IBS Symptoms Explained: Why Your Gut Is Bloated and Irritated

If you've been diagnosed with IBS, or you have ongoing belly issues that testing keeps coming back "clear" on, this episode is for you. IBS is often given as a label once the serious causes are ruled out, but a label doesn't tell you what to do next. Your bowel isn't simply "irritable." Something is irritating it, and identifying that something is where real progress starts. I'm Dr. E, the NP with the PhD. In this episode I break down what IBS actually is, why it matters well beyond your stomach, and a practical, step-by-step way to start calming and repairing your gut. I cover the medical rule-out you shouldn't skip, how to use a food diary and elimination diet to pinpoint your triggers, why bloating and gas trace back to your microbiome, what SIBO is and how it's tested, how antibiotics and acid-blocking drugs can quietly set off IBS symptoms, and the correct order to eliminate, repair, reinoculate, and reintroduce foods so that probiotics actually help rather than make things worse. If you've already cut the obvious foods, tried the gut-friendly supplements, and you're still uncomfortable, the problem usually isn't you. Let's dig in. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Still second guessing yourself in the exam room? Click here!: https://freechapter.lpages.co/self-gaslighting-habits-to-watch-for/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: What Is IBS? 1:03 Get the Workup First & IBS Red Flags 5:01 Finding Your Triggers: Food Diary & Elimination Diet 9:07 The Microbiome, Bloating, SIBO & Medications 15:28 How to Treat IBS: The Order of Healing 17:35 The Wrap-Up: Your Action Plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices