IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Etiology, Diagnosis, & Treatment (U)

A burden on both patients and the healthcare system, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional condition in America that results in high medical costs, frequent visits to the doctor, missed work, and anxiety and depression. Patients have been plagued for centuries by gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation; however, the significance of these symptoms became apparent in 1947 when researchers first described a condition that they called IBS. IBS can be simplified as described on the Internet, or trivialized as captured in the voluminous literature that tries to explain the crippling symptoms that change and dictate the direction of lives of IBS patients. However, since 1947 there have been minimal advancements pertaining to patient care, while the two main features of any disease, disorder, or syndrome, namely the etiology (cause) and treatment, have been almost completely ignored. The present book is a comprehensive analysis of pertinent literature and references that help to present research data supporting etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of IBS patients. This includes discussing "evidence-based medicine" and "traditional medicine," "functional disease," and "IBS in 2013." The book culminates with a prospective research study of 156 patients with IBS with definitive data establishing the etiology of IBS and treatment of IBS. The approach to IBS in this book should result in at least a 94% success rate in etiologic diagnosis of IBS and almost complete relief and permanent control of symptoms afflicting patients with IBS.