It is important to ensure that IBS has been diagnosed by a medical doctor.

IBS symptoms are similar to some serious medical conditions so it is very important for your GP to rule these out before having treatment for IBS. Click for a list of IBS symptoms.

We have centres in Surrey, Kent, Nottingham, Dorset, Devon and Lincolnshire.

Repeated negative thoughts such as:- "What if I need the loo?"; "How will I manage in the meeting this morning?" etc. are common amongst IBS sufferers.

Our treatment encompasses dealing with these negative thoughts. Click to see our ibs treatments.

IBS affects the lifestyle of sufferers in various ways. Many people will avoid going out or travelling by public transport, just incase they need the toilet. They may not have had a holiday for many years. They might not be able to work or socialise. They might not go out for meals or drinks due to the worry about the affect it may have on their gut.

Often the patient will suffer from panic attacks, anxiety and stress.

There is also a correlation between anxiety and depression. Whether being anxious and having IBS causes depression, or whether depression causes anxiety and stress.

IBS is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder diagnosed by a medical doctor according to agreed medical criteria and the symptoms.

Treating IBS Symptoms

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Other names for IBS

Irritable colon.

Spastic colon.

Mucous colitis.

These names are misleading because IBS is not limited to the colon.

Your bowel, or gut, extends from your stomach to your anus. It is made up of the small intestine and the large intestine. Their job is to process food from the stomach.

The normal bowel moves food along the intestines through muscular contractions, known as propulsion. There are also areas of hold-up, known as segmentation.

This combination of propulsion and segmentation is called peristalsis. You are completely unaware of it when it is working normally.

The control of peristalsis is complex. The best way to regard IBS is as a loss of coordination of these muscular contractions.

In addition, there is evidence that people with irritable bowel syndrome have increased sensitivity within the gut to external stimuli such as stress. This means IBS is often the outcome of a complex interaction between psychological and physical factors.

A disorder of the digestive system can affect the gut anywhere from the mouth to the anus, which accounts for the diversity of symptoms seen in IBS. Click for a list of IBS symptoms.

The bowel and IBS facts

IBS Centre (UK)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Specialists