Peppermint Oil and Fiber Can Help Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The results of recent research into the effects of various medications on Irritable Bowel Syndrome in patients has just been published in the Nov. 14 online edition of the BMJ.

It was a meta-analysis and review of all randomized controlled studies comparing antispasmodics, fiber, and peppermint oil with placebo, or no treatment, in persons with IBS.

IBS is a gastrointestinal disorder that causes discomfort or abdominal pain, and it is common for sufferers to experience chronic bouts of diarrhea or constipation, or both. The exact root of the problem is not known, but messed up interactions between brain and nervous systems with the gut are involved, producing spasms in the colon.

In recent years, new drugs have been developed for the condition, but these are expensive and in some cases, a couple of drugs have been removed from the market and some have been found ineffective. Because of this, investigating simpler, less-expensive treatments may prove to be valuable. In this study, a total of 591 patients in 12 studies were subjected to treatment with fiber, twenty two studies (1778 patients) compared antispasmodics with placebo, and 392 patients (four trials) had been investigated for the effects of peppermint oil versus placebo. Read more

Zelnorm By Novartis: Risks Outweigh Benefits

Advances in Irritable Bowel Syndrome treatment has brought us many pharmaceutical products such as Zelnorm by Novartis. As we are finding now, sometimes the treatment of IBS has risks that outweigh the benefits. Read more

Rifimax to Treat IBS

What is Rifimax? It is an antibiotic that is now being tested to treat IBS. This antibiotic is not absorbed into the bloodstream, it stays in the intestine killing bacteria before passing through the digestive tract.

About 40 percent of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients that used Rifimax in this test saw a major improvement in symptoms. The Rifimax is taken for about 10 days, but the effects of the antibiotic can last up to a year. After that time the patient would take another 10 day dose. Read more

Treatment for IBS With Severe Constipation

One of the 3 main types of IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is IBS with constipation. This is also referred to as IBS-C. Although this is not the most common side effects with irritable bowel syndrome there are many sufferers out there.

The biggest problem with constipation linked to IBS is that the sufferers intestines are so sensitive due to their illness that even the slightest constipation causes sever discomfort and a great deal of pain. This pain is also associated with the treatment because people with IBS often react with diarrhea instead of normal bowel movements so really you are just swapping one symptom for another. Read more