Making Sense of IBS : A Physician Answers Your Questions about Irritable Bowel Syndrome

by Lacy, Brian E.

• ISBN13: 9780801884566
• ISBN10: 080188456X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-03
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

People with irritable bowel syndrome have chronic abdominal pain and discomfort, bloating, and disordered bowel habits. Understandably, they worry about their symptoms and how their lives are disrupted by IBS. And they are often frustrated because they cannot control their symptoms with dietary changes or over-the-counter medications. The contradictory advice they receive from friends and health care professionals only adds to their concerns. As a gastroenterologist, Dr. Brian E. Lacy is well aware of the concerns and frustrations that surround IBS. He has written this compassionate and readable book to explain all aspects of the disorder -- from causes to symptoms, from diagnosis to treatment -- for everyone who struggles with irritable bowel syndrome. In Making Sense of IBS, Dr. Lacy addresses the questions people most frequently ask, including how IBS develops, how it is diagnosed, how to distinguish symptoms of IBS from symptoms of other medical disorders, how the symptoms are affected by stress, the effectiveness of alternative and complementary therapies, available prescription medications, and whether IBS is hereditary. He provides tips on preparing for an office visit with a health care provider, a list of patient-based resources, a glossary of medical terms, and profiles of patients seeking -- and finding -- solutions. A complete guide for people with IBS and their families, this is an essential tool for understanding and living with this common and sometimes debilitating disorder.

Author Biography

Brian E. Lacy, Ph.D., M.D., is the director of the G.I. Motility Laboratory at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and coauthor of Healing Heartburn, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
List of Abbreviations	xi
PART I Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Who, What, and Why?
1. Why Me? Why Now?	3	(7)
2. 'What Is IBS?	10	(21)
3. How Common Is IBS?	31	(11)
4. What Causes IBS?	42	(17)
PART II Diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome
5. How Is IBS Diagnosed?	59	(17)
6. IBS and Other Medical Disorders	76	(14)
7. The Anatomy of Normal Digestion	90	(16)
8. Diagnostic Tests and What They Mean	106	(19)
9. What Is My Prognosis?	125
PART III Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome
10. Treatment Basics	135	(11)
11. Diet	146	(15)
12. Treatments for Constipation	161	(20)
13. Treatments for Diarrhea	181	(15)
14. Medications for Pain, Bloating, and Overall Symptoms	196	(23)
15. Psychological, Hypnotherapeutic, and Psychiatric Therapies	219	(10)
16. Complementary and Alternative Medicine	229	(10)
PART IV Other Issues
17. IBS and Children	239	(12)
18. What Does the Future Hold?	251	(10)
Appendix: About Clinical Trials and Scientific Research	261	(8)
Patient Resources	269	(4)
Glossary	273	(12)
References	285	(10)
Index	295