IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome to give it it's full name, is a condition affecting the bowel and intestines that is said to affect around 1 in 5 people at some point in their life. It can be an extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing condition but although it cannot be cured completely, there are ways you can treat the disease.

Before I discuss the treatment options, let me first of all discuss the symptoms of IBS. They are generally wide-ranging and differ from patient to patient, but some of the common complaints are of abdominal pains, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, bloating, and uncomfortable bowel movements. Basically it's quite an uncomfortable condition to have because it can often lead to you having to make several trips to the toilet which can be quite painful due to your bowel becoming over-sensitive.

No-one really knows what causes irritable bowel syndrome but many medical professionals believe it is brought on by stress. Others think it is a result of an abnormal immune system. Whatever the cause may be, the severity of the condition can be eased considerably with the right treatment.

If you do have any of the symptoms previously mentioned, your doctor should be your first port of call. They will then examine you and give you a diagnosis, and if you do have IBS, they will advise you on what type of treatment you should consider. They will often start off by discussing your diet because by making certain changes to your dietary habits, you can go some way to reducing the severity of IBS, so things like drinking more water and increasing your daily intake of fibre will help in a lot of cases.

Your doctor may then give you specific treatments for your own particular condition. So for example, if you are suffering from diarrhoea then you may be prescribed anti-diarrheals and if you are suffering from constipation you may be prescribed laxatives. In addition you may be given medication to reduce the spasms in your bowel.

You may also be advised to take some kind of aloe vera product because aloe vera is excellent for boosting your immune system, which is argued by some to be a major contributing factor to IBS. If stress is a possible cause in your own case, then you may also be given anti-depressants and possibly advised to consider psychotherapy and hypnotherapy.

So overall although there is no outright cure for irritable bowel syndrome, there are many treatment options you can consider which will help to reduce the symptoms considerably. As a result you can start to live a normal and healthy life again.