Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

The purpose of this paper is to show that hemochromatosis which means too much iron or iron overload, is the cause of many far too many cases of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and may be the leading reason to test for iron overload or hemochromatosis in patients presented with IBS. Until now there hasn't been a cause of IBS stated, the way I understand it. Now in more and more cases, iron overload will be determined to be the cause of very many cases of IBS and a lot can be done about this iron problem in these patients to what most would call a complete 'cure', if too much iron is found to be the cause and then a diagnosis of the cause will be known. This should prove that in many cases, there is a specific cause of IBS and that is iron overload where the entire body is overloaded with iron or it could be where the lumen of the gut itself is overloaded with iron. We can see the wave on the ocean, but we don't see the wind behind it, and we can see the pathologies that too much iron causes, but we have failed to see the iron that cause them in far too many cases. The velocity of the wind can be and is now measured. The amount of iron in our body tissues can now be measured and it can even be seen if properly stained for the problem is that neither of these procedures is done as they should be. Testing for too much iron or even giving it consideration for it being done and the problems that too much iron causes, is neglected or never thought of in treating disease conditions much too often; or even taken into consideration how much iron is in the diet or medications (supplements) that the patient is taking. People having been treated for hemochromatosis have taught us a lot about iron and what removal of excess iron from the body will do to improve one's health and greatly prolong their lives and the lack of proper treatment for iron overload has shown the deadly results of the neglect to do so. It is rather strange that the symptoms or pathologies of both hemochromatosis and IBS overlap almost completely. The chronic fatigue symptom may be the first to show up in either of these two conditions I prefer to call hemochromatosis a condition for if not diagnosed in time and properly managed, it will lead to all kinds of pathologies, and the same could be for IBS if iron overload is found to be the cause of IBS. Actually, if you have been diagnosed for IBS, you have only been told you have a bunch of symptoms and together they are called IBS with no specific cause. Now if you can prove that you have too much iron, you do have a cause and something can be done about your IBS – and the number of people with IBS would no doubt be found to have a much higher percentage of hemochromatosis or iron overload, than would be found in the general population. It is rather strange that the symptoms: fatigue, diarrhea and sometimes constipation, chronic abdominal pain, bowel disturbances of bloating, cramps and nausea; dumping syndrome, mental distress, depression, hysteria, obsessive compulsive traits, loss of appetite, heart burn, hypothalamus pituitary (glands) axis, back pain, weakness, faintness, palpations, diagnostic confusion, physical deteriorations, myalgia, lactase deficiency which may masquerade as IBS, sleep difficulty, white blood cell influence and immune dysfunctions are all symptoms of IBS and hemochromatosis also. This is rather strange to have so many overlapping symptoms and there not be a connection between the two there is in very many cases. These are of course not all of the symptoms or problems associated with both. FATIGUE: This is a lot of times the very first presenting symptom of both H and IBS. This is enough in itself to warrant testing for iron OVERLOAD or iron deficiency. ABDOMEN: Bloating, nausea, and severe cramps are common to both. HEARTBURN: Very common to both Dyspepsia, very common to both. DUMPING SYNDROME: Common to both DIARRHEA: Of course this is the name of the game for IBS and H; although sometimes the patients will complain of constipation. This is where we find that hemochromatosis is America's most hereditable disease, for it works just like the cowboy diarrhea, it runs in the genes, and literally this is the way it works. You can't believe the very explosive and painful diarrheas with both conditions. ABDOMINAL PAIN: This is very common in both conditions; H patients complain of pain in the upper right quadrant but the pain can be from any part of the abdomen for both conditions. MENTAL: Depression, mental distress and hysteria, are common to both. Vertigo is common in H LOSS OF APPETITE: Common to both. PITUITARY GLAND: No doubt about this most important gland being involved and iron is known to be the culprit in at least the case of H. The pituitary is very sensitive to iron and is damaged severely by too much iron and the damage does not repair itself even after the patient is deironed in too many cases by association, iron has to be involved with the pituitary in IBS. BACK PAIN: Common to both. WEAKNESS, FAINTNESS AND PALPATIONS: All are common to both. DIAGNOSTIC CONFUSION: The patient will have so many and confusing symptoms that the doctor may want to send him or her to a shrink. This happens frequently and lots of times before any iron studies are done what neglect to fail to test any patient for iron levels. MYALGIA: common to both and you can also add fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to this list LACTASE DEFICIENCY: This is very common to both and is a most interesting aspect of both to connect the two together. SLEEP DIFFICULTY: Common to both IBS and H, and you can add CFS and fibromyalgia to this also. id-in Touch July/August, 2007