IBS Myths

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – separating fact from fiction

I can diagnose IBS myself

NO YOU CAN’T. IT HAS TO BE DIAGNOSED BY A GP OR BY A BOWEL CONSULTANT.

IBS can lead to bowel cancer

NO IT CAN’T. THERE IS NO LINK WHATSOEVER. HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE A CANCER LINK BETWEEN POORLY MANAGED CROHN’S DISEASE AND ULCERATIVE COLITIS. CROHN’S AND COLITIS COMES UNDER THE CATEGORY OF ‘ORGANIC BOWEL DISEASE’, WHEREAS IBS COMES UNDER THE CATEGORY OF ‘FUNCTIONAL BOWEL DISEASE’, AND THAT MEANS THERE’S SOMETHING FUNCTIONALLY WRONG WITH THE BOWEL, BUT NOT NECESSARILY A DANGER TO HEALTH.

There is no treatment for IBS

YES THERE IS, BUT IT’S ACCESSING THE PROTOCOLS AND TREATMENTS THAT WORK. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS EASY, AND IT CAN TAKE MANY YEARS FOR MANY IBS SUFFERERS TO GET A CORRECT DIAGNOSIS.

IBS is caused by stress

NOT ALWAYS. THERE ARE MANY CAUSES. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO GET THE DIAGNOSIS CORRECT, AND MANY GPS DON’T KNOW HOW TO DIAGNOSE IBS CORRECTLY. GASTRO-ENTEROLOGISTS STRUGGLE TOO. HOWEVER, IT’S VITALLY IMPORTANT TO RULE OUT ANYTHING MORE SERIOUS CAUSING THE SYMPTOMS I.E. OVARIAN AND BOWEL CANCER, SO TESTS THROUGH YOUR GP AND THE HOSPITAL ARE SOMETIMES NECESSARY.

ONCE YOU GET THE DIAGNOSIS CORRECT, CORRECTING THE IMBALANCE AND DEFICINCIES WITHIN THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM/GUT CAN CORRECT MANY OF THE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF IBS. WE WOULD EVEN GO AS FAR TO SAY CURE IBS.

Only women get IBS

NOT TRUE. MEN GET IT TOO, BUT THEY DON’T LIKE TALKING ABOUT IT.

Eating fibre will cure IBS

NO IT WON’T. IF YOU HAVE IBS (C), THE CONSTIPATION TYPE OF IBS, EATING TOO MUCH FIBRE MAY MAKE IT WORSE, AND MAKE YOU MORE CONSTIPATED.

IBS is all in your head.

NO IT ISN’T. THERE CAN BE MANY CAUSES OF IBS. WHETHER IT’S A ‘MECHANICAL’ PROBLEM LIKE A ‘LAZY’ BOWEL, ‘CHEMICAL’ SUCH AS AN IMBALANCE IN THE GUT BACTERIA, OVERGROWTH OF FUNGAL YEASTS IN THE GUT, OR PSYCHOLOGICAL SUCH AS EXCESSIVE, PROLONGED STRESS, THE SYMPTOMS ARE VERY REAL TO YOU!