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Irritable Bowel Syndrome

How to Help Your Child
Through IBS

By Jacqueline Bodnar

Eat small, frequent portions at a slow pace, and don't rush through meals.

Eat on a regular schedule each day, and avoid skipping meals.

Managing stress and discussing concerns and problems is a beneficial step to take. "One of the best ways to lessen the symptoms of IBS is to talk to the patient in detail about it," says Dr. Dave Olson, a physician at the Grand Traverse Children's Clinic in Traverse City, Mich. "This alone has been shown to lessen subsequent intensity of their symptoms." Although there are some anti-spasmodic medications that are available to help with the symptoms, they have had varying success.

Also, "Limit investigations that are performed on the child," Dr. Gold says. He explains that when a child is put through many tests to find a cause of the pain, the process can reinforce the impression that there is something seriously "wrong" with them.

An important thing to know and understand about IBS is that it isn't something that goes away. Rather, it's a condition that one must accept and manage. Those that have it as a child will likely continue to have it in their adulthood. Managing the condition through diet, stress reduction and learning to cope with the symptoms is the best and most effective way to keep it from getting in the way of life.

"Irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term condition, and one needs to realize that there are no consistent cures," Dr. Olson says. "Learning to live with the symptoms and conducting your life in a reasonably normal fashion while afflicted is good advice."