# why do they say there is no cure for IBS but then some people say theyve been cured



## sallysami

so i just wanted to know why doctors say there is no cure for IBS. I see all the time and have a friend who says they have been cured, like they will never have a flar up again and its been 2 years. is the problem still there or have they actually been cured. my friend was allergic to many foods and went to a special doctor now she has been doing great with a new diet after taking some herbal medicines to heal her stomach. im sorry im new to having IBS, although i believe ive had a mild form of it for a year now its just gotten very bad even though its summer and i have no stress. so i guess my question is why cant everyone be cured from it?


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## Kathleen M.

IBS can go into remission all by itself, but there doesn't seem to be any treatment that reliably will make you go into remission. They just control the symptoms.Some people have it for a year or two and it goes away, some people have it for decades, and it doesn't seem to be something you can easily predict as to who will heal and who won't. IBS commonly starts after a GI infection and the damaged caused trying to fight that off. If you heal quickly you are back to normal (it can take a couple of weeks for anyone), if you have symptoms for more than a few months it is IBS. If you are lucky it heals up in the 2-5 year range on its own. If you don't, you may still be able to find ways to control it so it isn't as big a problem for you.To me if you have to stick to a specific diet or take herbs, medications etc. That isn't "cured" that is controlled. For a lot of people it comes back if they don't stick to the control treatments that worked for them.


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## faithxlove

I'll be COMPLETELY honest with you... and a LOT of people are going to get mad at me for saying this... But when you look at IBS... It really is "symptoms.." not an actual "disease" in itself... There are a LOT of people (myself included) who get diagnosed with "IBS" when the Doctors have no other answer.. Turns out, I have what's called "Fructose Malabsorption.." But I discovered that all on my own when my Doctors had nothing else to say and I knew there was more to it. To be honest, again, IBS-PI I believe could be different, but every situation I've heard of people being "cured" is because they found out what the actual PROBLEM is.. You can take it or leave it as an answer, as I know many people won't be in agreeance with it.. But, I personally believe it to be 100% true.


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## BQ

> but every situation I've heard of people being "cured" is because they found out what the actual PROBLEM is..


Or... they didn't have IBS to begin with.


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## faithxlove

BQ said:


> Or... they didn't have IBS to begin with.


yes, exactly







.. Sorry, that's sort of what I was trying to get at.


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## searching4answers

IBS is a general term. And "cured" is a vague word. I believe what each person has are different things branching of from the term IBS. They're specific things. When you find out which thing you really have by narrowing down the symptoms then you might find ppl who (more accurate wording) "manage their symptoms" enough to happily live life without their stomach issues. they might still have them but they're very under control.


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## tummyrumbles

Some people say they've been cured in a one-off post then you never hear from them again. You often get this with posts like "Gluten-free / Grain-free / herbal medicine is the cure!" They tell you what they don't eat but not a whole lot about what they do eat, which is what we really want to know. IBS is too confusing and I doubt anyone will ever explain it scientifically. I think there is an underlying IBS which explains why I'm prone to a sluggish colon for example, but I don't know what that underlying thing actually is. Anything tied up with the nervous system is bound to be complex and probably involves a few things. Diet is a work around as well as having to spend a long time evacuating. A diet that doesn't produce much gas will do a lot to reduce symptoms, but it won't fill you up or be half as satisfying as a starchy meal, which is probably why IBS diets fail. You need a lot of willpower. Even if IBS is SIBO, it still doesn't explain why we got it in the first place. I don't think there'll ever be a cure for the underlying reasons for IBS because they're probably genetic, very tiny and hidden away. But this doesn't mean we give up. There's nothing mysterious about gas. Foods that feed gas are high starch, high FODMAPs and high fibre. That leaves meat and fish protein and well-cooked vegetables. These are the only safe foods I know of. If you can reduce the symptoms to at least lead a semblance of a normal life then depriving yourself of your favourite foods - even if only for a few days a week - is worth it.


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