Irritable Bowel Syndrome

There is no doubt about it, speak to any IBS sufferer and it is clear that IBS impacts their quality of life significantly.

It affects sleep, mood, health and vitality, social life and work productivity.

Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common gastrointestinal disorder in western countries. It was first described in literature in 1892 by a physician named William Osler. He called it mucous colitis, a condition characterised by abdominal pain with normal colonic epithelium, alongside hysteria or depression.


Today we consider IBS a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder, characterised by altered bowel habit and abdominal pain.

The presentation of IBS can be further subdivided into constipation predominant (C-IBS), diarrhoea predominant (D-IBS), mixed or alternating diarrhoea/constipation (M-IBS), or unsubtyped IBS.

Because the cause of IBS is still unclear, diagnosis occurs through exclusion of other gastrointestinal pathology. That is, a clinician diagnoses IBS where there is presence of symptoms such as abdominal pain, a change in stool frequency and appearance, and improvement with defecation (with signs and symptoms present for at least three days per month for the past three months or more) yet there is no obvious cause.

Whilst the cause of IBS is somewhat unclear, we do know that individuals with IBS have:

• enhanced gastrointestinal sensation compared to controls -mild chronic mucosal inflammation 
• altered gastrointestinal motility with impaired transit of intestinal gas 
• dysbiosis, and -food allergies and intolerances
• greater incidence of SIBO.

Risk factors for IBS onset include:

• family history of IBS 
• history of acute gastrointestinal infections 
• antibiotic use 
• traumatic life event 
• presence of chronic mood disorders such as panic, anxiety and depression. 

 It is important to note that if you have symptoms such as blood in your stool, weight loss, fever, a family history of colon cancer, or if there is any substantial change in bowel habit (especially if you are over 45 years old) then you should consult your GP immediately for further testing.

The good news is that there is much that one can do to manage IBS. It's not as simple as taking a pill and all is well, but then rarely is that ever the case.

In my Naturopathic Clinic, treatment first involves taking a thorough case history (lots of questions).

Functional pathology is usually required to test for the presence of SIBO, dysbiosis, parasites, bacterial infection, food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities.

Once we know what we are dealing with, I am able to put together an individualised treatment program using herbal medicine, lifestyle advice, food as medicine, vitamins and mineral therapy.

Chronic health conditions are tough. They tend to be physically, emotionally and financially draining. However, learning to manage IBS with a health professional such as me guiding you, can be an empowering experience as you learn to be the captain of your own body and health.

Further Reading

• Agarwal, N. and B. M. R. Spiegel (2011). "The Effect of Irritable Bowel Syndrome on Health-Related Quality of Life and Health Care Expenditures." Gastroenterology Clinics of North America 40(1): 11-19. 
• Atkinson, W., T. A. Sheldon, et al. (2004). "Food elimination based on IgG antibodies in irritable bowel syndrome: a randomised controlled trial." Gut 53(10): 1459-1464.
• Balsari, A., A. Ceccarelli, et al. (1982). "The faecal microbial population in the irritable bowel syndrome." Microbiologica 5: 185-194. 
• Bennett, E. J., C. C. Tennant, et al. (1998). "Level of chronic stress predicts clinical outcome in irritable bowel syndrome." Gut 43: 256-261. 
• Bercik, P., E. F. Verdu, et al. (2005). "Is irritable bowel syndrome a low-grade inflammatory bowel disease?" Gastroenterology Clinics of North America 34: 235-245. Coulie, B. (2001). "Role of GI motor abnormalities in irritable bowel syndrome." Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica LXIV: 276-280. 
• Daley, A. J., C. Grimmett, et al. (2008). "The effects of exercise upon symptoms and quality of life in patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome: a randomised controlled trial." International Journal of Sports Medicine 29: 778-782. Delvaux, M. (2002). "Role of visceral sensitivity in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome." Gut 51(suppl 1): i67-i71.
• Gwee, K. A., J. C. Graham, et al. (1999). "The role of psychological and biological factors in post infective gut dysfunction." Gut 44: 400-406. 
• Hammer, J. and N. J. Talley (1999). "Diagnostic criteria for the irritable bowel syndrome." American Journal of Medicine 107(5A): 5S-11S. Mayer, E. A. (1999). "Emerging disease model for functional gastrointestinal disorders." American Journal of Medicine 107(5A): 12S-19S.