Dr. Ronald Stern answers the most common questions surrounding IBS.
Transcription:
Prakash Chandran (Host): If you suffered from gas, intestinal cramping or bloating on a recurring basis; you might have irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. But what exactly is it and what can we do about it? Let’s talk with Dr. Ronald Stern, a Primary Care physician at Highland Medical P.C. This is Sound Advice, the podcast from Highland Medical P.C. I’m Prakash Chandran. So, Dr. Stern, we’ve all had stomach problems before, but tell us how irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is different.
Ronald Stern, MD (Guest): Irritable bowel syndrome is one of my more interesting diagnoses that I make in my office because it can masquerade and present with different symptoms. But in general, irritable bowel syndrome is caused by a disturbance of normal bowel function. It’s not caused by a structural abnormality nor does it require surgery and certainly is not a sign of anything serious such as cancer.
Although, there is no cure for irritable bowel syndrome; with proper diet, a reduction in stress and appropriate medication if needed, you will find that your symptoms will gradually disappear or at least become much more tolerable. Irritable bowel syndrome is probably the most common digestive disease. It is believed that some 25 million Americans are affected by it.
For unknown reasons, it usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood and women are more commonly affected with IBS.
Host: What separates IBS from a normal stomachache? We know that it’s recurring, but does it recur every day? Does it recur every week? Talk a little bit about that.
Dr. Stern: The ways you can differentiate between normal stomach pain and irritable bowel syndrome are the associated symptoms that go along with irritable bowel syndrome and the presentation that the patient has. Normal stomach pains are just related to cramping and possibly food intolerance, but irritable bowel syndrome is associated with other symptoms which include abdominal pain, which is usually found in the left lower abdomen but also the patient can present with bowel irregularity such as diarrhea, or constipation or a combination of both.
Host: That’s really helpful especially hearing that it’s that recurring pain, it’s in the abdominal, you said the lower abdominal area. I’d love to learn a little bit more about the origins of irritable bowel syndrome. Like why do we get it?
Dr. Stern: Patients can have irritable bowel syndrome due to a variety of factors. One of the factors is definitely – very – symptoms of irritable bowel can be triggered by certain types of food when patients eat wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, beans, cabbage, milk, carbonated drinks and or caffeinated products. That can trigger a patient’s abdominal cramps. Also environmental factors such as increased anxiety or stress in the person’s life. If a patient has difficulties at work or if he’s recently had a severe loss in the family or a change at their workplace or a recent change in employment. This can trigger irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
Host: One of the fascinating things that you are mentioning is around how the psychological or the stresses that we have in our life can contribute to IBS. I would have thought that it was just based on what you ate like you said, gluten, but I’m hearing from you that it’s actually just lifestyle and the stresses that we experience day to day. Right?
Dr. Stern: Correct. Patients very often have issues in their lifestyle and their workplace which can contribute to them developing spasms and pain in their abdomen and cause them to have differences in their bowel habits.
Host: Okay and for the people that think that what they are experiencing is potential recurring stomach pain and they don’t do anything about it. Let’s talk a little bit about the risk factors associated with it especially what happens if it goes untreated.
Dr. Stern: Patients who have irritable bowel syndrome who do not seek medical advice, are more likely to miss their workplace because of abdominal pain and or have other consequences related to severe constipation or diarrhea or dehydration or have daily questionings as to what food they should be eating or what could be triggering their symptoms.
They also would possibly have more issues with anxiety and difficulty in concentrating, headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue. These are also all symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as well as loss of appetite, nausea, and rarely vomiting.
Host: Yeah, I think it’s important to really try to keep yourself happy and healthy so you can avoid some of the things that come along with IBS and so, one of the things you mentioned at the top of the episode was there wasn’t a cure but let’s talk specifically around prevention. Let’s say someone is listening to this and they really want to live a life without the risk of irritable bowel syndrome. What would you recommend to them?
Dr. Stern: Patients who develop symptoms of abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea and they are not sure where that’s coming from, they should seek the help of a medical physician. There are medications that can be given to improve the motility in the large intestines to slow down the movement of foods through your large intestine to help prevent diarrhea and also help prevent constipation. Also, it’s good to try to control contributing factors such as lessening your anxiety, trying to eat more healthy and trying to put things in proper perspectives.
Host: What about over-the-counter medicine that someone can take to prevent the severity or reduce the severity of IBS?
Dr. Stern: There are many over-the-counter medications that people can take for diarrhea such as Imodium or Pepto Bismol. There’s also plenty of medications that a patient can obtain to improve their symptoms of constipation such as increasing their fiber and taking other over-the-counter medications to improve constipation.
Host: So, we talked a little bit about the stress prevention like staying away from environmental factors that might contribute to irritable bowel syndrome. I’m assuming diet and exercise also play a role as we alluded to earlier. But talk a little bit about other complimentary health practices or medical treatments that could either help prevent or reduce the severity of IBS.
Dr. Stern: Some other complimentary health practices for patients who have severe irritable bowel syndrome who are not receiving any relief from over-the-counter or prescribed medications would be hypnotherapy and also it has been shown that probiotics help to relieve some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome because they help to improve the abdominal pain, bloating, gas. Another complimentary health practice that is sometimes recommended is peppermint oil, is on herbal remedy often used to treat IBS for which there are mixed results but there is some evidence that enteric coated peppermint oil capsules may be modestly effective in reducing several common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome especially abdominal pain, bloating, and gas.
Host: One thing that I always like to wrap up with is what’s the one thing that you wish patients with irritable bowel syndrome knew before they came to see you?
Dr. Stern: The one thing that definitely I try to explain to the patients is that irritable bowel syndrome is very common, it’s not a serious condition and when they do come, as I mentioned earlier, I do try to investigate other symptoms that they might have which are not necessarily related to irritable bowel syndrome such as fatigue, anxiety, headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness and also loss of appetite or belching or gas.
Host: Yeah, I really like the holistic approach that you take so it’s not only addressing the things that are specific to IBS but some of the other factors in your life that might also be contributing to it. So, Dr. Stern, I really want to thank you for your time today. that’s Dr. Ronald Stern, a Primary Care physician at Highland Medical P.C.
Thanks for checking out this episode of Sound Advice. Call 1-866-550-HMPC to make an appointment with Dr. Stern or another provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library of topics of interest to you. Thanks and we’ll see you next time.
Prakash Chandran (Host): If you suffered from gas, intestinal cramping or bloating on a recurring basis; you might have irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. But what exactly is it and what can we do about it? Let’s talk with Dr. Ronald Stern, a Primary Care physician at Highland Medical P.C. This is Sound Advice, the podcast from Highland Medical P.C. I’m Prakash Chandran. So, Dr. Stern, we’ve all had stomach problems before, but tell us how irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is different.
Ronald Stern, MD (Guest): Irritable bowel syndrome is one of my more interesting diagnoses that I make in my office because it can masquerade and present with different symptoms. But in general, irritable bowel syndrome is caused by a disturbance of normal bowel function. It’s not caused by a structural abnormality nor does it require surgery and certainly is not a sign of anything serious such as cancer.
Although, there is no cure for irritable bowel syndrome; with proper diet, a reduction in stress and appropriate medication if needed, you will find that your symptoms will gradually disappear or at least become much more tolerable. Irritable bowel syndrome is probably the most common digestive disease. It is believed that some 25 million Americans are affected by it.
For unknown reasons, it usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood and women are more commonly affected with IBS.
Host: What separates IBS from a normal stomachache? We know that it’s recurring, but does it recur every day? Does it recur every week? Talk a little bit about that.
Dr. Stern: The ways you can differentiate between normal stomach pain and irritable bowel syndrome are the associated symptoms that go along with irritable bowel syndrome and the presentation that the patient has. Normal stomach pains are just related to cramping and possibly food intolerance, but irritable bowel syndrome is associated with other symptoms which include abdominal pain, which is usually found in the left lower abdomen but also the patient can present with bowel irregularity such as diarrhea, or constipation or a combination of both.
Host: That’s really helpful especially hearing that it’s that recurring pain, it’s in the abdominal, you said the lower abdominal area. I’d love to learn a little bit more about the origins of irritable bowel syndrome. Like why do we get it?
Dr. Stern: Patients can have irritable bowel syndrome due to a variety of factors. One of the factors is definitely – very – symptoms of irritable bowel can be triggered by certain types of food when patients eat wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, beans, cabbage, milk, carbonated drinks and or caffeinated products. That can trigger a patient’s abdominal cramps. Also environmental factors such as increased anxiety or stress in the person’s life. If a patient has difficulties at work or if he’s recently had a severe loss in the family or a change at their workplace or a recent change in employment. This can trigger irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
Host: One of the fascinating things that you are mentioning is around how the psychological or the stresses that we have in our life can contribute to IBS. I would have thought that it was just based on what you ate like you said, gluten, but I’m hearing from you that it’s actually just lifestyle and the stresses that we experience day to day. Right?
Dr. Stern: Correct. Patients very often have issues in their lifestyle and their workplace which can contribute to them developing spasms and pain in their abdomen and cause them to have differences in their bowel habits.
Host: Okay and for the people that think that what they are experiencing is potential recurring stomach pain and they don’t do anything about it. Let’s talk a little bit about the risk factors associated with it especially what happens if it goes untreated.
Dr. Stern: Patients who have irritable bowel syndrome who do not seek medical advice, are more likely to miss their workplace because of abdominal pain and or have other consequences related to severe constipation or diarrhea or dehydration or have daily questionings as to what food they should be eating or what could be triggering their symptoms.
They also would possibly have more issues with anxiety and difficulty in concentrating, headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue. These are also all symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as well as loss of appetite, nausea, and rarely vomiting.
Host: Yeah, I think it’s important to really try to keep yourself happy and healthy so you can avoid some of the things that come along with IBS and so, one of the things you mentioned at the top of the episode was there wasn’t a cure but let’s talk specifically around prevention. Let’s say someone is listening to this and they really want to live a life without the risk of irritable bowel syndrome. What would you recommend to them?
Dr. Stern: Patients who develop symptoms of abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea and they are not sure where that’s coming from, they should seek the help of a medical physician. There are medications that can be given to improve the motility in the large intestines to slow down the movement of foods through your large intestine to help prevent diarrhea and also help prevent constipation. Also, it’s good to try to control contributing factors such as lessening your anxiety, trying to eat more healthy and trying to put things in proper perspectives.
Host: What about over-the-counter medicine that someone can take to prevent the severity or reduce the severity of IBS?
Dr. Stern: There are many over-the-counter medications that people can take for diarrhea such as Imodium or Pepto Bismol. There’s also plenty of medications that a patient can obtain to improve their symptoms of constipation such as increasing their fiber and taking other over-the-counter medications to improve constipation.
Host: So, we talked a little bit about the stress prevention like staying away from environmental factors that might contribute to irritable bowel syndrome. I’m assuming diet and exercise also play a role as we alluded to earlier. But talk a little bit about other complimentary health practices or medical treatments that could either help prevent or reduce the severity of IBS.
Dr. Stern: Some other complimentary health practices for patients who have severe irritable bowel syndrome who are not receiving any relief from over-the-counter or prescribed medications would be hypnotherapy and also it has been shown that probiotics help to relieve some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome because they help to improve the abdominal pain, bloating, gas. Another complimentary health practice that is sometimes recommended is peppermint oil, is on herbal remedy often used to treat IBS for which there are mixed results but there is some evidence that enteric coated peppermint oil capsules may be modestly effective in reducing several common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome especially abdominal pain, bloating, and gas.
Host: One thing that I always like to wrap up with is what’s the one thing that you wish patients with irritable bowel syndrome knew before they came to see you?
Dr. Stern: The one thing that definitely I try to explain to the patients is that irritable bowel syndrome is very common, it’s not a serious condition and when they do come, as I mentioned earlier, I do try to investigate other symptoms that they might have which are not necessarily related to irritable bowel syndrome such as fatigue, anxiety, headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness and also loss of appetite or belching or gas.
Host: Yeah, I really like the holistic approach that you take so it’s not only addressing the things that are specific to IBS but some of the other factors in your life that might also be contributing to it. So, Dr. Stern, I really want to thank you for your time today. that’s Dr. Ronald Stern, a Primary Care physician at Highland Medical P.C.
Thanks for checking out this episode of Sound Advice. Call 1-866-550-HMPC to make an appointment with Dr. Stern or another provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library of topics of interest to you. Thanks and we’ll see you next time.
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