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A Brief Overview of the Causes, Symptoms, and Remedies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is generally diagnosed if a person experiences pain in the stomach or abdomen, a bloated stomach, an increase in the frequency of bowel movements (diarrhea), or a decrease in frequency of bowel movements (constipation). Both children and adults experience this disorder. In the following sections, a brief overview of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been given.

A Brief Overview of the Causes, Symptoms, and Remedies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

What is irritable bowel syndrome?
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is classified as a condition that includes four types of sub-conditions:

  • Diarrhea predominant
  • Constipation predominant
  • Both diarrhea and constipation predominant: Alternates between the two or either of the two
  • Pain dominant: Which involves a bloated stomach, abdominal and stomach cramps, and pain

What causes irritable bowel syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome can be caused due to a number of factors. Some of the most common causal factors of irritable bowel syndrome include:

  • Viruses like the Norwalk virus, viral hepatitis, and cytomegalovirus can irritate your system. Children are mostly affected by a virus called as Rotavirus.
  • If you are lactose intolerant, consuming milk and dairy product is a bad idea. The sugar present in milk and dairy products is called lactose. This can cause irritable bowel syndrome if the enzyme that is needed to digest lactose is not produced in enough quantities.
  • Fructose is found in sugar and fruits and is added to a few beverages as a sweetener. If you are fructose intolerant, try and avoid foods that have fructose. People who can’t digest fructose easily might end up having a bloated stomach, cramps, constipation, or diarrhea.
  • Some medications, especially antibiotics, can cause irritable bowel syndrome. This is because antibiotics don’t just destroy bad bacteria; they end up destroying good bacteria sometimes as well. This disturbs the natural balance of bacteria in your stomach and intestines.
  • Consuming contaminated food and water can transmit bacteria and parasites in your body. Common bacteria that can cause an irritable bowel syndrome are campylobacter, salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Shigella. Parasites that commonly cause irritable bowel syndrome are cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia.
  • Artificial sweeteners like mannitol and sorbitol that are found in chewing gum and other sugar-free products can also cause diarrhea or constipation.
  • People who undergo surgery for the abdomen or gallbladder removal surgery might face issues that cause irritable bowel syndrome post this surgery.
  • Studies show that stress plays an important role and triggers irritable bowel syndrome. People who are stressed out are more likely to be victims of this syndrome as opposed to people who are less stressed.

Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome vary from person to person. However, some of the common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome include:
Bloating – A feeling of bloating in your abdomen or stomach is a common symptom of irritable bowel syndrome.
Constipation – You would tend to pass stools that are either too hard or lumpy and face a decrease in the frequency of bowel movements. However, when you have bowel movements, they tend to be usually painful and difficult.
Diarrhea – Diarrhea involves an increase in the frequency of bowel movements. A person suffering from diarrhea usually has loose or watery stools. Because of the increase in the amount of fluids being passed out of the body, the person would also feel dehydrated.

Most of the time, people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome experience extremely urgent, uncontrollable, difficult to pass, or uncomfortable bowel movements. A person would also observe clear or white mucus in the stool. However, in extreme cases, the stool is bloody.

The best home remedies for irritable bowel syndrome
Here’s a list of some of the best home remedies for irritable bowel syndrome that are inexpensive and easily available:

Fiber
Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, make sure you increase the amount of fiber intake in your diet. Fiber helps regulate metabolism and helps in bowel movements. It helps reduce constipation, but if you are suffering from gas and bloating, try to avoid fibers as it can increase bloating.

Avoid junk and problem foods
Junk foods like fries and chips can trigger irritable bowel syndrome. Avoid foods that have high-fat content, are greasy, processed, or too spicy. Cutting down on the junk food can be the best remedy for i rritable bowel syndrome.

Make sure you eat your meals at regular intervals
It is extremely important to eat your meals at regular intervals. Try not to skip meals or leave too much of a gap between each meal. If you are suffering from diarrhea, eat small and frequent meals. If you are constipated, eating large meals at regular intervals will be the best remedy for irritable bowel syndrome

Be careful when consuming laxatives and medications
Grabbing a few over-the-counter medications can be helpful in relieving irritable bowel syndrome; however, taking the wrong one can make this condition worse. Antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria but also kill good bacteria in your stomach and intestines, which in turn can disturb the balance in your stomach.

Keep a tab on your consumption of dairy products
Dairy products are known to trigger irritable bowel syndrome and eliminating the intake will be the best remedy for the irritable down syndrome. If you are lactose intolerant, ensure that you stay away from dairy products, as lactose is a sugar that is found in milk and all other dairy products.

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