# left sided under rib cage ache



## briland23 (Sep 11, 2002)

Hi there....I was wondering if anyone has had these symptoms, since they are new to me. I have had IBS for a while now and am usually C with occasional D. My period seems to really play with that. I used to get a pressure/ache of my left lower abdomen every day as well, but that has subsided to other things. Over the past month I have had a pain/ache in my upper stomach, which I have had an ultrasound and an upper GI series with small bowel follow through - all came back normal. My blood work is also normal. It seems to come on about two weeks before my period starts. I also get C around that time as well. Doc thinks its probably just stress.Anyway, now I have a left-sided ache that is under my left ribcage. It started a few days ago when I was driving. I turned my body a little and it felt like stuff got jumbled around a little. Then it was fine. Later that night I had pain, but not terrible pain. I had a bm the following day but was C the next day. This morning I had a large bm (not to be gross). I was afraid that maybe there was a twist in the small bowel, but since I had such a large solid bm, I am wondering if that is possible?? The pressure like ache has been there all day, and at times I feel rumbling of gas in the same area. I just had all the tests done that I mentioned before about three weeks ago. Could this be trapped gas? Could it be a spasm due to stress (I am pretty stressed at the moment)? Could it be a twist in the bowel even though I have had a bm? Any ideas would be great! I hate to call my doctor every week with a new pain. It is not terrible pain, but it is now constant and very annoying. It makes me worry just feeling it, which I guess make the mind-gut thing even worse.Thanks...


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## briland23 (Sep 11, 2002)

anyone have this???


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## GailSusan (Dec 23, 2000)

I sure do have it. See my post from about a week ago. I had hoped to see the doctor about it last Friday, but I had to deal with a family emergency instead. Now I won't see the doc until mid-November. Hope you feel better. My ache just won't go away!


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## bfleck (Feb 18, 2000)

My symptoms seems to move around, as you are describing. For 9 years I had pain up under my right rib cage, penetrating into the back. Now it's lower bowel area with sever pain in the lower left hand side with gas, bloating, feeling full, MISERY. I have cramping across my lower back. I can't always tell the difference between female cramping and IBS - they are quite similar at this time of my life. It never goes away - a daily thing. I also hate to go to the doctor with a new pain description and I fear that it's something other than IBS. I'm not sure what to do about that - I go when I can't stand it anymore.


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## briland23 (Sep 11, 2002)

Thanks for sharing....This left side under ribcage achey pressure is still here, five days later. It is now hounding me all day. It almost feels like the same type of "pain" I used to have in my lower left pelvic area, which was dx as IBS. I have still been having normal BM's but am still worried that something could be blocked up in that spot. Does anyone know what the symptoms are of a partial blackage? My bm's are normally shaped, no D for the time being. I don't have a fever either. I guess I should let this go another week before calling the doc again. It really is more of an annoying constant ache than PAIN. I have had PAIN in the lower left before and this in not that bad. I don't know any people with IBS so this board is a life-saver to my sanity. Any advice would be great!


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## jblarson (Oct 23, 2002)

I do have the same abdominal and rib cage pain.Lots of bubbling adn gurgling in the stomach or colon also. Normally everythings subsides aftera bm, but not always. Also....about gas and cramping. I read yesterday on an IBS webdite that the average person farts 13.7 times a day. I can do that in 30 minutes.Also...how do you get the .7....lol.....is that a woops. I try to make this IBS not so stressful, but its hard. It pretty much runs my life.My family and I are going to Florida next week.I hate going to unfamiliar territory where i dont know where the bathrooms are, and of course the plane trip itself. Very nerve racking. Stress is always up. Try to have a good day everyone.J.B.


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## GailSusan (Dec 23, 2000)

I had difficulty sleeping last night with my ache. I finally gave up and got up early. I can't wait for my doctor's appointment on November 15.


