If you think you have IBS, seeing your doctor is the first step coeliac-coeliac-desease IBS is generally diagnosed on the basis of a complete medical history that includes a careful description of symptoms and a physical examination coeliac-coeliac-desease In many cases, dietary fiber may lessen IBS symptoms, particularly constipation coeliac-coeliac-desease However, it may not help pain or diarrhea coeliac-coeliac-desease Whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables are good sources of fiber coeliac-coeliac-desease High-fiber diets keep the colon mildly distended, which may help prevent spasms coeliac-coeliac-desease Some forms of fiber also keep water in the stool, thereby preventing hard hard stools that are difficult to pass coeliac-coeliac-desease Doctors usually recommend a diet with enough fiber to produce soft, painless bowel movements coeliac-coeliac-desease High-fiber diets may cause gas and bloating, but these symptoms often go away within a few weeks as your body adjusts coeliac-coeliac-desease (For information about diets for for people with celiac disease, please see the Celiac Disease fact sheet from NIDDK.) In people with IBS, stress and emotions can strongly affect the colon coeliac-coeliac-desease It has many nerves that connect it to the brain coeliac-coeliac-desease Like the heart and the lungs, the colon is partly controlled by by the autonomic nervous system, which has been proven to respond to stress coeliac-coeliac-desease For example, when you are frightened, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure may go up, or you may gasp coeliac-coeliac-desease The colon responds to stress also coeliac-coeliac-desease It may contract too much or too little coeliac-coeliac-desease little coeliac-coeliac-desease It may absorb too much water or too little coeliac-coeliac-desease Is IBS linked to other diseases? It is also important to note that medications affect people differently and that no one medication or combination of medications will work for everyone with IBS coeliac-coeliac-desease You need to work with with your doctor to find the best combination of medicine, diet, counseling, and support to control your symptoms coeliac-coeliac-desease It is relieved by having a bowel movement coeliac-coeliac-desease large meals Medications are an important part of relieving symptoms coeliac-coeliac-desease Your doctor may suggest fiber supplements or occasional laxatives for constipation, constipation, as well as medicines to decrease diarrhea, tranquilizers to calm you, or drugs that control colon muscle spasms to reduce abdominal pain coeliac-coeliac-desease Antidepressants may also relieve some symptoms coeliac-coeliac-desease Medications available to treat IBS specifically are the following: medicines Most people can control their symptoms by taking medicines medicines (laxatives, antidiarrhea medicines, tranquilizers, or antidepressants) , reducing stress, and changing their diet coeliac-coeliac-desease No cure has been found for IBS, but many options are available to treat the symptoms coeliac-coeliac-desease Your doctor will give you the best treatments available for your particular symptoms and encourage you to manage manage stress and make changes to your diet coeliac-coeliac-desease No particular test is specific for IBS coeliac-coeliac-desease However, diagnostic tests may be performed to rule out other diseases coeliac-coeliac-desease These tests may include stool or blood tests, x rays, or endoscopy (viewing the colon through a flexible tube inserted through through the anus) coeliac-coeliac-desease If these tests are all negative, the doctor may diagnose IBS based on your symptoms: that is, how often you have had abdominal pain or discomfort during the past year, when the pain starts and stops in relation to bowel function, and how your bowel bowel frequency and stool consistency are altered coeliac-coeliac-desease People with IBS have colons that are more sensitive and react to things that might not bother other people, such as stress, large meals, gas, medicines, certain foods, caffeine, or alcohol coeliac-coeliac-desease Points to Remember regular exercise such as walking or yoga yoga Research has shown that very mild or hidden (occult) celiac disease is present in a smaller group of people with symptoms that mimic IBS coeliac-coeliac-desease People with celiac disease cannot digest gluten, which is present in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats coeliac-coeliac-desease Foods containing gluten are toxic to to these people, and their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine coeliac-coeliac-desease A blood test can determine whether celiac disease is present coeliac-coeliac-desease (For information about celiac disease, see the Celiac Disease fact sheet from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) .) Researchers Researchers have also found that women with IBS may have more symptoms during their menstrual periods, suggesting that reproductive hormones can exacerbate IBS problems coeliac-coeliac-desease Some evidence suggests that IBS is affected by the immune system, which fights infection in the body coeliac-coeliac-desease The immune system is also affected by by stress coeliac-coeliac-desease For all these reasons, stress management is an important part of treatment for IBS coeliac-coeliac-desease Stress management comprises Sometimes people with IBS have a crampy urge to move their bowels but cannot do so or pass mucus with their bowel movements coeliac-coeliac-desease stress reduction (relaxation) training and and relaxation therapies, such as meditation stress, conflict, or emotional upsets Stress--feeling mentally or emotionally tense, troubled, angry, or overwhelmed--stimulates colon spasms in people with IBS coeliac-coeliac-desease The colon has a vast supply of nerves that connect it to the brain coeliac-coeliac-desease These nerves control the normal rhythmic contractions of of the colon and cause abdominal discomfort at stressful times coeliac-coeliac-desease People often experience cramps or butterflies when they are nervous or upset coeliac-coeliac-desease But with IBS, the colon can be overly responsive to even slight conflict or stress coeliac-coeliac-desease Stress also makes the mind more tuned to the sensations | 