It is helpful to think of IBS as an umbrella term used when the underlying causes of abdominal symptoms have not been clearly identified after a comprehensive workup including endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic constipation and diarrhoea are referred to as functional constipation and functional diarrhoea respectively when no underlying causes have been clearly identified.

My personal experience, backed by an increasing number of published research, has confirmed that an imbalance in the colonies of bacteria that colonise the gut, in particular the last part of the small bowel and the entire large bowel (colon), are associated with the onset of abdominal symptoms and a large number of human diseases. This imbalance is called gut dysbiosis, and when referring to the last part of the small bowel as SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

These are the trillions of bacteria that live naturally in our gut (mouth and intestines). We have 10 times more bacteria in our gut than we have cells in our body. Until recently the many roles of these bacteria in human health have been largely ignored.

What are the common IBS symptoms ? Distension of the abdomen. Discomfort or pain in the abdomen. Excess flatulence/wind. Diarrhoea and/or constipation.

These affect at least 5% of the adult population. The true prevalence is probably much higher.

What is a Probiotic? A preparation, often in capsule or powder-form, which contains viable bacteria (and sometimes yeasts). Once swallowed, the bacteria then either adhere to and colonise the mucus that lines the gut, or simply passes through the gut as a transient messenger.