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## Katydid (Jul 17, 2001)

Maybe it could be Splenic Flexure Syndrome. It's the very angular bend junction between the transverse and descending colon. A lot of people pain in that area..right around or under the ribs. In studies, the same pain can be produced by introducing and trapping air in the splenic flexure.Some of the symptoms of this syndrome are pain, gas, bloating, a sense of fullnes in the upper left quadrant, somtimes beneath the ribs. Sometimes radiates upward and sometimes, centers more in the central chest area or off to the left.This is only a guess on my part..but I've read many other posts from people experiencing very similar problems.


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## jaantje (May 27, 2001)

I have the same feeling too, like a full pressure type of feeling. For me, it comes and goes, no reseason why at all. I cannot figure out my body and have long given up.Just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone and I can understand your pain. Mine gets so bad sometimes that I cannot sleep on my left side. I try to just ignore it.Good Luck!


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## jaantje (May 27, 2001)

To JBI know the feeling of unknown territory being away on holidays. My family and I took a trip to Indianapolis last March, we were gone for 6 days and I could NOT go for 6 days. It was awful, my IBS was so bad. It is very typical for me. The more fibre I eat the more I can't go, very frustrating indeed.Well, I hope you have a good trip.


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## briland23 (Sep 11, 2002)

Thanks to all of your replies. I feel better knowing I am not the only one feeling this. I have made a new discovery with my IBS. I have been doing a pain journal for the past year and I looked over it regarding this new upper left middle stomach ache. For the past three months it has come on about a week and half to two weeks before my period. When my period ends, the pain stops being constant and hurts only once in a while during the day. This seems to be obviously related to my hormones. Why the pain has moved from my lower left pelvis to my upper left and middle abdomin is beyond me. A friend of mine who has endometriosis thought perhaps it was that growing on my intestines in that area. Unfortunately, I have brought that up to my gyno before but he does not want to do the laproscopy on me. I have always had C and painful crampy gassy D since I was a kid. This new constant pain and discomfort has only come on in the past year AFTER I went off birth control. So now I don't know what to do. I want to have kids soon and don't want to be on birth control again because of other medical conditions I have. But I know IBS is directly related to hormones for some people as well. It is definately like that for me. So now what?????


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## briland23 (Sep 11, 2002)

I just thought this may be interesting. I found it on my hunt to find out more about splenic flexure syndrome, which sounds like what I have! I felt almost relieved to read all of the symptoms below, since I have felt every single one of them, some contstant, some every once in a while. Take a look....What are the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome?The symptoms vary from patient to patient, and may occur at any age. However, they most commonly start in late teenage years or early adulthood. The symptoms will depend on which parts of the gut are involved and there is often overlap between areas of the gut. Some patients may have only one part of the gut involved, while others have several. Moreover, the symptoms may vary over time. OesophagusA sensation like a golf ball in the throat between meals which does not interfere with swallowing (globus).Heartburn - burning pain often felt behind the breastbone.Painful swallowing (odynophagia), but without hold-up of food.Sticking of food (dysphagia) - this requires investigation.StomachNon-ulcer dyspepsia (symptoms suggestive of a stomach or duodenal ulcer, but which has not been confirmed on investigation).Feeling full after small meals. This may reach the stage of not being able to finish a meal.Abdominal bloating after meals.Small bowelIncreased gurgling noises which may be loud enough to cause social embarrassment (borborygmi).Abdominal bloating which may be so severe that women describe themselves as looking pregnant.Generalised abdominal tenderness associated with bloating.Abdominal bloating of both types usually subsides overnight and returns the following day.Large bowelAbdominal bloating of both types usually subsides overnight and returns the following day.Right-sided abdominal pain, either low, or tucked up under the right ribs. Does not always get better on opening the bowels.Pain tucked up under the left ribs (splenic flexure syndrome). When the pain is bad, it may enter the left armpit.Variable and erratic bowel habits alternating from constipation to diarrhoea.Increased gastro-colic reflex. This is an awakening of the childhood reflex where food in the stomach stimulates colonic activity, resulting in the need to open the bowels.Severe, short stabbing pains in the rectum, called proctalgia fugax.Other organsHeadaches are common.In women, left-sided abdominal pain on sexual intercourse is not uncommon.Increased frequency of passing urine is common.Fatigue and tiredness are very common.Sleep disturbance is also frequent.Loss of appetite is common, as is nausea.Features of depression occur in about one third of patients.Anxiety and stress-related symptoms are common and may interact with the gut symptoms.All of this is from: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/irritablecolon.htm


