If you think you have IBS, seeing your doctor is the first step coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes In many cases, dietary fiber may lessen IBS symptoms, particularly constipation coeliac-coeliac-recipes However, it may not help pain or diarrhea coeliac-coeliac-recipes Whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables are good sources of fiber coeliac-coeliac-recipes High-fiber diets keep the colon mildly distended, which may help prevent spasms coeliac-coeliac-recipes Some forms of fiber also keep water in the stool, thereby preventing hard hard stools that are difficult to pass coeliac-coeliac-recipes Doctors usually recommend a diet with enough fiber to produce soft, painless bowel movements coeliac-coeliac-recipes High-fiber diets may cause gas and bloating, but these symptoms often go away within a few weeks as your body adjusts coeliac-coeliac-recipes (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-recipes It has many nerves that connect it to the brain coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes For example, when you are frightened, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure may go up, or you may gasp coeliac-coeliac-recipes The colon responds to stress also coeliac-coeliac-recipes It may contract too much or too little coeliac-coeliac-recipes little coeliac-coeliac-recipes It may absorb too much water or too little coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes 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-recipes It is relieved by having a bowel movement coeliac-coeliac-recipes large meals Medications are an important part of relieving symptoms coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes Antidepressants may also relieve some symptoms coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes No cure has been found for IBS, but many options are available to treat the symptoms coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes No particular test is specific for IBS coeliac-coeliac-recipes However, diagnostic tests may be performed to rule out other diseases coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes 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-recipes 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-recipes 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-recipes People with celiac disease cannot digest gluten, which is present in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats coeliac-coeliac-recipes Foods containing gluten are toxic to to these people, and their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine coeliac-coeliac-recipes A blood test can determine whether celiac disease is present coeliac-coeliac-recipes (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-recipes Some evidence suggests that IBS is affected by the immune system, which fights infection in the body coeliac-coeliac-recipes The immune system is also affected by by stress coeliac-coeliac-recipes For all these reasons, stress management is an important part of treatment for IBS coeliac-coeliac-recipes 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-recipes 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-recipes The colon has a vast supply of nerves that connect it to the brain coeliac-coeliac-recipes These nerves control the normal rhythmic contractions of of the colon and cause abdominal discomfort at stressful times coeliac-coeliac-recipes People often experience cramps or butterflies when they are nervous or upset coeliac-coeliac-recipes But with IBS, the colon can be overly responsive to even slight conflict or stress coeliac-coeliac-recipes Stress also makes the mind more tuned to the sensations | 