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IBS – Disease or Disorder?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or spastic colon, is a condition that impacts on the workings of the intestines. But what is it, is IBS disease or disorder.
IBS is considered a functional disorder of the bowels, which means that the condition effects the way the bowels work. It is not classified as a disease, and no physiological changes or damage occur to the bowels. It causes abnormal motor reflexes, and makes the intestines hypersensitive to stimuli.
Abnormality in bowel movement can cause a person to feel pain and discomfort, and other symptoms such as nausea, bloating and gassiness. Also, bouts of constipation and diarrhea can accompany the condition.
Hypersensitivity of the intestines can cause people with IBS to experience pain from normal contractions, which would generally be felt as mild sensations in a person who does not have IBS.
The threshold for intestinal pain for IBS sufferers seems lower than for people not suffering from IBS. This means that simple process of digestion and elimination may pose a problem for them.
Another reason for IBS is that unbeknown to sufferers they may have food intolerance. This could mean that certain foods have an adverse effect on bowel movements and intestinal contractions, which can trigger their symptoms or worsen them.
With this in mind, the type of food that a person includes in his or her diet is just as important as the type of food that they exclude from it.
If a person is lactose-intolerant, for example, they need to avoid diary products. Lactose intolerance is quite common, and many people have intolerance without knowing it. A simple test can be taken at most nutritionists to confirm if this is the case.
Another cause of IBS has been linked to a neurochemical imbalance. Many people do not realise that there are more nerve endings in the gut than there are in the spine – this has led some scientist to call it the second brain.
Communication between the gut and the brain and vice versa occurs through the nervous system, and there has been some suggestion that an imbalance between two main neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine may cause IBS symptoms.
When serotonin levels increase then the symptoms are likely to be diarrhea related, and conversely, when the levels of seratonin are reduced then constipation may occur.
IBS may be caused by a number of things, some of which are purely dietary in nature, while others are more systemic issues
If you can determine what causes your IBS symptoms, then you should be able to manage your IBS and its symptoms. Finding the triggers for IBS and eliminating, avoiding or restricting them can sometimes take some time.
It is useful to have a journal to write down notes about changes that have been made to diet and lifestyle to see what makes a difference for you. Relieving IBS, disease prevention and better self-awareness will be more readily attained.
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