The Different Causes Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is also known as spastic colon in the medical world. It is a digestive tract disorder that is commonly characterized by lower abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating of the abdominal area, frequent need to relive your bowels and also constipation. These signs of irritable bowel syndrome often occur at the same time or a few at a time for some individuals.

There are ongoing studies and research regarding the causes of irritable bowel syndrome and how to treat the disorder. Despite having no definite causes of irritable bowel syndrome, researchers are making great progress and headway regarding ways to alleviate the symptoms.

Medical Theories About The Causes

Although the root cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not yet fully understood, researchers have narrowed it down to some theories that are entirely feasible. Some of the causes of irritable bowel syndrome are stress or anxiety ailments that can affect the movement of the colon, exposure to viral infections and sensitivity to certain foods and beverages.

Stress often triggers irritable bowel syndrome and may even be the basis of the term "butterflies in the stomach". Anxiety is one of the factors that cause stress that in turn can be the cause of irritable bowel syndrome. Having experienced a viral infection can also be one of the causes of irritable bowel syndrome. The exposure to an infection is the sort of trigger that makes the colon sensitive to changes in the immune system and food intake.

One of the more focused causes of irritable bowel syndrome is sensitivity to certain foods. There are actually no hard and fast rules regarding what kinds of foods to avoid but the more common foods that could be causes of irritable bowel syndrome are lactose based foods and beverages, fresh vegetables and fruits high in fiber, fatty or oily foods, coffee, solid chocolate, alcohol and many others. These are just some of the foods and beverages that an irritable bowel syndrome sufferer needs to avoid in order not to trigger frequent visits to the comfort room or bouts of stomach discomfort. These triggers can be completely different for each person.

The theories about the causes of irritable bowel syndrome have helped people deal with the disorder in a progressive way. A change in diet and the way we handle stress and anxiety can prove to be helpful in controlling irritable bowel syndrome. You may need to be diagnosed properly for the disorder since there are some other digestive tract disorders that have symptoms similar to those associated with irritable bowel syndrome.