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Are you looking for information and advice about irritable bowel syndrome? Do you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome? Would you like to understand more about the causes of irritable bowel syndrome? If you have answered yes to any of the above questions then this article could well be of interest to you.

IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is basically a common gut disorder which is not one of the major health conditions to worry about. Therefore if you are told that you have irritable bowel syndrome do not panic, it is not life threatening and cannot result in cancer or serious intestinal disease.

This may seem reassuring to people who suffer from this condition and to their friends and families but this does not mean everything, irritable bowel syndrome can be very uncomfortable and painful for those who have it. It can also be quite unpredictable as for many weeks the affects can be quite minimal but then people may have a short period of severe discomfort. This can be very stressful and worrying for people as it makes them wonder why it has suddenly become worse. Many negative thoughts can then go through our heads with our demons trying to make us believe that things are far worse than they actually are. In reality this period of severe pain is likely to pass within a few days but is unfortunately likely to return within a few weeks. As I said it can be an unpredictable and frustrating condition to have.

Irritable bowel syndrome can affect both men and women, young and old but is mainly prevelant in young women. It is quite a common condition with around twenty-five percent of people likely to suffer from it at some point in their life.

Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome:

- pain

- constipation

- diarrhoea

- abdominal bloating

- headaches

- bladder problems

- nausea

If you are in any doubt or think that you may have irritable bowel syndrome you should book yourself an appointment with your doctor straight away. Never think that you may be wasting their time, this is important and you need them to confirm it to you one way or the other.

Irritable bowel syndrome is thought to be caused from a combination of factors including stress, depression, hormonal factors, food allergies, overactivity in the gut and overactivity of nerves and muscles in the intestines.

Treatments for irritable bowel syndrome

Your doctor is the best person to advise you on potential treatments for your own individual condition but constipation and diarrhoea may be controlled via laxatives.