Although the causes can vary, there is strong correlation to an imbalance of the microbiome within the gastrointestinal tract. Your gastrointestinal tract is made up of hundreds of trillions of microbes. When something interrupts the function of the digestive system such as high amounts of stress, medications like antibiotics, poor diets, pesticides and toxins, infections and trauma, the enviroment of the microbiome can change. This may lead to Dysbiosis, or an imbalance of the microbiome, like an overgrowth of a species of bacteria or an infection. Dysbiosis can lead to a series of inflammatory symptoms consistent with the classification of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.