5 ms·

I cannot wait until we discover a basic understand of the human microbiome. As a practice, gastroenterology is very good at diagnosing and dealing with cancer a

by ng12 6y ago

I cannot wait until we discover a basic understand of the human microbiome. As a practice, gastroenterology is very good at diagnosing and dealing with cancer and very bad at dealing with anything else. IBS/IBD is basically a blanket diagnosis handed out when your doctor has no idea what's wrong with you.

CarbyAu 6y ago
I am not sure but it seems to me like: -Medical establishment shrugs shoulders "Dunno. [Description-of-symptoms] Syndrome?" then later: -Medical establishment knowing look "Yeah we know that one. It is Name-of-cause/discoverer-of-cause disease." Is this how it works?
- dboreham 6y ago
  Yes, except frequently they don't even have a name for the syndrome and won't believe it's real.
aussieguy1234 6y ago
In the last 5 years there has been alot of progress in IBS research, namely the discovery that the low FODMAP diet can effectively treat the condition. This treatment method has been widely studied and confirmed. A dietitian is recommended to administer it properly because it eliminates alot of different foods and is far more complex than just avoiding gluten, for example. The theory is that certain bacteria fermet FODMAPs into gas, water and other substances which cause the various symptoms of IBS.
joshgel 6y ago
IBD is very different from IBS. IBD is an autoimmune disease with a pathologic diagnosis (ie requires a biopsy and microscopic evaluation for diagnosis). It’s treated as almost autoimmune diseases are. IBS is a syndrome (the S in the name) which usually implies a constellation of findings, but not a specific disease process. From the name you can know that the disease process hasn’t been clearly elucidated.
- blix 6y ago
  IBD is a catch-all for several different diseases, which are all poorly understood. There is still a debate over whether or not their cause is physical or psychological. There's a big gap between observing inflammation or related markers and actually understanding the disease. Even within the same subdiagnosis, people respond vastly differently to treatments, which more or less can all be described as intentionally crippling the immune system to stop inflammation. It's not uncommon for people with IBD to have tried a roulette of medications with questionable efficacy and dangerous side effects. If you talk to three different doctors you will get three different treatments and/or lifestyle change recommendations. I know several people who have quit all medications after this experience and turned to and alternative/holistic approach. IBD shares this lack of understanding and heavy handed approach with many other autoimmune diseases. Being in this category is not a good thing. It's not unfair to lump IBD/IBS together; people who have these conditions share a lot of the same issues and struggles.
  - dialamac 6y ago
    While I empathize with ibs sufferers, this is nonsense. Nobody with ibs poops large quantities of blood, needs their colon removed in many cases, or surgery because their bladder and bowel are now suddenly connected. We don’t fully understand most disease processes, even those for which we have some effective treatments. I don’t think lumping disparates diseases together simply on the axis of “understanding of disease process” is terribly useful.
    - blix 6y ago
      I think there are many more similarities between IBS/IBD than the current understanding of disease process. People IBS/IBD (especially mild IBD) have more in common with each other than folks with other chronic illnesses. For instance, your sibling comments story about seeking treatment for IBS is very similar to many IBD stories as well. IBD is itself a lumping of disparate diseases based on very minimal understanding of disease process, so I'm not sure what your point is.
      - 6y ago

by ng12 6y ago

CarbyAu 6y ago

I am not sure but it seems to me like: -Medical establishment shrugs shoulders "Dunno. [Description-of-symptoms] Syndrome?" then later: -Medical establishment knowing look "Yeah we know that one. It is Name-of-cause/discoverer-of-cause disease." Is this how it works?

dboreham 6y ago
Yes, except frequently they don't even have a name for the syndrome and won't believe it's real.

aussieguy1234 6y ago

In the last 5 years there has been alot of progress in IBS research, namely the discovery that the low FODMAP diet can effectively treat the condition. This treatment method has been widely studied and confirmed. A dietitian is recommended to administer it properly because it eliminates alot of different foods and is far more complex than just avoiding gluten, for example. The theory is that certain bacteria fermet FODMAPs into gas, water and other substances which cause the various symptoms of IBS.

joshgel 6y ago

IBD is very different from IBS. IBD is an autoimmune disease with a pathologic diagnosis (ie requires a biopsy and microscopic evaluation for diagnosis). It’s treated as almost autoimmune diseases are. IBS is a syndrome (the S in the name) which usually implies a constellation of findings, but not a specific disease process. From the name you can know that the disease process hasn’t been clearly elucidated.

blix 6y ago
IBD is a catch-all for several different diseases, which are all poorly understood. There is still a debate over whether or not their cause is physical or psychological. There's a big gap between observing inflammation or related markers and actually understanding the disease. Even within the same subdiagnosis, people respond vastly differently to treatments, which more or less can all be described as intentionally crippling the immune system to stop inflammation. It's not uncommon for people with IBD to have tried a roulette of medications with questionable efficacy and dangerous side effects. If you talk to three different doctors you will get three different treatments and/or lifestyle change recommendations. I know several people who have quit all medications after this experience and turned to and alternative/holistic approach. IBD shares this lack of understanding and heavy handed approach with many other autoimmune diseases. Being in this category is not a good thing. It's not unfair to lump IBD/IBS together; people who have these conditions share a lot of the same issues and struggles.
- dialamac 6y ago
  While I empathize with ibs sufferers, this is nonsense. Nobody with ibs poops large quantities of blood, needs their colon removed in many cases, or surgery because their bladder and bowel are now suddenly connected. We don’t fully understand most disease processes, even those for which we have some effective treatments. I don’t think lumping disparates diseases together simply on the axis of “understanding of disease process” is terribly useful.
  - blix 6y ago
    I think there are many more similarities between IBS/IBD than the current understanding of disease process. People IBS/IBD (especially mild IBD) have more in common with each other than folks with other chronic illnesses. For instance, your sibling comments story about seeking treatment for IBS is very similar to many IBD stories as well. IBD is itself a lumping of disparate diseases based on very minimal understanding of disease process, so I'm not sure what your point is.
    - 6y ago