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## briland23 (Sep 11, 2002)

This is such a never ending battle! Left sided pain has still not gone away, and I had a bad bought of cramps last night. They went away after I ate sushi (at least I can still enjoy that!) I have been noticing brownish/maroon "clumps" mixed in with my BM. It's not like blood that mixes with the water. It is actually formed and kind of like "skin" I'm thinking it might be the skin of the prunes I eat everyday. Is that possible that I wouldn't digest the skin? Anyone ever had that? I normally do not digest the skin of tomatos, but I am wondering if blood in the stool takes this kind of shape. It is not streeky or anything. They are well formed maroonish brown small pieces. They flatten out so they are not like round clumps or anything. If you have any advice, please write...I'm a little worried at this point.


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## MyGutsHurt (Nov 12, 2002)

Boy, I can relate to every one of you. My left side has hurt on and off for the past two years. In fact, the first time I went to my MD about it, she said I was "out of shape" and sent me to 8 weeks of physical therapy. That didn't do a thing for me! I've had a CT scan, ultrasounds, you name it. The pain moves from left side just under the rib cage to lower left pelvic/groin and can move from place to place several times a day. As long as I'm not dying from it, I guess I'll just learn to live with it.


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## kamie (Sep 14, 2002)

Bri's post:I have been doing a pain journal for the past year and I looked over it regarding this new upper left middle stomach ache. For the past three months it has come on about a week and half to two weeks before my period. When my period ends, the pain stops being constant and hurts only once in a while during the day. This seems to be obviously related to my hormones. Why the pain has moved from my lower left pelvis to my upper left and middle abdomin is beyond me. ____________________________________Bri, that was a lot like what was going on with me as my pelvic adhesion/endo problem grew(literally) worse.The reason why it might be hormone related is because the ovaries make the estrogen that feeds the endo and when the endo grows the body senses a foreign invader and it makes more adhesions and the adhesions begin pulling and sticking and well, then you could eventually have pain that travels higher or lower or cross wise, just depending on where the adhesions attach, and that's how you might get to being (A) nauseas and (B)in more difficult pain.By the time I got to the surgery day my left side swelling was appearing from the top of the left pelvic bone to the bottom of the left ribs.There were times my swelling would stay in the LLQ and times it would seem to travel up under the ribs.I would swell so bad you could SEE the swelling.____________________________________Post read:The pain moves from left side just under the rib cage to lower left pelvic/groin and can move from place to place several times a day. As long as I'm not dying from it, I guess I'll just learn to live with it. __________________________________The only problem with living with such a pain is that if it happens to be endometriosis or adhesions or both, then the internal condition of other organs may be compromised if left to run amouk for too long.If the dense attchments of adhesions stick to other organs like the colon or the bladder or the lungs...and yes, these adhesion things can and do get so out of hand they have been found on the lungs.... then the risk arrives that the compromised organ may begin to fail and show up with stress problems or even lack of oxygen problems that cause the organs to malfunction.20 days after my hysterectomy, which involved an involved adhesion attached colon, my colon failed and shut down business sending me to the ER for emergency intervention which turned out to be surgery.It was not a good situation.I didn't die, although I was told that I was in a life threatening situation.And my gut didn't die even though the colon surgeon told Mr.Kamie that I was only lucky that I didn't need a bowel resection.So while I can now eat and I am trying to still regain my health, I have to wonder if maybe I might have been able to turn down the intensity volume with my internal condition if someone, anyone, had diagnosed me earlier and done the needed intervention.I have recently been wondering if the event that first showed an abnormal T wave could have been the start of my now evolving heart problems.That T wave popped up during my emergency surgery.Some 20 days before the emergency surgery the anesthesiologist had come to my room after the surgery and he told me how amazed he was that I did so well with the anesthesia during my 4 1/2 hour hysterectomy process.So, while I am not dead, the problems that eventually caused my internal pain to grow and shift positions most certainly have caused me a considerable amount of grief and a forced change of my life activities.So, while we often hope the situations will just shrivel up and go away, it's best to push for better diagnostics until ones problems are finally addressed or at very least given a name.Kamie


