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A viewer asks, "what is irritable bowel syndrome? Is it more common in women than in men, and
are there any at home treatments that can be used for it?" Irritable bowel syndrome
is a name given to a constellation of symptoms that usually involve abdominal pain, bloating,
gas, maybe constipation, frequently it may involve diarrhea. It is more common in women
than in men, and there are a number of at home treatments that may be helpful. First
of all, even though some people say that high fiber foods may cause some bloating, there's
evidence that if you start very slow, and isolate certain foods that don't cause gas
or bloating, that the fiber rich foods may help symptoms. The usual suggestion is to
decrease your fiber drastically, and then add back foods one step at a time. So, one
day you add broccoli. The next day you add spinach. And these type of things may help
you find a happy medium of foods that are high fiber and, but don't cause the other
symptoms. Another suggestion is to take plenty of fluids, especially water. We know that
bowel health is affected by how much fluid we take, and so the more fluid the more quickly
or better the bowel will function. So, that's another alternative, as well. A third good
option is exercise. We know that blood flow, to all part of the body, is increased during
exercise and that includes the bowel or the gut, and so mild exercise may also help with
those symptoms as well. So, if you think you're suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, and
if you're troubled by those symptoms, bloating, gas, frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain, consult
your physician. These at home remedies could be helpful, but there may also be medications
that could help your symptoms as well. Thanks for the question.