The IBS Clinic
One in ten people visiting their GP will have some sort of bowel problem. When serious conditions are excluded the patient may be left with a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). However GPs can be limited in the solutions they provide and often the symptoms remain. Seeing a nutritionist may help you find out what is causing the symptoms and help you to get better.
What is IBS?
IBS is an 'umbrella' for a variety of bowel symptoms. These may include: constipation, bloating, gas, diarrhoea, nausea, and stomach cramps. It is one of the most common complaints seen by doctors and can range from a minor problem to a debilitating condition that can affect the quality of a person's life. The term IBS in essence doesn't actually help as IBS itself is caused by various problems. In finding out what is causing the IBS, the patient then may start to feel better.
I think I have IBS - what should I do?
If you have bowel symptoms, firstly go and see your GP to rule out any more serious conditions. You may be referred to a gastroenterologist who can run further tests; these may include blood and stool tests, scans and a colonoscopy (a camera used to look at the inside of your bowel). If your results come back negative, you may then be diagnosed with IBS. If this is the case your GP may offer you medication like peppermint capsules or anti spasmodic drugs like Buscopan. These may go some way to ease symptoms but the condition is often still there.
How can a nutritionist help?
Firstly we are not only here to help the symptoms but also to find the underlying cause of the problem. A nutritionist will look at your diet and bowel in far greater detail.You will be asked to write a weeks food diary before the consultation and the nutritionist will go through your diet and lifestyle rigorously to look for clues as to why you are ill. The stool tests we use look at the microbiology of the bowel in more detail. This may include: levels of good bacteria, yeast infections and undiagnosed parasites. Often it will be a combination of a few things that are causing the symptoms and identifying these causes will help speed recovery.
For more information about the tests offered, please click here.