Is IBS a real diagnosis? Demystifying ‘Irritable Bowel Syndrome’

Have you or someone you love been diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)?

Now this may be a controversial opinion, but in my view as a practitioner, IBS is not a real diagnosis.

Don't get me wrong. IBS symptoms are VERY real and can have a huge impact on your quality of life. A person’s confidence, going to work and everyday activities, social life, relationships and every aspect of their life is adversely affected.

I know this first hand, after a year of struggle with my son who suffered severe IBS symptoms. No matter what we tried nothing worked to relieve them - till we turned to an integrative approach.

But back to the point - is IBS an actual diagnosis?

The definition of a medical diagnosis is ‘the process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs’.

Given that IBS is a term used to describe the signs and symptoms collectively (such as gas, constipation, bloating, diarrhea and so on) – I would argue that it is not an actual diagnosis.

IBS has been referred to as a diagnosis of exclusion in the past, as it essentially indicates that no specific cause has been found.

From a pragmatic perspective, when a person is seeking medical advice, they are already aware their bowel is 'irritable' prior to seeing a doctor so adding the word 'syndrome' is largely unhelpful in relieving their symptoms.

A diagnosis of IBS is also unproductive as it discourages and disempowers people from finding the underlying root CAUSE.

As a Gut Health Practitioner, my experience is that the only way to address IBS is by dealing with the root cause which tends to be one of the following

Bacterial or fungal overgrowth or infection (gut dysbiosis or SIBO)

Intestinal parasites

Leaky gut (intestinal permeability)

Insufficient stomach acid or pancreatic enzymes

Food intolerances

Chronic stress

Poor diet (processed, high sugar)

If you have been dismissed by your doctor with a diagnosis of IBS, I recommend seeking a second opinion to investigate the underlying cause of your symptoms via pathology testing.

Contact me if you’d like assistance withidentifying the underlying cause of what’s going on for you, via gut microbiome stool testing or food intolerance testing, or a diet review. View my Gut Health Practitioner Services . I love to support clients to get to the root cause of their imbalances so they can feel alive and energised again from the inside out.

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