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## MyGutsHurt (Nov 12, 2002)

Kamie,Thanks for sharing your perspective and experience. You're right - when your body is telling you something, listen to it. I'll keep on this until someone can tell me what's really going on.


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Count me in as a member of this club! I have the pain you are describing at this very moment. I get it in several parts of the body, and it's a relatively new thing for me - that is, to get it this often and bad. It's kind of a yucky crampy feeling that may at times be relieved with passing gas/burping. It sometimes also alternates with brief heartburn. I even get burning in the upper left part of my stomach area at times (I used to get that almost daily).


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## bebite (Sep 30, 2002)

Hi Kamie,You made me think a lot. I'm having that kind of pain every morning. It's a sharp pain on the left side going to the back and I have to get up because I can't breathe. After 4-5 trips to the washrooms, I feel a little bit better, at least the pain in the lungs is gone. This routine started 6 months ago. Almost 3 years ago, I blocked and the doctors said that was endometriosis but nothing was done, no more tests. I had to fight my family doctor to get other tests and they came back negative although they found that I had diverticulosis. My doctor gave me Zelnorm to try and it helps the bloathing and cramps but doesn't do anything in the morning. The pain still there. When I read your post about adhesions that stick to organs like the lungs, I was happy to know that maybe it's an answer to the pain I have in the lungs every mornings. At least, it's worth mentionning to my doctor. Thank you very much.


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## Snitmom (Aug 15, 2002)

