Laura Kiesel

Though it's been 20 years since I first developed and was diagnosed with IBS, I still remember very clearly how I struggled to find my footing and survive the next...

When I first developed IBS mid-way through college, I was so sick so often that I wound up losing well over 20 pounds in a single semester. I was weak...

When I first started showing symptoms of IBS, I was in college and living in a dorm building. We had a communal bathroom on our girls' floor with four or...

I recently wrote about the hazards of wearing tight-fitting pants in terms of how it can interfere with digestion, in turn causing or flaring IBS symptoms. However, I have also...

Up until my early twenties, the only type of tea I ever drank was black tea that was caffeinated. Shortly after graduating from college, my gut issues, while not as...

I've already written on this site about how the kind of positions we sleep in can impact IBS, but what about the postures we assume during our waking hours? And...

It's well-known in the medical community that women are far more likely than men to have IBS. Unfortunately, women are much more likely than men to suffer from a range...

Here's an interesting little tidbit about me: my cat also has IBS. I've often joked with people about how my cat and I share such a close connection, we even...

When I was 23, I began to have severe, sharp pain in my low right side at certain intervals – such as when I moved or turned a certain way...

I've written on here before how some exercises and mobility in general--namely through walking and swimming--can be beneficial for IBS. However, I think it's also important to explore the other...

Even though I have had an IBS diagnosis for nearly 20 years now, I had only first heard of the benefits of following a low-FODMAP diet in 2015. Before that...

When I transferred from a private college to a state university my junior year, I was nearly 5'5 and 125 pounds. I was actually the heaviest I would ever be...

Many in the general population may not realize that even something as simple as getting dressed in the morning can present a predicament for those of us with IBS or...

Last year I posted about how hot/humid weather can aggravate my IBS (and flares my chronic pain in general). It's always been true. However, extreme cold can also aggravate my...

When I was 25, I went overseas to spend a month in Europe, where my boyfriend at the time was living. Over the course of four weeks, we traveled across...

As both an IBS patient and a health writer and journalist, I try to keep current on the latest scientific studies and findings regarding my disorder. Sometimes other commitments and...

In my early 20s when I was scrambling to find a longer-term solution to managing my IBS, was when I first stumbled upon the concept of taking supplemental enzymes as...

I recently wrote a post about suffering from a rare connective tissue disorder known as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (usually known as EDS) and its intersection with IBS. But another medical...

A lot of IBS posts both on here and other sites seem to focus mainly on diet itself--that is, what the person with IBS should or should not eat in...

We hear it all the time, especially on commercials: whole grain foods are healthier for us than white-flour foods. In other words, when opting for bread or pasta, go whole...