Have you ever experienced alternating constipation and diarrhea, abdominal bloating, excessive gas and pain, usually as a reaction to stress? Other general symptoms that may accompany include heartburn, fatigue, headache, faintness, back pain, palpitations, and weakness. If you find yourself nodding your head, join the estimated 20 million Americans who suffer from IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. What is it you ask? Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional motility illness of the small and large intestines, in the absence of true structural damage to the intestines.
The disorder does not usually lead to serious disease such as inflammatory bowel disease or malignancy (although there might be an association between IBS and the development of diverticulosis). Determination of aggravating factors can yield good results, where those stressors prove controllable.
Causative and aggravating factors surrounding the the disorder include diet, drugs, hormones or, especially, emotional stresses such as depression, hysteria, obsessive-compulsive traits, anxiety and resentment. Common psychosocial situations associated with IBS are marital discord, death of a loved one, worrying over children or job, or just excessive anxiety over everyday matters. IBS is a disease predominantly of women (3:1 to men), and the average age of onset is 20-40.
Some have suggested that aggressive toilet training in childhood may result in individuals who are narrow in outlook, punctual, fastidious, and who suffer from grievous bowel problems. Some probing questions to ask yourself are: “what’s eating you up inside?” and “what feelings are you swallowing and not expressing leading to gut-wrenching pain?” The answers to our questions validate our understanding that emotional stagnancy is one of the main causes of IBS.