Is irritable bowel syndrome a real condition, or is it all in your head?
IBS is not all in your head: researchers measure real physical abnormalities in the gut. Psychological stress can worsen the symptoms, but is not the cause; take your symptoms seriously and discuss them with your doctor.
IBS affects five to well over twenty percent of the population and is the most common condition seen in gastroenterology clinics. The symptoms are real and measurable: in people with IBS, researchers find an intestinal wall that is too permeable, low-grade inflammatory responses, a disrupted composition of gut bacteria, and a gut that is more sensitive to pain than normal. These are physical findings, not imagination.
The strongest evidence that IBS has a physical basis is its link to gut infections. People who have had an acute gastrointestinal infection face a clearly higher risk of developing IBS afterwards. This shows that the condition can have a genuine physical trigger, independent of psychological factors.
Another well-established mechanism is the disrupted communication between the gut and the brain. In IBS, this connection works differently than in healthy people: the gut sends abnormal signals, the brain also processes them differently, and the result is more pain and an irregular digestive system. This is not a psychosomatic side effect but a measurable biological process.
Anxiety and depression occur more often in people with IBS than average, and that understandably raises the question of whether the symptoms are 'all in the head'. But research shows that in some patients the gut symptoms begin before the mood problems. The relationship works in both directions: psychological stress can worsen IBS, but IBS itself also generates stress and low mood. That makes it a two-way interaction, not a reason to be dismissed with a referral to a psychologist.
What the precise cause is varies from person to person. In one patient, gut bacteria play a central role; in another, a problem with bile acids or abnormal gut motility is involved. Tests that identify those specific causes do exist, but the treatments that target each individual mechanism have not yet been equally well studied. If you have serious symptoms, it is worth discussing this with your doctor.
This answer draws on several review studies by specialists in gastroenterology and gastrointestinal disorders. The biological abnormalities have been measured and described repeatedly. The link with a prior gut infection is the best established finding. Research has not yet reached firm conclusions on the precise cause and the best treatment for each subtype.
Can I prevent or slow down early hearing loss?
Hearing loss caused by noise and by certain medications is very preventable, but for age-related hearing loss no proven interventions yet exist. The greatest gain comes from protecting your ears from loud sounds now.
Does oil pulling (rinsing your mouth with oil) actually work?
Oil pulling has preliminary indications of a modest effect on gums and plaque, but the evidence is still too weak to recommend it as a full alternative to chlorhexidine. As a supplement to brushing and flossing it is probably not harmful, but do not expect miracles.
How harmful are microplastics in your body to your health?
Microplastics are demonstrably present in your body and have been linked in laboratory and animal research to inflammation and organ damage, but how harmful ordinary daily exposure truly is for humans is not yet known. Limit your exposure as much as you can, but do not panic: the true scale remains unknown.
What really keeps your mouth and gums healthy?
Daily brushing supplemented with interdental brushes is the best foundation for a healthy mouth; if you have diabetes, regular gum care pays extra dividends for your blood sugar.
How harmful is air pollution to your health?
Air pollution is seriously harmful: it increases your risk of lung and heart disease and costs millions of lives worldwide each year. Cleaner air, both through policy and through personal choices such as avoiding busy roads, demonstrably reduces that risk.
What are the symptoms of an underactive thyroid and when should you see a doctor?
An underactive thyroid produces vague complaints such as fatigue, weight gain and cold intolerance, but the diagnosis can only be made through a blood test. If you have recognised several complaints for a while, discuss them with your general practitioner.