Preview of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Podcast

[00:00:00] As a young child, I used to wake up during the night in terrible abdominal pain and having

[00:00:06] to have diarrhea.

[00:00:09] Thanks for listening to this preview of the IBS podcast, Part of the Health Unmuted Audio

[00:00:13] Library by Mission-Based Media.

[00:00:16] Irritable Bowel Syndrome, better known by its acronym IBS, affects about 10 to 15% of adults

[00:00:21] in the US, and it's the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal issue.

[00:00:25] In each episode of this mini-series, we hear from medical experts and people with lived experience

[00:00:30] of IBS to engage, educate, and empower listeners.

[00:00:34] We'd love you to be a part of getting the show out to all those living with IBS and

[00:00:38] the impact it has on day-to-day life.

[00:00:40] To learn more about how you can be involved, visit HealthUnmuted.com or drop us a line

[00:00:45] at info at HealthUnmuted.com.

[00:00:49] One of the problems we have with IBS is it's been a dismissed condition.

[00:00:54] IBS doesn't always get very much attention, and when it does, often it's the wrong kind.

[00:00:59] It's made fun of on TV as if it's a joke.

[00:01:03] Movies and shows like Along Came Polly, Great News, and The Simpsons, and many others make

[00:01:08] light of the condition with a few bathroom jokes.

[00:01:12] But people who have IBS can tell you they're suffering miserably.

[00:01:16] And in the IBS podcast, we hear their stories.

[00:01:19] I went off to college and university and was feeling very unwell and had a very difficult

[00:01:25] time dealing with early morning classes, living a student life of going out.

[00:01:31] In Episode 1, we talk about what IBS is.

[00:01:35] IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction that is characterized by really two things,

[00:01:42] abdominal pain and change in bowel habits.

[00:01:44] And so that can mean constipation, diarrhea, or alternations between the two of them.

[00:01:51] IBS has some common recognizable symptoms.

[00:01:55] Abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea.

[00:01:58] But it can also present very differently from person to person.

[00:02:02] Along the gut-brain axis, you can have dysfunction along any of the levels.

[00:02:07] And so we often say that if you see one patient with IBS, you see one patient

[00:02:11] with IBS.

[00:02:12] Each case is completely different.

[00:02:15] In Episodes 2 and 3, we talk about treatments, including medication.

[00:02:19] Tricyclic antidepressants especially have a very strong anticholinergic effect.

[00:02:24] That means that it's causing the nerves not to fire quite as much.

[00:02:28] I use a tricyclic.

[00:02:29] Its side effect is also constipation, which is great for somebody who has diarrhea.

[00:02:34] Nowadays, there are actually a few medications that have been approved specifically for IBS.

[00:02:41] Lifestyle changes are also very important.

[00:02:44] Diet, for instance, is one of the best-studied interventions in IBS.

[00:02:50] I worked with a dietitian and I actually did find some foods that really did aggravate my condition.

[00:02:56] Managing stress is also key.

[00:02:58] Stress is huge.

[00:03:00] And it really affects your symptoms more than you actually know.

[00:03:05] GI psychologists can help people living with IBS through interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy

[00:03:11] and gut-directed hypnotherapy.

[00:03:13] And there were a couple appointments, remember my husband came in with me,

[00:03:16] just so that it would help him understand and help him deal because it does affect your family.

[00:03:23] Throughout the IBS podcast, we also talk about common misconceptions and things we've learned about IBS.

[00:03:30] We now understand a good chunk of irritable bowel syndrome,

[00:03:33] especially we now know that food poisoning triggers IBS.

[00:03:37] About 60% of diarrhea IBS, we now believe this is the mechanism.

[00:03:42] And although IBS can be extremely disruptive, it is treatable and manageable.

[00:03:48] I can get a lot of my patients, probably 80% of them can be 80% better if they follow the guidelines of the therapy and the maintenance and so forth.

[00:03:56] So things are a lot better than they were 20 years ago.