Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Functional medicine support tailored to uncover the root cause of complex symptoms.
Consult with our care team to understand next steps and build a personalized plan.
Serving Denver Metro, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs.
About This Condition
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel habits in the absence of overt structural or biochemical abnormalities. It is highly prevalent, often begins in adolescence or early adulthood, and is more commonly diagnosed in women.
Typical presentations include combinations of abdominal pain, bloating or abdominal distension, and changes in stool frequency and form, with patterns classified as constipation-predominant, diarrhea-predominant, mixed, or unclassified. Symptoms are often related to defecation and may be triggered or worsened by stress, certain foods, or hormonal changes.
IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion supported by symptom-based criteria, with routine evaluation focused on ruling out alarm features and alternative organic disease. The condition has a chronic, relapsing course with a substantial impact on quality of life, but it does not lead to structural bowel damage, increased mortality, or colorectal cancer.
Common Symptoms
- •Recurrent abdominal pain or cramping related to defecation
- •Change in stool frequency (diarrhea, constipation, or alternating patterns)
- •Change in stool form or appearance (loose, watery, or hard and lumpy stools)
- •Bloating and abdominal distension
- •Sensation of incomplete evacuation or urgency with bowel movements
- •Mucus in the stool without overt blood
- •Symptom fluctuation with stress, dietary triggers, or hormonal changes
Conventional Treatment Options
Personalized nutrition
Microbiome and motility support
Stress modulation
Our Functional Medicine Approach
IBS is a label — not a root cause
An IBS diagnosis usually means everything obvious has been ruled out and nothing has been found. That's frustrating, not informative. What's actually driving IBS-D, IBS-C, or mixed symptoms is almost always one or more of: SIBO, dysbiosis, food sensitivities, bile acid handling, motility patterns, stress-axis dysregulation, or post-infectious gut changes. Each calls for a different protocol.
How Spire works the root cause
Most patients start with our Viome Gut Intelligence pathway — an at-home microbiome and metatranscriptome test that maps which bacteria are active in your gut, plus food and supplement scoring you can act on. From there we add SIBO breath testing, comprehensive stool analysis, or food sensitivity work where indicated, and your clinician sequences treatment phases (kill, rebuild, motility) instead of throwing every supplement at it at once.
Who this is for
Adults with IBS-D, IBS-C, or mixed symptoms who want a structured workup rather than another low-FODMAP experiment, patients with post-infectious or post-antibiotic gut changes, and anyone tired of being told their symptoms are "functional" with no real plan attached.