BiotechMashup

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at no greater risk of having polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases than healthy people undergoing colonoscopies, according to a new study.

(University of Michigan Health System) Nurses participating in shift work, especially those working rotating shifts, face a significantly increased risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome and abdominal pain compared to those working a standard day-time schedule, according to research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Researchers in Australia have shown for the first time how peppermint helps to relieve irritable bowel syndrome, which affects up to 20 percent of the population. In a new paper, they explain how peppermint activates an "anti-pain" channel in the colon, soothing inflammatory pain in the gastrointestinal tract.

Irritable bowel syndrome makes life miserable for those affected, an estimated ten percent or more of the population. What further irritates many sufferers is that they often are labeled as hypochondriacs, since physical causes have never been identified -- until now. Biologists in Germany have discovered mini-inflammations in the mucosa of the gut, which upset the sensitive balance of the bowel and are accompanied by sensitization of the enteric nervous system.

A ground-breaking antibiotic therapy is the first potential drug treatment to provide irritable bowel syndrome patients with long-lasting relief of their symptoms even after they stop taking the medication, according to a new study.

A large academic study has demonstrated structural changes in specific brain regions in female patients with irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that causes pain and discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea, constipation or both. According to researchers, the finding removes the idea once and for all that IBS symptoms are not real and are "only psychological."

A significant proportion of irritable bowel syndrome patients treated with cognitive behavior therapy have a positive response within four weeks of treatment, a new study shows.

(University of California - Los Angeles) A large academic study has demonstrated structural changes in specific brain regions in female patients with irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that causes pain and discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea, constipation or both. According to researchers, the finding removes the idea once and for all that IBS symptoms are not real and are "only psychological."

Nurses participating in shift work, especially those working rotating shifts, face a significantly increased risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome and abdominal pain compared to those working a standard day-time schedule, according to new research.