Irritable Bowel Syndrome Intro

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS, is a disease that affects 15-20% of the American population and yet remains untreated in 70% of the people who suffer from it.

Due to the vast number of its victims, I became interested in finding out what exactly the disease is about. Primarily - what are its symptoms, what causes it, and how can it be cured or treated?

A Quick Definition of the Disease:

IBS is defined as a "Functional Disorder," in which the body's normal activities become impaired. Practically speaking, anyone who suffers from an extended bout of constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating and or incomplete bowel movements may be suffering from IBS. The specific cause of the disease, although often attributed to stress, remains unidentified.

One of the first things I quickly began to realize about IBS can best be summarized in a brief, yet all revealing quote by one of the gastroenterologists I spoke to at Beth El Hospital in downtown Manhattan.

He described IBS to me like this:

"IBS is referred to by us medical practitioners as the Brown Bag Disease - thedumping ground (no pun intended!) for a host of stomach ailments that seem to fall under no particular diagnosis."

Now if you're thinking to yourself that such a diagnosis seems rather vague - well, let me tell you, the research conducted regarding its treatment is just as ‘definitive' as the diagnosis (i.e., it's not!).

While researchers are still plugging away at discovering exactly what causes the disease and how it can be cured, I've done my best to compose a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide of IBS treatment options.

Due to the wealth of treatment options available, I've divided my guide into two parts: medical methods of treatment, and alternative healing methods. This guide is meant to provide you with all the various treatment options, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as which methods appear to work best.