IBS Isn’t Just “Poop Problems” — And You’re Not Stuck With It

April is IBS Awareness Month, and if you’ve ever been given that diagnosis, there’s a good chance your experience went something like this: your stomach hurts, you’re bloated, your digestion feels unpredictable, and when you finally bring it up to a provider, you’re told, “Yeah, that sounds like IBS.” And then… not much else. Maybe some vague advice about avoiding triggers or managing stress, but no real explanation and definitely no clear path forward.

I’ve been there.

Looking back, I was dealing with gut issues from a pretty young age. I had frequent bloating, stomach aches, and what I now suspect may have even been abdominal migraines at times. But like a lot of people, it wasn’t something that was taken very seriously. It was easy to dismiss and easy to explain away, and that experience of not being believed—or at least not fully understood—sticks with you.

Things escalated more when I was in medical school. I remember going in for a pretty standard visit and being asked if I had constipation or diarrhea. And the answer was yes… but also no. It was inconsistent. My symptoms would flare when I was in school, and then when I was on break, they would calm down. So the conclusion was that it was probably just stress-related, and it wasn’t investigated much further. And while stress was absolutely a piece of it, it wasn’t the whole story.

There was one moment that really stands out. I had eaten something that didn’t agree with me and was riding my bike home from class, trying to decide if I was even going to make it home or if I needed to go straight to the ER. That’s not just “a sensitive stomach.” That’s your body trying to get your attention.

IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is often treated like an answer, but in many ways it’s more of a placeholder. It’s a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning it tells you what it isn’t—it's not inflammatory bowel disease, not an ulcer, not something structurally obvious—but it doesn’t really tell you why your gut is acting the way it is. It becomes a label for “your stomach hurts and we don’t have a better explanation,” and that’s where a lot of people get stuck.

For me, figuring things out came in layers. Stress was part of it, but so were food sensitivities, digestion, and nervous system regulation. One of the biggest shifts came when I removed gluten from my diet. It was the first time in my life that my stomach was actually flat instead of constantly bloated, and that alone was huge. Later on, I did food sensitivity testing and confirmed that gluten and wheat were problems for me, but they weren’t the only ones. There were other foods that needed to be removed temporarily so my gut could actually heal. That process taught me that it’s rarely just one thing—it’s usually a combination.

There are also pieces of digestion that sound simple but are often overlooked. One of the biggest is bowel movements. I didn’t fully understand until I was in medical school how important it is to be having a daily, complete bowel movement. And not just “going to the bathroom,” but actually fully eliminating and feeling done. Constipation isn’t only hard, dry stool or pain with passing—it can also be not going frequently enough, not fully emptying, or never feeling satisfied afterward. Sometimes something as simple as adjusting your positioning, like using a Squatty Potty or a small stool, can make a significant difference.

How you eat matters just as much as what you eat. Eating quickly, eating distracted, or just grabbing whatever is left on someone else’s plate—especially something I see a lot with moms—can all contribute to symptoms. Your body does better when you slow down, chew your food, and actually give yourself a meal instead of an afterthought. I’ve seen people have noticeable improvement just from that one shift.

Another major piece is the gut-brain connection. Your digestive system and your nervous system are constantly communicating. When your body is stressed or stuck in a chronic fight-or-flight state, digestion is one of the first things to be affected. That’s why symptoms often change depending on what’s going on in your life. But saying it’s “just stress” misses the point. It’s not just stress—it’s how your body is processing and responding to that stress.

The microbiome adds another layer. Most people are aware that antibiotics can disrupt gut health, but there are other things that can have a similar effect. Artificial sweeteners, for example, can act as antimicrobials, meaning they can disrupt your gut bacteria over time. And because of the gut-brain connection, that doesn’t just affect digestion—it can also influence mood, focus, and overall well-being.

If you’ve been told you have IBS and sent on your way, it’s easy to feel like this is just something you have to live with. But there are ways to understand what’s actually driving your symptoms and to support your body in a more meaningful way. It may take some trial and error, and it often requires looking at multiple layers, but you are not stuck.

In my work, I approach IBS from a more holistic perspective, looking at the nervous system, digestion, and overall function rather than just trying to suppress symptoms. That might include things like acupuncture, dietary support, and helping your body regulate how it responds to stress. Because your gut isn’t broken—it’s responding to what’s happening in your body.

IBS may be common, but that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed. If your body is giving you symptoms, it’s trying to communicate something. The goal isn’t to ignore it or just manage it indefinitely. It’s to understand it, and to support your body in a way that actually helps.