I had that this week too. It does come when I am backed up more. Relief comes if I take a lot f laxitives and actually have a BM. Gosh, its awful. Good luck, I feel for ya. Don't you hate that when you take laxitives for two days and still get no action?I have a chart relating certain teeth to definate body areas. The lower left bicuspids [forward molars] are related to the "left side of large intestine". These teeth are the ones that get saturated all night long if you lay on your left sie like most IBSrs find best, most people prefer that position.' The problem is not in the postiion you sleep, but in the ability of the teetht to withstand the invasion all night. It normally is fine, but if those teeth have ever been 'comprimised" by fillings, any break in the enamel. Just a thought, a long shot. Watch how fast other 'long shots" are preferred to discussing the tooth consipracy.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYI with permission from Jackson GastroenterologyIrritable Bowel Syndrome What is an Irritable Bowel? Medically, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is known by a variety of other terms: spastic colon, spastic colitis, mucous colitis and nervous or functional bowel. Usually, it is a disorder of the large intestine (colon), although other parts of the intestinal tract -- even up to the stomach -- can be affected. The colon, the last five feet of the intestine, serves two functions in the body. First, it dehydrates and stores the stool so that, normally, a well-formed soft stool occurs. Second, it quietly propels the stool from the right side over to the rectum, storing it there until it can be evacuated. This movement occurs by rhythmic contractions of the colon. When IBS occurs, the colon does not contract normally. instead, it seems to contract in a disorganized, at times violent, manner. The contractions may be terribly exaggerated and sustained, lasting for prolonged periods of time. One area of the colon may contract with no regard to another. At other times, there may be little bowel activity at all. These abnormal contractions result in changing bowel patterns with constipation being most common. A second major feature of IBS is abdominal discomfort or pain. This may move around the abdomen rather than remain localized in one area. These disorganized, exaggerated and painful contractions lead to certain problems. The pattern of bowel movements is often altered. Diarrhea may occur, especially after meals, as the entire colon contracts and moves liquid stool quickly into the rectum. Or, localized areas of the colon may remain contracted for a prolonged  time. When this occurs, which often happens in the section of colon just above the rectum, the stool may be retained for a prolonged period and be squeezed into small pellets. Excessive water is removed from the stool and it becomes hard. Also, air may accumulate behind these localized contractions, causing the bowel to swell. So bloating and abdominal distress may occur. Some patients see gobs of mucous in the stool and become concerned. Mucous is a normal secretion of the bowel, although most of the time it cannot be seen. IBS patients sometimes produce large amounts of mucous, but this is not a serious problem. The cause of most IBS symptoms -- diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and abdominal pain -- are due to this abnormal physiology. IBS is not a disease Although the symptoms of IBS may be severe, the disorder itself is not a serious one. There is no actual disease present in the colon. In fact, an operation performed on the abdomen would reveal a perfectly normal appearing bowel. Rather, it is a problem of abnormal function. The condition usually begins in young people, usually below 40 and often in the teens. The symptoms may wax and wane, being particularly severe at some times and absent at others. Over the years, the symptoms tend to become less intense. IBS is extremely common and is present in perhaps half the patients that see a specialist in gastroenterology. It tends to run in families. The disorder does not lead to cancer. Prolonged contractions of the colon, however, may lead to diverticulosis, a disorder in which balloon-like pockets push out from the bowel wall because of excessive, prolonged contractions. Causes While our knowledge is still incomplete about the function and malfunction of the large bowel, some facts are well-known. Certain foods, such as coffee, alcohol, spices, raw fruits, vegetables, and even milk, can cause the colon to malfunction. In these instances avoidance of these substances is the simplest treatment. Infections, illnesses and even changes in the weather somehow can be associated with a flare-up in symptoms. So can the premenstrual cycle in the female. By far, the most common factor associated with the symptoms of IBS are the interactions between the brain and the gut. The bowel has a rich supply of nerves that are in communication with the brain. Virtually everyone has had, at one time or another, some alteration in bowel function when under intense stress, such as before an important athletic event, school examination, or a family conflict. People with IBS seem to have an overly sensitive bowel, and perhaps a super abundance of nerve impulses flowing to the gut, so that the ordinary stresses and strains of living somehow result in colon malfunction. These exaggerated contractions can be demonstrated experimentally by placing pressure- sensing devices in the colon. Even at rest, with no obvious stress, the pressures tend to be higher than normal. With the routine interactions of daily living, these pressures tend to rise dramatically. When an emotionally charged situation is discussed, they can reach extreme levels not attained in people without IBS. These symptoms are due to real physiologic changes in the gut -- a gut that tends to be inherently overly sensitive, and one that overreacts to the stresses and strains of ordinary living. Diagnosis The diagnosis of IBS often can be suspected just by a review of the patient's medical history. In the end it is a diagnosis of exclusion; that is, other conditions of the bowel need to be ruled out before a firm diagnosis of IBS can be made. A number of diseases of the gut, such as inflammation, cancer, and infection, can mimic some or all of the IBS symptoms. Certain medical tests are helpful in making this diagnosis, including