What is IBS?

[Meersbrook]

It seems that most people with bowel mucus have IBS. I don't have indigestion or pain but occasionally I have the mucus with lots of wind. After doing some research I've discovered that certain foods trigger it. Might this be IBS or intolerance to certain foods? Or is that what IBS actually is?

[Hidden]

IBS isn't really an illness in itself. It's a set of symptoms which victims experience either wholly or in part, and in varying degrees of intensity. When the causes of these cannot be identified by medical professionals, they give you the throwaway label of IBS. It's a real Cinderella illness and I heard on the BBC recently that it's now reached epidemic proportions.

Most people (though certainly not all) with IBS certainly benefit from a food elimination diet, the most successful being the FODMAPs diet.

The best book to read for possible causes of symptoms and what you can do about them is, 'Irritable Bowel Solutions' by Prof. John Hunter, he really seems to 'get it'.

Roz

[Salgolf]

I also would recommend the FODMAP diet. I did it through a dietitian at my doctors.

[PatV]

What foods trigger it for you?