|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wood |
Fire |
Earth |
Metal |
Water |
IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome
What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder in the intestines. Some of the causes are stomach pain, cramping or bloating, and diarrhea or constipation.
What are the symptoms of IBS?
Symptoms of IBS can vary from person to person. The most common symptoms are abdominal pain, bloating, and discomfort. Some people with IBS experience diarrhea while others may alternate between constipation and diarrhea.
What causes IBS?
It's not known exactly what causes irritable bowel syndrome.
Among the many theories the possibility that the large intestine is sensitive and reactive to certain foods and stress. The immune system, which fights infection, may also be involved. the muscles of the colon do not contract the right way, the contents inside the colon do not move correctly, resulting in abdominal pain, cramps, constipation, a sense of incomplete stool movement, or diarrhea. There are many more possible causes being researched every day.
How is IBS diagnosed?
The symptoms of IBS are different and inconsistent among patients. Moreover, there are no characteristically abnormal tests that can be used to diagnose IBS. All of this has made it difficult to define IBS and identify patients, especially for research studies
How is IBS Treated?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) does not have a magic pill cure. IBS
treatment sometimes requires a broad changes to your current lifestyle. approach
is often called for, including having a good working relationship with your
physician, the possible use of prescription medicine (for diarrhea or
constipation) and over-the-counter (OTC) remedies, nutritional and lifestyle
changes, and in some cases, psychotherapy. Working with your physician, and with
a little trial and error, you can find your own pathway for treating your IBS.
As you try to find your way, be reassured that although IBS can be detrimental
to your quality of life, it is not detrimental to your overall health or life
expectancy.
Acupuncture and IBS
While IBS does not seem to get the attention of other more commonly know illness, it effects millions of people each year. Research on IBS is difficult because of the diversity of symptoms. There has been one well documented study of acupuncture with IBS which included used three groups. One group was treated using specific points associated with the common symptoms associated with IBS. The second group was treated with acupuncture, but the points were randomly selected. The third group was a wait list control group. The interesting finding was the first two group showed and significant improvement over the wait list group, but the first group showed only a minor statistical improvement over the second. While the study was inconclusive for measuring the use of acupuncture with IBS, it did show further studies using acupuncture were clearly warranted. Recently, smaller group studies have been performed witch have showed more positive results with the various symptoms of IBS.