Guts, Bugs, IBS, and the CDC

A recent study showed that Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a collection of symptoms including diarrhea, painful bloating, abdominal pain, and alternating stool patterns, is definitively related to the overgrowth of bacteria in the gut. 

In the study 60% of diarrhea- predominant IBS patients had small intestine bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO.

The authors of the study also discussed the use of antibiotics that are absorbed in the gut being very effective for treatment of IBS.

My personal favorite treatment is Asacol, prescribed at three times daily for 10 days for IBS flares, and once daily for prophylaxis.  Antibiotics haven’t been my mainstay, but I have treated abdominal pain IBS with Cipro and Flagyl in the past with good effect.

On other news front, the CDC released a 3 year study from 2007 to 2010 looking at clinical data and seeing how preventive medicine is being utilized. 

They found that 47% of patients with Heart Disease were recommended their daily dose of aspirin.  This may be due to the fact that they are on Plavix or another blood thinner if they have coronary vessel stents.

In the past 5 years, only 33% of men and 25% of women had been screened for high cholesterol.  The question I have is, are these only annual exams that the study is looking at?  If so, it’s a travesty.

And finally they found that only 1 in 13 smokers were prescribed medications to assist smoking cessation.  I can believe this as it is very hard to get a patient to try Chantix or Wellbutrin (Zyban).  More often than not, a patient hasn’t reached the stage of agreement on even quitting.  After they agree to quit, they have a spouse that needs to quit with them.

After the patient and the spouse both agree to quit, they must agree to come to the doctor’s office together.  There are a lot of steps in between getting a patient a prescription for Chantix. 

I would happily try to help each smoker quit, but unless your heart is in it, it is wasting time.  A great video done by Allen Carr, a heavy smoker who quit, gives you the sense that the anxiety you feel between cigarettes is actually your body going through withdrawal for your addiction, not real anxiety.  He also wrote a book.  I recommend smokers look at his video on Youtube.


Thanks everyone, and stay healthy!