IBS Q&A

 

What is the difference between IBS and IBD?

Irritable bowel syndrome:

IBS is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder, accounting for nearly 50% of general practitioner visits. Many people get confused about the difference between the similarly-named, but two very distinct gastrointestinal disorders. IBS is classified as functional, meaning there is a disturbance in bowel function, but it’s a syndrome — a group of symptoms — and not a disease.

​

Inflammatory bowel disease:

IBD tends to produce more serious symptoms than IBS, including permanent damage to the intestines and intestinal bleeding. Because some less serious symptoms are found in both IBS and IBD, it’s imperative that patients get accurate diagnoses, since IBS and IBD call for very different treatments.

​

Other common digestive and gastrointestinal conditions and disorders include:

• Crohn’s disease: Which affects the small intestine

• Hemorrhoids: The inflammation of blood vessels in the digestive tract

• Gallstones: Hard deposits that form in the gallbladder

• Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO): Excess bacteria in the small intestine.

 

What are symptoms of IBS?

Symptoms of IBS include:

• Abdominal pain

• Altered bowel habits

• Increased gas

• Bloating

• Cramping

• Food intolerance

• Alternating symptoms of constipation and diarrhea

• Brain fog (confusion, forgetfulness, lack of mental clarity or focus)

While IBD brings on chronic or recurrent diarrhea, a diagnosis of IBS is usually based on a frequency of abdominal pain associated with constipation, or of diarrhea at least three times a month over at least a six month duration.

​

What causes IBS?

The precise cause of IBS isn’t definitively known and may be due to multiple factors. However, many believe that symptoms are linked to gut microbiota, which influences bowel habit, abdominal pain, and other prominent symptoms. Your gut microbiota, made up of bacteria, archaea, viruses and eukaryotic microbes, enjoys a mutually beneficial relationship with good, healthy diet and nutrition habits.

​

How does Dr. Halperin approach treatment?

Dr. Halperin can help you take special precaution with regards to your diet by developing customized, step by step monthly meal plans and providing key supplements, probiotics and prebiotics to boost digestive health and promote beneficial microorganism growth in the intestines. Usually, Dr. Halperin advocates for The Perfect Health Diet, an easy to follow system that incorporates about ¾ plant foods, ¼ animal foods and carb calories from starches, which helps mental vitality and fighting brain fog.  

​

Dr. Halperin also advises on the intake of things like gluten, dairy and GMOs, often helping patients discover mold or food allergies. These can trigger histamines in the body that cause IBS symptoms.

​

Dr. Halperin also incorporates new testing methods for the gut to diagnose digestive issues such as SIBO. Throughout treatment, Dr. Halperin will also perform muscle testing to check for food sensitivities, as well as food or mold allergies.

​