IBS Discussion and Symptoms

Dr. William Chey reported that different FODMAP's exert different effects in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. He went on to say that the low FODMAP diet should not be viewed as a healthy diet for people without IBS symptoms. Dr. Chey stresses the importance that the low FODMAP diet is a 3 phase not a 1 phase diet. 1 phase implies that it is an elimination diet, which it is not. The 3 stages are Elimination -> Reintroduction -> Maintenance. 63-80% of IBS patients have TRP channel sensitization. TRP channels, in simple terms, modulate ion entry driving forces and Ca2+ and Mg2+ transport machinery in the plasma membrane of cells. The comm…

The ROME IV diagnostic criteria, developed by the ROME Foundation - an independent organization that provides support for activities designed to create scientific data and educational information to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of IBS, amongst others, was introduced over the last year. It supersedes ROME III as a criteria that doctors use to diagnose IBS. ROME IV so dramatically differs from ROME III that the number of individuals with IBS has gone down because of the new criteria. This has been changed in the symptom frequency, eliminated “discomfort” term and modified the term “improvement” to “related to defecation” which includes patients with pain worsening …

Saturday, May 6, 2017 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Heart Rate and gastrointestinal symptoms in females with IBS-constipation aim is to reduce gastrointestinal symptoms immediately and with follow-up during therapy - data was collected at 8, 16 and 24 weeks. Data showed a change in symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress versus control group as measured by HRV (interval between heartbeats) - supports the use of CBT in IBS patients for helping to control symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress Microbiota DNA markers may have been found which will aid physicians and dietitians to determine which patients may r…

IBS Patient attended Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2017 held in Chicago this year from May 6-May 9. DDW is the foremost gastrointestinal event in the world, http://www.ddw.org. We were the only Irritable Bowel Syndrome patient group that attended DDW specifically for IBS research and on behalf of patients. We have highlighted the reports from each day in the following postings. Saturday May 6, 2017 Sunday May 7, 2017 Monday May 8, 2017 part 1 Monday May 8, 2017 part 2 Tuesday May 9, 2017 We encourage our website visitors to ask questions if you require further explanation.

That there are good days and bad days. Your symptoms are unique to you.

I spent four days in Chicago at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) over the last week and learned a great deal about recent research related to IBS and other gastrointestinal disorders. I will summarize the highlights of the conference shortly. Stay tuned! P.S. I was the ONLY IBS Patient Advocate at this 14,000+ doctor medical conference.

Super excited to be reporting on the proceedings & representing IBS Patients at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in Chicago. 1 week to go! Follow me here on our website, on Twitter @ibspatient, and on our Fb page. Do you have any questions that you would like me to ask doctors, researchers or pharmaceuticals at the conference? Please add them here.

Does an annual influenza (flu) shot have any positive, negative or no affect on your IBS symptoms?

Typically a patient's bill of rights guarantees patients information, fair treatment, and autonomy over medical decisions, among other rights. Does anyone know if one exists specifically for IBS Patients? If not, what should be included as a right for patients?

April is IBS Awareness Month, a time to both raise awareness as to what it is like to live with IBS and a time for those who think they have IBS to seek a diagnosis and discuss treatment options with their physician. Many treatment options are available. You do not have to suffer silently alone. For IBS Awareness Month, IBS Patient is sharing their smartphone Restroom Access Card which can be used in the event that you need immediate access to a restroom. We support the initiative by Allyson Bain to make it easier for suffers to gain access to a restroom, via The Restroom Access Act. Follow these instructions to use the smart card on your smartphone: 1. O…

EXPRESS YOURSELF If you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a chronic condition characterized by recurring abdominal pain and a change in bowel habits (diarrhea or constipation), you’ve possibly felt frustrated or fed up at times.1 IBS symptoms can also be embarrassing, making it difficult to discuss with others — even your own doctor. To help you convey to your physician and loved ones how IBS is impacting your life, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), in a collaboration with Allergan and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has created Picture My IBS, an initiative where you can share your feelings and IBS journey through art. Picture My IBS aims to he…

Catching up on TV today I ran into an old research study that was presented in 2010 about the Placebo Effect and IBS. This was on CBS Sunday morning as their feature story on October 9. While I was disappointed that some viewers might get the wrong idea about IBS that it can be simply managed by fooling a patient into believing that a placebo medicine might work like an evidenced based one, I'm curious to know of anyone who might have been involved in this study. It's been widely stated for many years that IBS Patients have a higher than usual placebo response, yet there has never been any research that I am aware of, to explain why this is the case. Placeb…