Unfortunately for those who suffer from it, often irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a lifelong affliction with no real cure. However, that does not mean that you cannot drastically improve your quality of life with some simple IBS treatment and by taking a few more active precautions in your life. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to IBS treatment, and you should discuss many of the options you will read below with your primary care doctor to see if they have any additional tips or information.

Don't Rely On Self Diagnosis

The first step in beginning your IBS treatment is actually finding out if you do have IBS. Self diagnosis is a dangerous thing, as you could be displaying some of the symptoms of IBS, but these could actually be for a different, underlying issue. The only way to find out is to go to your local general practitioner and get examined. They might have a few tests for you to take, but generally, they can figure out if what you have is IBS relatively quickly. Once diagnosed, you might receive some medical IBS treatment options, such as fibre supplements, anti-diarrhea medicine or even pain medication. It is important that you follow your doctor's instructions when it comes to medicine as they will know what will help and what won't.

Your Diet

Perhaps you were hoping for a simple medical solution in your IBS treatment that would allow you to eat and drink whatever you want. Unfortunately, there simply isn't a solution like that for people who suffer from IBS, and you do need to watch what you eat. Some things you should start excluding from your diet include:

  • Carbonated drinks: These often only increase the gas in your body, which is not helpful with IBS.
  • Gluten: Your doctor will have more information about whether you are celiac as well, but even if you aren't, you can have bad reactions to gluten.
  • Danger foods: These are foods that you know through experience trigger your IBS. Avoid them at all costs.
  • Low-fibre foods: You should try and eat as much fibrous food as possible.

Drinking 

Drinking a lot of water and other fluids (as long as they are not carbonated) can help you regulate your trips to the bathroom and keep you on a healthy cycle. The key with IBS is containing it in a manageable fashion, and drinking lots of water helps accomplish this. You also may not realise how dehydrated you can get throughout the day even if you think you are fine. A good idea is to carry around a water bottle that holds 1 or 2 litres so that you can easily measure how much water you are drinking. You will be surprised at how good drinking enough water will make you feel as well, as staying hydrated is key for many other, tangential health benefits as well.

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