Because IBS has been conventionally defined not by what it is, but by what it is not, successfully discovering its cause has been impossible, because the cause was thought to be unknown. It’s really been nothing more than a guessing game, and you get to be the guinea pig. Fortunately that has now all changed.
Now we can define the cause of your IBS, and therefore treat it. IBS symptoms are almost always caused by either food allergies, bacterial imbalances, yeast, or parasites. If you want to learn more about these topics and how they relate to IBS, then this website is for you. You may also refer to the book, The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution.
Two kinds of tests are recommended for nearly all IBS patient– food allergy testing, which is a blood test; and testing for bacteria, yeast, and parasites, which is done by stool testing. Problems in any of these areas can alone cause IBS, but it is very common to have a combination of both a food allergy and a microbial issue. There are other causes, of course. But these tests capture the primary causes for the majority of patients and are therefore a great place to start.
These blood and stool tests provide an easy way to get a lot of information about the patient. These tests are available, reasonably straightforward, and affordable, especially when you consider the benefit of having better health for the rest of your life. There is no need to continue wondering, guessing what is wrong and blindly spending money trying to find something that will help you.
You can know what is causing your IBS and you can do something that will end your IBS for good.
For more information on testing for IBS, contact our office at info@IBSTreatmentCenter.com.
Dr. Wangen is the founder and medical director of the IBS Treatment Center, the award winning author of two books, and a nationally recognized speaker on digestive disorders. He has been on ABC, NBC, and Fox as well as public radio, and was named one of Seattle’s Top Doctors by Seattle Magazine.