There are many possible causes of irritable bowel syndrome (or IBS). Allergies, psychological disturbances, stress, or any combination can cause an upset stomach. Triggers are different than causes, however. Eating something to which you are allergic may trigger an attack, but that food is not the cause.

IBS is actually a collection of symptoms with nothing in common except that they are manifest in the same area of your body (thus the term ’syndrome’) and this, according to Dr Peter Mansfield, means that these otherwise unrelated symptoms are simply caused by what you eat and how you eat it.

When was the last time you ate a meal that was prepared completely from scratch with only fresh, natural ingredients. These days people mostly eat processed food with added preservatives and chemicals. The only logical explanation for the problem is that we are doing things to our body that it doesn’t like.

Allergies are often made worse by continued over-exposure to certain allergens. Just like a great number of asthmatics have developed an allergy to dust and dust mites.

Stress makes your body tense up and release adrenaline. If this ‘fight or flight’ response happens frequently this can throw the natural rhythm of your intestines out of sync. Depression and anxiety have similar effects on the intestines.

One of the first things you should do to get a handle on your IBS, is take a look at what you’re putting in your mouth.

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