“Do you think natural medicines may be helpful in treating IBS?”
My father is 78 years old and is suffering from IBS. Do you think natural alternative medicines maybe helpful in treating his condition?
2 Answers
Only some probiotics and IBgard have any evidence that they are effective in IBS, and not in all subtypes of IBS. All other "natural alternative medicines" are essentially snake oil. Remember that in IBS, the placebo effect can be as high as 50%, so anecdotal reports of improvement with alternative medicines doesn't prove anything.
Please make sure that a 78 y o person has been evaluated well enough to rule out other more serious conditions before being told that he has IBS.
