Hi All,I filled out the UNC Patient Education Survey about two months ago. And I just recently returned from UNC where I participated in a second study that is trying to determine what causes IBS (The UNC center is on the cutting edge of IBS research, and they still don't know).I know this is a little bit off the topic, but I thought some of you might be inerested in hearing about this.I drove down from Philadelphia to Chapel Hill, NC to submit to 24 hours of physical tests and psychological questionnaires. My overnight stay included a Hydrogen breath test to check for both lactose intolerance and bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel, a flexible sigmoidoscopy to check for inflamation or abnormalities in my colon (fascinating to watch this on live TV), the insertion of a motility catheter to measure sensation in the sigmoid colon (they even fed me a greasy hamburger and fries and then recorded how my body reacted to a high-fat meal). There were also blood tests to screen for Celiac disease, seratonin levels, and C-Reactive proteins. They said a lot of these conditions can mimick the symptoms of IBS, but they also said that it's possible to have these conditions and still have IBS, too. Right now there are more questions than definitive answers. With this study, they're hoping to change that.Not only do they give volunteers a check for $250 (just think of how much Imodium you can buy for $250), but they also send you (at no charge) the test results so that you can discuss them with your physician or GI. If anyone has the time, interest, and ability to get to North Carolina, I highly recommend looking into this. Everybody I met at the center was friendly, respectful, and professional. The study will run for another year or two and they're still looking for more volunteers.