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Exercise seems to play a very important role in the management of irritable bowel syndrome. Patients who engage in regular physical activity tend to have improvement in their IBS symptoms. Other things such as meditation, yoga, Tai-chi, mindful-type stuff seems to help very much with the symptoms as well.
Exercise seems to play a very important role in the management of irritable bowel syndrome. Patients who engage in regular physical activity tend to have improvement in their IBS symptoms. Other things such as meditation, yoga, Tai-chi, mindful-type stuff seems to help very much with the symptoms as well.
Food is paramount. Diet and food are paramount in irritable bowel syndrome. There's been a lot of research that has shown that certain foods cause symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome to be accentuated. For example, one of the main diets in irritable bowel syndrome is a Low-FODMAP Diet - so foods that are highly fermentable are avoided. Specifically: dairy, gluten, certain forms of raw fruits and vegetables such as avocados, peaches, pears, vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, beans, artificial sweeteners, and a whole host of foods that have been shown to be highly fermentable and to cause the symptoms of bloating and gas, cramping and/or diarrhea. Food plays a very, very instrumental role in the management of patients with IBS. In fact, if you have a mild form of IBS, you may even be able to control your symptoms strictly in large part just with dietary modifications. Patients on the FODMAP diet are allowed to have alcohol, but we ask them to have it in moderation.
Diet is very important in irritable bowel syndrome. We recommend a Low-FODMAP diet. Foods that are low in dairy, gluten, certain highly fermentable foods and vegetables, artificial sweeteners, and we ask patients to avoid those types of foods. It has a tremendous impact on their symptoms.
In irritable bowel syndrome (because it is a syndrome of symptoms) you typically don't get the serious complications one sees in other digestive disorders. However, it can be very frustrating. It can have significant effects on your quality of life and have significant impact on your relationships. It can affect people in many different ways from the quality of life, from their social interactions, from work-related limitations. From that standpoint, yes - if you call them complications, it can definitely have an impact on one's life. But it typically does not lead to hospitalization. It typically does not lead to a requirement for surgery, strong medications. Irritable bowel syndrome can have a significant impact on people's quality of life - their social interactions, their performance at school or at work - however, it doesn't typically lead to serious health complications. Because it is a constellation of symptoms, patients typically are not hospitalized for this and they don't require surgery or very strong medications for irritable bowel syndrome.
Prognosis for IBS is very good. Patients can have a short duration of symptoms and then be fine for many, many years. Then, there are those patients who have mild symptoms and then they're better for a long time and then they get symptoms again. It's really, really variable. Untreated irritable bowel syndrome can affect quality of life in many people and it can be one of the main causes of missed work. So it's very important that if you have irritable bowel syndrome - find a doctor, find a specialist, get treated because you can lead a very, very normal life with irritable bowel syndrome with all the new advances in the field.
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