Whether you have been recently diagnosed, or if you have had it for a long time, there is a lot of irritable bowel syndrome information available. This info will help you to understand the condition, as well as help you manage it better so you can live a fairly normal life.
The reason irritable bowel syndrome (also known as IBS) can be so tricky to treat is that the cause is still unknown. In fact, there is a lot that still isn't understood about IBS, but it's not all bad news. While they may not fully understand the root cause of irritable bowel syndrome, they do have a good grasp of how to treat the symptoms.
IBS affects the lower digestive tract and can cause constipation, abdominal discomfort, cramping, bloating or diarrhea. Other possible symptoms of irritable syndrome are a feeling that the bowels are never emptied and mucous in the stool. Nobody would consider any of these things to be pleasant.
Irritable bowel syndrome information really comes in handy when you consider that you have no way of knowing when you might have a flare up. You can feel great one day and lousy the next. However, having the right info will go a long way toward alleviating the symptoms whenever they happen to appear.
Your first line of defense is identifying as many triggers as you can and then avoiding them. Any number of things can cause an IBS flare up: stress, hormonal imbalances, antibiotics and specific foods. Keeping a diary of your symptoms, when they happen and any other pertinent information will allow you to spot some of your personal triggers.
What may surprise you is just how common IBS is. If you have ever had to run to the bathroom within a few minutes of eating a meal at a fast food restaurant, then you have experienced a mild type of irritable bowel syndrome. Of course you don't need to go to your doctor for such a case, but if you find you are experiencing more severe symptoms, or experiencing them on a regular basis, then a visit to your doctor is in order.
A lot of people are worried about being embarrassed when discussing these problems with their doctor. I'm not going to say you won't be embarrassed, but I will say that it could be the sign of a more serious problem, so you have to get past any such feelings. Be open and honest about your symptoms, as that's the only way your doctor will be able to help you. They may order various tests, suggest you change your dietary habits, or prescribe medication.
Your doctor should also be able to point you to reliable irritable bowel syndrome information. When it comes right down to it, your best weapon against IBS is knowledge. That being said, no amount of knowledge will make a difference unless you follow through on it. But you may as well because feeling great beats an IBS flare up any day.
