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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

If you are like many of the approximately 50 Million Americans with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you probably have a lot of questions. Knowing that IBS is a common medical disorder an be a great relief .

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common disorder of the digestive tract that causes:

-abdominal pain
-urgency
-repeated diarrhea or constipation
-gas
-bloating

IBS is an ongoing problem with repeated flare-ups. IBS…

-has no cure
-is not fatal and doesn’t cause cancer
-is a real disorder
-is manageable

IBS is often called a “functional disorder” because there is no sign of injury or disease in the colon. Other names used to describe IBS include:

-nervous stomach
-spastic colon
-spastic bowel
-irritable colon
-functional bowel disease

Who gets IBS?
Anyone can suffer from IBS; however, in the U.S., symptoms are experienced:

-in women more often than men
-before the age of 35 in over half of all sufferers
-in as much as 20% of the population or 1 in 5 people