berkshire seagull
New member
You can't beat a bit of banter and this is why nsc is great and to ignore scott is just stupid,so do you want our site to be like readings with no other fans on there but readings.




scott said:OOOOHH THAT HURTS![]()
scott said:vale on sky, who will watch us go back to the top (our rightful place before your game on saturday![]()
Early Doors said:IRRITABLE BOWEL
This is perhaps the most common disease affecting the GI tract. It is estimated that 30 to 50 million people may suffer from this problem at some time in their life. Approximately 20 to 40 percent of all visits to gastroenterologists are due to IBS symptoms. IBS symptoms affects men and women of all ages and of all races. IBS affects 14-24% of women and 5-19% of men. The most common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are:
Chronic abdominal pain and cramping
Relief of abdominal pain with defecation
Looser stools with the onset of pain
More frequent bowel movements at onset of pain
Abdominal bloating and/or distention
Feelings of incomplete evacuation after moving one¹s bowels
Passage of mucus from the rectum.
Since many other gastrointestinal diseases can present with similar symptoms, a diagnosis of IBS should only be made in the right clinical setting.
Many people with IBS report that their symptoms began during periods of major life stressors such as a death of a loved one, divorce or school exams. Many patients also report the onset of symptoms during or shortly after recovering from a gastrointestinal infection or abdominal surgeries. Symptoms of IBS have also been known to appear after eating certain foods to which an individual might be sensitive. The type of food which causes symptoms varies with the individual. (e.g., there is no one universal food that is known to trigger IBS.) Similarly, a flare of symptoms in a patient with long-standing IBS may be triggered by all of the symptoms listed above, or for no apparent reason.
The cause of IBS is not known, though recent studies have shown that approaching the problem from both a physiological and psychological perspective works best in treating the problem. Treatment therefore consists of lifestyle changes, pharmacological treatment, and psychological treatment, depending on how troublesome this disease effects the patient.
In addition to lifestyle and psychological treatment (e.g., counseling, biofeedback, etc.), medication treatment can be quite helpful. One of the first medications used for IBS is usually fiber. As noted above, fiber is the non-digested part of plant food and adds bulk to the stools by absorbing water. Fiber increases the transit time of the colon and decrease the pressures within the colon. Despite its common use by the medical community, the role of fiber in the treatment of IBS has not been well established in clinical studies. One study showed that the response to bran in terms of daily stool weight, bowel frequency and symptoms was determined more by pre-existing psychometric variables such as anxiety and depression that the amount or nature of the bulking agent administered.
Fiber can be added to the diet through the eating of more fiber-rich foods (e.g., vegetables), or by taking fiber supplements (common brands are Metamucil, Citrucel, and FiberCon).
Other common medications prescribed by physicians to treat IBS are anti-spasmodics that help slow the gut and prevent cramping (e.g., Levsin and Bentyl), antacids/antigas medications (e.g., Simethicone), and anti-diarrheal medications (e.g., loperimide (Immodium)). Be sure to consult your physician before taking these medications to treat what you believe to be IBS since you may have another problem whose symptoms will be masked by using one of these drugs.