If you experience unexplained gas, diarrhea, constipation, bloating or abdominal pain when your diet changes or stressful situations occur, you may suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS. Although symptoms are likely to vary from one patient to another and there is no cure for IBS. Yet, there are numerous treatment options that can help you live a normal life.  Unfortunately, medical science has not yet found what causes the illness, but it is clear that stress and abrupt dietary changes can trigger episodes. 

As always, consuming the recommended amount of water and exercising regularly are good choices that can help you become and stay healthy.

It Is Easier To Prevent Symptoms Than It Is To Treat Them

One of the first treatments of IBS includes removing foods and beverages that are known to cause gas or that are challenging to digest. Those eliminated items include any carbonated drinks, raw fruits and vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and beans.

In order to determine which foods cause a problem for you, it is often helpful to remove them all through an elimination diet and then to re-introduce them one at a time.  Another helpful idea for some patients is the removal of any foods that contain gluten. However, this idea has not yet been verified and is seen as controversial by some physicians, so it is crucial to verify with your doctor whether avoiding gluten is helpful. 

When Preventing An IBS flareup Doesn't Work And You Experience Constipation

It is interesting to note that although removing high-fiber fruits and vegetables can prevent IBS symptoms for some people, the lack of fiber can also cause problems for others. If that occurs, your doctor may suggest slowly introducing fiber supplements into your diet. Doing so can allow your digestive tract to work better and therefore, prevent the diarrhea  and constipation

The most important thing to remember when using a fiber supplement is that a little of it can go a long way. If you start with too high of a dose, you may note that you feel constipated or bloating soon after. 

When IBS Rebounds And You Spend Too Much Time In The Bathroom 

As an IBS sufferer, you probably know about the various diarrhea treatments that are available over the counter. However, with IBS, it is first necessary to determine the line between preventing diarrhea and causing constipation. 

As a result, it will be helpful to start with the minimum dose of medication for diarrhea and then observe changes for at least a day or two. If the low dose does not work, your physician may suggest upping the dose, but increasing it too early can make the symptoms worse.

In conclusion, at least 25 million people in the United States experience IBS. If dietary changes and the use of over the counter medications do not provide adequate relief, it is time to discuss with your physician more sophisticated treatment options. 

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