Making Sense of IBS: A Physician Answers Your Questions about Irritable Bowel Syndrome

by Brian E. Lacy

People with irritable bowel syndrome have chronic abdominal pain and discomfort, bloating, and disordered bowel habits. Understandably, they worry about their symptoms and how their lives are disrupted by IBS. And they are often frustrated because they cannot control their symptoms with dietary changes or over-the-counter medications. The contradictory advice they receive from friends and health care professionals only adds to their concerns. As a gastroenterologist, Dr. Brian E. Lacy is well aware of the concerns and frustrations that surround IBS. He has written this compassionate and readable book to explain all aspects of the disorder―from causes to symptoms, from diagnosis to treatment―for everyone who struggles with irritable bowel syndrome. In Making Sense of IBS , Dr. Lacy addresses the questions people most frequently ask, including how IBS develops, how it is diagnosed, how to distinguish symptoms of IBS from symptoms of other medical disorders, how the symptoms are affected by stress, the effectiveness of alternative and complementary therapies, available prescription medications, and whether IBS is hereditary. He provides tips on preparing for an office visit with a health care provider, a list of patient-based resources, a glossary of medical terms, and profiles of patients seeking―and finding―solutions. A complete guide for people with IBS and their families, this is an essential tool for understanding and living with this common and sometimes debilitating disorder.

Genres: Health, Medicine, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[izziee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still cannot make sense of it

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I know more than I ever thought possible about how our tummies work, and also understand how important diet is for our general wellbeing. Learn to listen to your body and take action if needed. This book offers plenty of good advise on this!

[Jim D'Ambrosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid. I've heard descriptions of IBS from a number of healthcare providers, but this explained it at deeper level that really made sense to me. On the downside, we don't know nearly enough about IBS, but the book does what it can.

My only (minor) complaint is that there's a fair amount of generic stuff about how to make the most of a doctor's appointment. Which will be old hat to a lot of readers, but should be useful if you haven't had to be seen for a complicated condition before.

If you're looking for a book on IBS, I'd recommend this.

[Michelle Kocin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the condition and information about diagnosis, treatment, and management. Some of the information is fairly basic, but if you're looking for a good primer on all things IBS, this is a great place to start.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly written, extremely helpful. One of the few books i will put on my permanent shelf and not pass off to a friend. I will use it as a reference book.

[Vineet Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after a long research about my recently developed symptoms of IBS. I was suffering from this problem for a few years and no treatment helped diagnosed the real problem and how to overcome it. After reading this book, I got to know much more about how our body works than I could ever know. After reading this, everything suddenly started making sense, actually (as the title of this book says). The book describes the body functions, especially our gut, with diagrams and simple language which everyone can understand (no tough biology words used).

I read this book twice, just to make important notes the second time and changed my diet and other things accordingly. It helped me to a great extent, at least now I know what happens and how to prevent it.

Very helpful and easy to understand.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a long time to read this one, but that's because it was a medical text and thus was a rather hard slog! However there was lots of useful information about IBS and the various symptoms and various ways it can be treated. So that was very helpful.

There was also a list of resources in the appendix, which is also appreciated.

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter has IBS and we've been working on various aspects of it for several years. This is written by a doctor and has some interesting and helpful information. In the back are listings of other resources also.