle abnormalities, altered small intestinal

mobility, or a sensory condition causing normal mobility of

the gut to feel strange and abnormal to a person. However,

no real evidence has been found to support any of these

explanations. It is in fact often the case that IBS

sufferers are thought of as hypochondriacs without any real

problem, and doctors who hold this belief tend to almost

disregard their patients’ gastrointestinal complaints.

It is possible that an overgrowth of bacteria is what

causes irritable bowel syndrome. The surge of bacteria

would be present in the small intestine, as one researcher

publishing in the Journal of the American Medical

Association has proposed. The proposal suggested that

ordinary bacteria normally found in the large intestine may

end up in the small intestine giving rise to the

characteristic symptoms of IBS; uncomfortable bloating and

gas and a change in bowel movements, together with muscle

and joint pain, chronic fatigue and headaches which are

sometimes found in sufferers. There may be 100 trillion

bacteria in the gut, but they are usually scarce in the

small intestine, so an increase in bacteria here may

account for the symptoms of IBS.

Another more common theory is that IBS is a stress-related

disease. It is often suggested that stress, anxiety and

depression cause IBS, but thinking is now more along the

lines that these psychological maladies only exacerbate the

symptoms rather than bring them on. Research has found the

colon muscle of someone with IBS is more sensitive than

that of a non-sufferer, which means that IBS sufferers have

strong reactions to stimuli that would not affect others.

It is also suggested that hormones may influence symptoms,

as women generally have more symptoms of IBS when

menstruating.

A third possible cause of IBS is food intolerance. Although

caffeine and alcohol are generally found to aggravate IBS,

different individuals may find they have ‘trigger’ foods

which vary widely. Sometimes this can be found out by trial

and error in diet, but it is only possible to confirm food

intolerance by blood testing for antibodies. Once the foods

are identified by the test, they can be cut out of the

diet, leading to an improvement in IBS symptoms. It is even

the case that after a time, the foods which were previously

a problem can be phased back into the diet as the immune

system appears to reset itself in the interim. Food

intolerance testing kits are available from some pharmacies

to make it easier to identify problem foods that may

provoke the symptoms of IBS.

About the Author:

The author- Dave McEvoy is an award winning personal

trainer with over 20 years experience; he has also suffered

from IBS for 15 years.

http://www.mind1st.co.uk/ibssymptomrelief.asp

http://www.ibs-symptom-relief.co.uk