Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Symptoms of IBS.

March 5th, 2007

Symptoms of IBS.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a collection of symptoms. These symptoms are abdominal pain, alteration of bowel habit, and change of bowel form. These symptoms vary and there are times when they are really severe and times of remission when the symptoms completely disappear or are more manageable.

Bloatedness is a common symptom of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and IBS sufferers tend to wear loose clothing to compensate. Rumbling tummy and wind are also features of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Some IBS sufferers feel they are passing more wind than normal. The fact is than the average person passes wind 17 times a day. The difference is that they do not notice it while Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers do.

Urgency and incontinence are symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Up to sixteen percent of sufferers have had incontinence at least once in their lives.
Other symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are a sensation of incomplete emptying of the bowel, low rectal pain and nausea and vomiting.

Dr. Phil Hariram
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Guide.

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    Irritable Bowel Syndrome: What is IBS? 2

    March 4th, 2007

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a collection of symptoms related to the gut. It is a chronic condition. We are told it is functional. In other words there is no abnormality on examination or on further investigations.

    The symptoms that you have with Irritable Bowel Syndrome develop even though there is no specific disease process in the large gut.
    If you ask the question, “What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?” you are likely to be told that it a common gastro-intestinal condition with no specific cause and there is no cure. The symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, bloating and mucus in stools.

    If tests show any real abnormality, then the diagnosis is not Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is a chronic condition. In other words it goes on and on. Go to a forum on line and you will read posts from people who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome for twenty or thirty years.
    The global figure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome is as high as 20%. The true figure for various reasons is not known. A large percent do not see a doctor until they have very troublesome symptoms. Others avoid a doctor’s visit through embarrassment or expected intrusive tests. Some do not come forwards for religious reasons and in some countries frequent bowel movement are not unacceptable.

    If you ask the question “What is IBS?” you are likely to get a reasonably accurate answer but if you ask “What is the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome?” the answers you get will disappoint you.
    Sadly this is the conundrum called Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
    Dr. Phil Hariram
    Http://www.healingibs.com.
    Irritable Bowel Syndrome Guide.

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    Irritable Bowel Syndrome: What is IBS 1

    March 3rd, 2007

    What is IBS?

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an illness with a collection of symptoms, the most common of these is abdominal pain. This pain is not clearly understood. Experts have difficulty explaining what exactly this pain is.

    What we do know is that it can vary in intensity from mild to extremely severe. Sometimes the pain can be so severe you could pass out.

    This pain can be general i.e. the pain is throughout the abdomen but can be at different areas of the abdomen at different times. Most Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients experience pains in the lower abdomen but some also experience it in the upper abdomen.

    On the odd occasion the pain can be very severe and long lasting. Some of these patients are admitted into hospital with an “Acute Abdomen”, only to be discharged later when the pain miraculously disappears.

    The pains of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is associated with defaecation, bloating and incomplete emptying. If you have abdominal pain and no other symptoms and you are told you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, you have every right to question the diagnosis. Remember that IBS is a syndrome and a syndrome is a collection of symptoms.

    The pain can be very low down in the rectum. Fortunately this pain does not last very long and in most people go away in less than five minutes. This is called Proctalgia frugax. And is not limited to just Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

    Like most of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the cause of Proctalgia frugax is unknown.

    Dr.Phil Hariram

    www.healingibs.com

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome guide.

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    Irritable Bowel Syndrome: What is IBS?

    March 2nd, 2007

    A distressed and disillusioned patient of mine suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. She had seen a specialist and when told she had Irritable Bowel Syndrome, she asked “What is IBS?” The consultant told her “It is a functional condition. We do not know what causes it but it is very common. See that nurse over there. She has IBS. She gets on with her life. That is what you have to do. Get on with your life. There is no cure. Learn to live with it. And reduce stress.”

    Here is part of her story.

    Before I leave home to go to work, I open my bowels at least 3 times, sometimes a lot more. Sometimes I am late because I wait until I am sure it is safe to leave home.

    I get regular tummy pains more often a dull ache but when it is really severe, it exhausts me and often I take time off work to recover because it leaves me so debilitated.

    One of my big problem is bloating. I wake up in the morning and I am fine. A really flat tummy but by lunch time my belly balloons out. People look at me strangely. One new member of staff asked me “When is the big day?” She thought I was pregnant.

    There are the odd times when I become really constipated. This make me feel really tired and terrible.

    My friend has Irritable Bowel Syndrome as well but her main complaint is a loud rumbling tummy.

    I would happily swap one of my IBS symptoms for her rumbling tummy. After all a rumbling tummy is only just embarrassing.”

