Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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Health Tools (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems. Irritable Bowel ...

Resources (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

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What Makes IBS Worse (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

By taking steps to prevent the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it is possible to lead a productive, healthy life. With some planning, you can avoid IBS triggers that cause symptom flares. Your doctor can provide a complete treatment plan ...

Stress & Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

It is not entirely clear how stress, anxiety, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are related -- or which one comes first -- but studies show they tend to co-exist. "If you do diagnostic interviews, what you find is that about 60% of IBS patients...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Relief: Coping Tips You Can Use (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Coping with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) presents a number of daily challenges. While there is no cure for the disorder, treatments are available for this medical condition. Before anything else, it is important to see your doctor to figure ou...

IBS and Anxiety Relief (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

One approach to coping with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is behavioral therapy. Why? Stress and anxiety can worsen IBS symptoms. Behavioral therapy can help you cope with these feelings and hopefully reduce some IBS symptoms. It's not known what c...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Help: IBS Symptom Journal (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

An irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptom journal can help you and your doctor figure out what triggers your IBS, and how to deal with those triggers. Fill this out as soon as you experience symptoms. Print extra copies to have on hand. Rem...

Medications (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Medicine may be used along with lifestyle changes to manage symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The goal of medicine treatment is to relieve your symptoms enough to prevent them from interfering with your daily activit...

Surgery (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Surgery is not done for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)....

Other Treatment (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

A wide range of other therapies has been used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Treatment methods that help you better cope with stress can help reduce symptoms. Other Treatment Choices Fiber Increasing the amo...

Home Treatment (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

For most people who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), home treatment may be the best way to manage the symptoms. It is also helpful to learn all you can about IBS so you can effectively communicate concerns and questions to your doctor...

Treatment (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a long-term (chronic) but manageable condition. Treatment will depend on the types of symptoms you have and their severity, as well as how they affect your daily life, and will likely involve changes to your...

Diagnosis (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be diagnosed based on symptoms. In most cases, only minimal tests are needed. A health professional diagnoses IBS when a person has the typical symptoms of the disorder and, if needed, tests have ruled out oth...

Tests (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Irritable Bowel Syndrome 1. Could some other condition be causing my IBS symptoms? Make sure to ask about colon cancer. 2. Should I be keeping an...

Symptoms (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

An expert panel has outlined a list of symptoms common in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Doctors often use this list of symptoms, known as the Rome III criteria, to distinguish IBS from other intestinal problems. But people who don't hav...

Warning Signs (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Call your doctor or other health professional if: You have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and your symptoms become worse, begin to disrupt your activities, or do not respond as usual to your home tr...

Prevention (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

You cannot prevent irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). But proper self-care may help minimize symptoms and perhaps extend the time between episodes. This includes quitting smoking, avoiding caffeine and foods that make symptoms worse, and get...

What Happens (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may persist for a long time, but IBS does not cause cancer or shorten life expectancy. The pattern of IBS varies from one person to the next and from one bout to the next. Some people have sy...

Causes (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not known. But health experts believe faulty communication between the brain and the intestinal tract causes the symptoms of IBS. A complex combination of elements, including ps...

Are You at Risk? (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Between 7% and 10% of people in the world have irritable bowel syndrome.3 But most people with IBS don't see a doctor about their symptoms. IBS tends to be more common in: People in their la...

What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome? (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the intestines. It causes belly pain, cramping or bloating, and diarrhea or constipation. Irritable bowel syndrome is a ...