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People often ask me why I focus on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is so common a question that I thought I might post about it here on our blog.
First, my interest is based on clinical experience. When I was working in general/family practice we saw a lot of patients with IBS. Indeed 10-15% of the population is thought to have IBS, so it wasn’t too surprising. What was surprising was how remarkably well our patients did with natural approaches to IBS. I was blown away. Natural medicine can be very powerful at times but the dramatic effects I was seeing on a regular basis for our patients with IBS was unexpected. I hadn’t seen natural medicine work that well for that many people that consistently. This was something fascinating and I wanted to dive in.
Secondly, my interest is based on the research I am doing. My research has focused on gut health for some time now and soon I found myself researching IBS itself with some fascinating results.
Thirdly, I was attracted to the mystery of it. IBS is still being actively figured out. We learn more every year. Every month in fact! It is a fascinating field to stay abreast of as we learn more and more and get better and better at helping our patients.
Finally, it was personal. I have IBS myself and my health journey has been a rough one but one that I think helps me understand what my patients suffer with daily.
IBS is a condition that so many people suffer with. I have seen natural approaches work wonders but clinicians and researchers focusing on this were sparse. Why not devote my energies to something that powerful and needed?!