blood, urine and stool exams, x-rays of the intestinal tract and a lighted tube exam of the lower intestine. This exam is called endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Additional tests often are required depending on the specific circumstances in each case. If the proper medical history is obtained and if other diseases are ruled out, a firm diagnosis of IBS then can usually be made. Treatment The treatment of IBS is directed to both the gut and the psyche. The diet requires review, with those foods that aggravate symptoms being avoided. Current medical thinking about diet has changed a great deal in recent years. There is good evidence to suggest that, where tolerated, a high roughage and bran diet is helpful. This diet can result in larger, softer stools which seem to reduce the pressures generated in the colon. Large amounts of beneficial fiber can be obtained by taking over-the-counter bulking agents such as psyllium mucilloid (Metamucil, Konsyl) or methylcellulose (Citrucel). As many people have already discovered, the simple act of eating may, at times, activate the colon. This action is a normal reflex, although in IBS patients it tends to be exaggerated. It is sometimes helpful to eat smaller, more frequent meals to block this reflex. There are certain medications that help the colon by relaxing the muscles in the wall of the colon, thereby reducing the bowel pressure. These drugs are called antispasmodics. Since stress and anxiety may play a role in these symptoms, it can at times be helpful to use a mild sedative, often in combination with an antispasmodic. Physical exercise, too, is helpful. During exercise, the bowel typically quiets down. If exercise is used regularly and if physical fitness or conditioning develops, the bowel may tend to relax even during non-exercise periods. The invigorating effects of conditioning, of course, extend far beyond the intestine and can be recommended for general health maintenance. As important as anything else in controlling IBS is learning stress reduction, or at least how to control the body's response to stress. It certainly is well-known that the brain can exert controlling effects over many organs in the body, including the intestine. Summary Patients with IBS can be assured that nothing serious is wrong with the bowel. Prevention and treatment may involve a simple change in certain daily habits, reduction of stressful situations, eating better and exercising regularly. Perhaps the most important aspect of treatment is reassurance. For most patients, just knowing that there is nothing seriously wrong is the best treatment of all, especially if they can learn to deal with their symptoms on their own. http://www.gicare.com/pated/ecdgs03.htm History of functional disorders."PRESENT PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS Despite differences among the functional gastrointestinal disorders, in location and symptom features, common characteristics are shared with regard to: motor and sensory physiology, central nervous system relationships, approach to patient care. What follows are the general observations and guidelines. Motility In healthy subjects, stress can increase motility in the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine and colon. Abnormal motility can generate a variety of GI symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, acute abdominal pain, and fecal incontinence. Functional GI patients have even greater increased motility in response to stressors in comparison to normal subjects. While abnormal motility plays a vital role in understanding many of the functional GI disorders and their symptoms, it is not sufficient to explain reports of chronic or recurrent abdominal pain. Visceral Hypersensitivity Visceral hypersensitivity helps to account for disorders associated with chronic or recurrent pain, which are not well correlated with changes in gastrointestinal motility, and in some cases, where motility disturbances do not exist. Patients suffering from visceral hypersensitivity have a lower pain threshold with balloon distension of the bowel or have increased sensitivity to even normal intestinal function. Additionally, there may be an increased or unusual area of somatic referral of visceral pain. Recently it has been concluded that visceral hypersensitivity may be induced in response to rectal or colonic distension in normal subjects, and to a greater degree, in persons with IBS. Therefore, it is possible that the pain of functional GI disorders may relate to sensitization resulting from chronic abnormal motor hyperactivity, GI infection, or trauma/injury to the viscera. Brain-Gut Axis The concept of brain-gut interactions brings together observations relating to motility and visceral hypersensitivity and their modulation by psychosocial factors. By integrating intestinal and CNS central nervous system activity, the brain-gut axis explains the symptoms relating to functional GI disorders. In other words, senses such as vision and smell, as well as enteroceptive  information (i.e. emotion and thought) have the capability to affect gastrointestinal sensation, motility, secretion, and inflammation. Conversely, viscerotopic effects reciprocally affect central pain perception, mood, and behavior. For example, spontaneously induced contractions of the colon in rats leads to activation of the locus coeruleus in the pons, an area closely connected to pain and emotional centers in the brain. Jointly, the increased arousal or anxiety is associated with a decrease in the frequency of MMC activity of the small bowel possibly mediated by stress hormones in the brain. Based on these observations, it is no longer rational to try to discriminate whether physiological or psychological factors produce pain or other bowel symptoms. Instead, the Functional GI disorders are understood in terms of dysregulation of brain-gut function, and the task is to determine to what degree each is remediable. Therefore, a treatment approach consistent with the concept of brain-gut dysfunction may focus on the neuropeptides and receptors that are present in both enteric and central nervous systems. " http://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/fgidc/hist...aldisorders.htm Current Approach to the Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/diagnosis.html


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