Are Traditional Treatments Effective?

A recent study pooled the data on a variety of clinical trials in order to gain some understanding of the effectiveness of the commonly recommended treatments for IBS, namely fiber, antispasmodics and peppermint oil. The results may be helpful to you as you negotiate your way around your IBS:

Fiber: Twelve studies with a total of approximately 600 patients were looked at. A positive effect was seen only in terms of the use of isphaghula (psyllium).

Antispasmodics: Twenty-two trials with a combined amount of 1778 patients found consistent efficacy in two antispasmodics, hyoscine and otilonium.

Peppermint Oil: A review of four trials with a combined total of close to 400 patients showed a good effect in terms of the use of peppermint oil.

This study leaves me with mixed feelings. I am glad that researchers are taking the time to ensure that the treatments that get recommended are effective. I am also glad to hear that some of them do actually work! On the other hand, I know from hearing your tales that things may not be quite so simple for you. Thus, the headlines that a study like this gets, and you may have seen them in other forms of media, frustrate me because of the risk of over-simplification, which can lead to a lack of empathy and sensitivity to the fact that IBS can, for some, be a very devastating and hard to conquer health problem.

Further Reading:

• Five Simple Rules for Increasing Fiber
• Peppermint Oil for IBS

What do you think? Have you found that fiber, antispasmodics and/or peppermint oil have done the trick for you? Do you share my skepticism and frustration? Let me know, by leaving a comment here or on the IBS discussion forum.

_Source:

Ford, et.al. “Effect of fibre, antispasmodics, and peppermint oil in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis” BMJ 2008 337:a2313.