IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic (long-term) disorder that affects the digestive system. It causes abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.
There are different types of IBS, depending on your main symptom. It’s known by a variety of other names, including spastic colon, spastic colitis, mucous colitis, nervous diarrhea, nervous colon and nervous or functional bowel.
The symptoms of IBS can fluctuate. There may be times when your symptoms are particularly troublesome and times when you experience no symptoms at all.
IBS can have an adverse affect on your life and whilst the exact causes of IBS are unknown there are studies were stress is a major factor and reactions to certain foods.
IBS is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions. It is estimated that 10-20% of the UK’s population is affected by IBS at any one time, although this figure may be higher because many people with the condition do not report their symptoms to their GP.
IBS is twice as common in women as it is in men. The condition normally develops in people who are between 20 and 30 years of age, but it can affect people of any age.
Loveursoul’s perspective
When she was 19 Lucy was tested for bowl cancer, had every invasive test you can imagine and she also had her appendix out (unnecessarily). Two years later she was finally told that she would have to spend the rest of her life taking gaviscon every day and they thought she just had a sensitive stomach. 20 years later everyone has heard of IBS and it is a normal condition for many of us to have. At its worse she would spend all night lying on her tummy and if she had unknowingly eaten the wrong thing she was confined to her home out of shear embarrassment. Her solutions came from her understanding why she was so unhappy in herself (through complementary therapy), taking out certain foods in her diet, drinking only filtered water and plenty of it and exercise.