    Dr.Phil Hariram

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome Guide.
    Healingibs.com

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    Irritable Bowel Syndrome: The Burden of IBS.

    March 1st, 2007


    The burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is great on the sufferer but because of the high percentage of Irritable Bowel Syndrome globally, the health professionals and the Health Providers also carry the heavy burden of IBS.

    In the UK, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is the most common gastro-intestinal condition seen by GPs and specialists. Consultants see 1.1 million patients annually. The annual cost of Irritable Bowel Syndrome to the NHS is £45 million.

    Here are some statistics on Irritable Bowel Syndrome from the American Journal of Managed Care from an article written by Cash, Sullivan & Barholt.

    Even though Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects millions, only 25% of Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers seek medical treatment

    In a Real World Survey, 42% of Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients had symptoms for 10 years before seeking medical treatment.

    Given that there is no cure and the high prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the potential for financial burden is great.

    A survey of 5430 persons in USA found that Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients miss an average 13.4 days of work or school a year compared with 4.9 for others without Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

    Direct cost of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (physicians visit, hospital care, tests etc) is estimated at $10 billion. The indirect cost (lost productivity) of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is estimated at $20 billion. In view of the amount of Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients who seek help or admit to their illness, the indirect cost of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is likely to be significantly higher.

    Cost of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is greater than Asthma and migraine and cost of IBS compares well with hypertension and heart failure.

    According to the American Gastroenterology Association, patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome made 3.65 million visits to physicians.

    A survey of 657 members of the Intestinal Disease Foundation found that Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients spend on average $288 on over the counter and alternative treatments in the three months before the IBS survey.

    In 1992, Irritable Bowel Syndrome was the second leading cause behind the common cold for absenteeism at work.

    The burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is enormous for the sufferers, the health service and industry. And Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a condition that no one knows the true cause and what cures it. The only thing the medical profession is certain about is that Irritable Bowel Syndrome does not directly cause any long term harm or lead to any serious illness.
    Dr.Phil Hariram
    Irritable Bowel Syndrome Guide.
    Healingibs.com

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    Irritable Bowel Syndrome Guide: The Brain-Gut Axis.

    February 28th, 2007

    The gut has its own network nervous system. It is called the Enteric Nervous System. It has more nerve cells than the Spinal Cord. The Enteric Nervous System is connected to the Brain via the Vagus nerve which is the tenth cranial nerve.

    This interconnection is part of the Brain-Gut Axis and through this Axis, events in the gut can be linked directly to Brain activity.

    We know that anxiety, stress and depression have specific effects on the gut. Anxiety and stress can cause diarrhoea and depression can lead to constipation.

    With no specific physical abnormality in sufferers with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, research is increasingly directed to the Body-Mind aspect of IBS. In Irritable Bowel Syndrome the Brain-Gut axis is faulty and to regain control of IBS it needs adjusting.

    The effects of the brain function on the gut has been well documented but recent development in Brain Scans and Monitors have demonstrated that the Mid-Cingulate part of the brain Cortex is stimulated during emotional distress.

    Under observation, when this part of the brain is in overdrive or being over stimulated during stress, gastro-intestinal effects develop. Patients develop spasms of abdominal pain and/or diarrhoea.

    This explains why stress is an important trigger of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and by reducing stress you are helping to control your Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

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    Irritable Bowel Syndrome: First Post.

    February 27th, 2007

    If you ever find yourself driving through a dense forest and you are on the only road through, and you are not sure where it is taking you, then you may have an idea of the concerns Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers confront each and every day.

    As you drive along, you phone familiar people who should know the way but they are not sure. The Sat Nav says you are on the right road but a week ago it led you to a dead end.

    You know where you want to be but you feel you may bypass your target.

    What is beyond the bend ahead? In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, no one knows. The road ahead may be smooth and straight and the shortest distance to your destination. On the other hand it could be bumpy, tortuous and lead you away from your end point.

    Hello! My name is Phil Hariram. I am a retired General Practitioner. I have spent over 27 years treating patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I have used conventional medicine, alternative therapy, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and acupuncture to treat IBS.

    My views on Irritable Bowel Syndrome are not shared by the rest of the medical profession. Using hypnotherapy for treatment of various illnesses gave me an insight into the real problem that confronts IBS sufferers.

    In this blog I will address all sides of the problem. I will outline the safe knowledge but importantly I will introduce ideas to challenge the conventional basis of why Irritable Bowel Syndrome is such a heavy burden to the sufferer, the health professionals and the health providers.

    Either way I plan to make this blog interesting, fun and an invaluable resource for you.

    Dr.Phil Hariram.

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome Guide.

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