IBS - Part 1
Part 1 - What is IBS???
Why IBS Is So Frustrating???
IBS can feel like a mystery.
One day you’re bloated after a salad, but the next day you’re fine.
Sometimes you’re constipated. Other times, you can’t leave the house because you need to know where every bathroom is. Your lab tests may come back “normal.” And yet… your digestion feels unpredictable, uncomfortable, and sometimes overwhelming.
This is what makes IBS so frustrating. There’s often no clear structural damage, obvious disease, or dramatic scan result.
IBS is what we call a functional digestive disorder.
The function of the digestive system is dysregulated…and this doesn’t show up in tests. But it can be LOUD.
Think of it like a beautifully designed orchestra that’s slightly out of sync. The instruments are all there, but they just aren’t playing together properly.
But, don’t worry….function can be restored :).
What Is IBS?
IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
It’s a diagnosis based on symptoms not a diagnosis you see on a colonoscopy or blood test.
It’s often called a “condition of exclusion” -> which means that everything else was ruled out (Crohn’s, Colitis, etc), but you still have symptoms,
The main features include:
Abdominal pain or cramping
Bloating or visible distention
Gas
Constipation, diarrhea, or alternating between both
There are four common types:
IBS-C – Constipation dominant
IBS-D – Diarrhea dominant
IBS-M – Mixed (alternating constipation and diarrhea)
IBS-U – Unclassified or inconsistent pattern
What’s really important to keep in mind is IBS is simply a label. It does not tell you what’s going on. Each person I’ve worked with with IBS was a unique case with a unique solution. Not an impossible solution, just unique to them.
That’s what we’re going to explore is the different triggers for symptoms so you can find your path forward :)
What’s Really Happening in IBS?
When someone is diagnosed with IBS, what’s often happening underneath is a pattern of dysregulation across multiple systems.
Let’s break this down.
1. Gut-Brain Axis Disruption
Your gut and brain are in constant communication through the vagus nerve and nervous system. When you’re stressed, overwhelmed, rushing, or anxious, digestion changes.
For some people, stress speeds digestion up → diarrhea.
For others, it slows digestion down → constipation.
If your nervous system is constantly in “go mode,” your digestion never fully enters its rest-and-digest state.
Over time, this creates sensitivity and reactivity.
2. Visceral Hypersensitivity
People with IBS often experience something called visceral hypersensitivity.
This is a belief that the nerves in the gut are more sensitive than average.
Frankly, I don’t know how much I believe in this version. I do believe that some bodies are more sensitive than others, but many people are told that they feel pain with “normal” amounts of gas and regular digestive function.
If that’s true, then those with this wouldn’t feel relief….but they do.
I think that some guts feel dysfunction really loudly. But there’s still something out of balance.
3. Motility Dysfunction
Motility simply means movement. Your digestive tract is a long muscular tube that contracts rhythmically to move food along.
In IBS:
It may move too quickly → diarrhea
It may move too slowly → constipation
It may alternate unpredictably
Motility is influenced by:
Nervous system tone
Thyroid function
Bile flow
Microbiome composition
Stress levels
It’s rarely just one thing.
You can learn what your motility is through a transit time test…which is one of the best tests you can do (and it’s free and something you can do tonight).
Transit Time Test:
Eat a cup of corn or beets, write down the day/time
Watch for them in your poop -> once you see them, calculate how long it’s been
Ideal transit time is 18 - 24 hours
If your transit time is longer than 24 hours, then your motility is slow. Shorter than 12 = motility is too fast.
Many people with mix IBS (diarrhea/constipation) have slow motility. The diarrhea is your body’s attempt at balancing out the slow motility.
4. Microbiome Imbalance
Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria and they play a massive role in digestion, immune balance, inflammation, and even mood.
When the microbiome becomes imbalanced (from stress, antibiotics, illness, restrictive dieting, or food poisoning), symptoms can appear:
Gas
Bloating
Sugar cravings
Alternating bowel movements
Inflammation
Some IBS cases are linked to:
SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
Post-infectious imbalance
Yeast overgrowth
Reduced microbial diversity
Your microbiome plays a major role in how your digestive system works, so if it’s usually something we tackle eventually.
IBS Is Usually a System Pattern….Not a Colon Problem
One of the biggest misconceptions about IBS is that it’s a colon issue, and most of the solutions on the market (I’m talking about you probiotics!) only really help the colon.
But the colon is the end of the story.
Digestion begins in the brain. Then the stomach, the liver and gallbladder, the pancreas, the small intestine….and lastly the colon.
If something is off upstream, like low stomach acid, sluggish bile, enzyme insufficiency, nervous system overload, symptoms can show up downstream.
That’s why simply cutting random foods often doesn’t solve the problem long-term. We have to look at the whole digestive orchestra.
In the next section, we’re going to walk through each digestive organ and explore how it can contribute to IBS symptoms. Once you understand the pattern, your symptoms start to make sense.
And when they make sense — they become workable :).
Head over to Part 2!
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)