Resource Roundup: A Functional Medicine Approach to Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Dietary Changes Are More Effective at Treating IBS Symptoms Than a Pharmaceutical Approach

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder that typically responds well to an integrative approach, as illustrated by a study published earlier this year, which featured patients from the University of Kansas Medical Center Integrative Medicine Clinic.

Another recently published study confirmed that dietary treatment is more effective than medications presently used to treat IBS symptoms. That single-center, single-blind, randomized, controlled four-week trial featured patients with moderate-to-severe IBS and compared a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) to pharmaceutical interventions based on the predominant symptom(s). The low FODMAP diet was more effective at reducing symptom severity than medications.

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