GI Health · Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment
Real Solutions for IBS
Get relief from irritable bowel syndrome by working with an expert to find the cause of your GI symptoms.
“IBS is where most doctors stop looking. It’s where I start.”
In my practice, I look for the real, fixable reason behind your symptoms — from SIBO and diet to hiatal hernias, bile acid issues, medications, and, rarely, parasites. Most patients feel significantly better within weeks to months, not years.
Joseph Mather MD, MPH
Board-Certified Family Medicine
- ✓Over a decade treating IBS with conventional & natural medicine
- ✓World class medicine — works with patients across the globe
- ✓Looks beyond the IBS label to find the real, fixable cause
- ✓Educator and mentor offering CME education for physicians
Functional Medicine Expert — Treats the Cause of Disease
Board-Certified American Board of Family Medicine
Tulane School of Medicine & Tulane University School of Public Health
Watch: Real IBS Recovery — Julie's Story
Julie spent years struggling with IBS before finding lasting relief. In this video, she shares her story — what didn’t work, what finally did, and what recovery looks like when you treat the underlying cause instead of just managing symptoms.
Ready to find out what's causing your IBS?
Does this sound like you?
Bloating, gas, and abdominal pain that comes and goes
Diarrhea, constipation, or swinging between the two
Foods that used to be fine now seem to bother you
Fatigue and brain fog that track with your gut symptoms
Normal labs and a normal colonoscopy — but you still feel terrible
You’ve tried elimination diets, probiotics, or supplements without lasting relief
What is IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the label doctors use once other diseases have been ruled out, to describe chronic abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and altered bowel habits. That’s a fine starting point, but it’s not a real explanation.
IBS is simply the result of a disruption of the microbiome — the diverse ecosystem of bacteria, yeast, and viruses that colonize your GI tract. The key to treating IBS is to help the body restore balance to the microbiome while finding and addressing the reasons for the disruption in the first place.
How my medical office is different
Three ways I’ve built this practice differently than a typical doctor’s office — or a typical functional medicine office.
01
Time to listen, think, and research
I run an independent private practice, free of hospital and insurance demands, so that I have the time to listen, think, and research your case properly.
I take a lot of pride in the fact that I am one of the few doctors who has been able to build my knowledge and skills day after day to make sure you get the best care possible.
My goal is for you to leave my office thinking:
“That was the best doctor’s visit I ever had.”
02
Treating the cause — without overdoing it
I treat the cause of your symptoms with natural and conventional medicine. But unlike other functional medicine offices, I don’t require thousands of dollars of labs or ask you to take hundreds of pills to get better. My goal is to get you well as quickly as possible — with the fewest supplements, the broadest diet that keeps you healthy, and a treatment plan that’s practical and down to earth.
03
Functional medicine you can afford
Paying out of pocket for medical care can be daunting. Because I want to help as many patients as possible, I’ve done all that I can to make care affordable:
- ✓I charge less than other experts in the field, despite getting better outcomes for my patients
- ✓I never profit from any testing I recommend
- ✓30% off supplements from Moss Nutrition
- ✓Discounted wholesale cash lab pricing through Clinical Pathology Labs for New Orleans patients
- ✓No subscriptions or memberships — ever
The 7 places I look for the real cause of your IBS
This is a summary of my full article, “Why Do I Have IBS?” — worth reading in full if you want the deep dive.
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)
Bacteria that overgrow in the small intestine are one of the most common — and most treatable — causes of IBS symptoms. Common triggers include long-term acid-reducing medications, antibiotics, prior infections, and diet. SIBO is usually straightforward to treat, and most patients feel significantly better within weeks.
SIFO / Yeast Overgrowth (Candida)
Similar to SIBO, but with yeast instead of bacteria — Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth (SIFO) is easy to miss because standard stool and breath testing don’t reliably catch it. This is very common in patients who have been on long-term antibiotics and in those who have used PPI medication for years. The vast majority of patients who have been exposed to mold and have GI symptoms also have candida overgrowth. Symptoms overlap heavily with SIBO — diarrhea, bloating, gas, brain fog — but the treatment approach is different.
Diet: processed foods, fiber, and alcohol
Ultra-processed foods are one of the biggest drivers of GI symptoms I see. And contrary to the usual advice, piling more fiber onto an already-overgrown gut is like pouring fertilizer on a garden full of weeds — most patients feel better starting with a lower-fiber or low-FODMAP diet, then rebuilding toward the broadest diet they can tolerate as their gut heals. Alcohol is a direct irritant to the gut lining, and it’s often the one thing keeping an otherwise-improving patient from fully recovering.
Medications
Antibiotics, long-term acid reducers, certain antidepressants, and NSAIDs can all trigger or worsen IBS symptoms. I review every medication on your list — not just your GI history — when looking for the cause.
Bile acid malabsorption
In some studies, bile acid malabsorption is a more common cause of IBS-type diarrhea than SIBO. When bile acids aren’t properly reabsorbed, the excess spills into the large intestine and triggers diarrhea and pain — often at night. It’s treatable with prescription or supplement binders.
Hiatal hernia
About 5% of my chronic GI patients have a sliding hiatal hernia driving their fullness, bloating, nausea, and pain — more common in patients with joint hypermobility. It’s easy to miss because symptoms come and go, but a simple in-office technique can bring immediate relief.
Parasites (rare, but worth ruling out)
After years of testing, I’ve found parasitic infections are quite uncommon — except in rare cases: patients exposed to giardia, those who have traveled overseas, or patients with celiac disease who aren’t improving on a gluten-free diet.
The science behind a natural approach to IBS
A few of the published studies behind this approach.
More Patient Stories & Lectures
More real patient interviews, lectures, and success stories from my YouTube channel.
Take More Probiotics!
Patient Success, Interviews, Lectures & More
What patients say
Julie’s story above is one example — but she’s far from the only patient who’s found real relief from IBS symptoms after years of being told their labs were normal. Read more real patient stories and reviews on the testimonials page.
What a visit costs
I run an independent, cash-pay practice — no insurance billing, no pressure to fit your visit into a 10-minute slot. You can request reimbursement from your insurer using a superbill I provide after each visit.
Initial Visit
$700
45 minutes
Focused on your GI history, what’s already been tried, and a plan for what to look at first.
Extended Initial
$950
2 hours
Ideal if you’re traveling to establish care, have a complex history, or want more time to go deep.
Follow-Up
$350
45 minutes
Most patients follow up every 4 weeks as we work through each potential cause.
Not sure if I'm a fit?
Book a free 15-minute discovery call to ask questions before you commit to a visit.
IBS questions, answered
Do I need a colonoscopy before I can see you?
No. If you’ve already had one and it came back normal, that’s useful information — but I don’t require it, and a normal colonoscopy doesn’t mean there’s nothing to find. It just means the standard workup didn’t find a structural problem.
Will you just tell me to eat more fiber?
No. For most patients with active GI symptoms, more fiber makes things worse before it makes them better. I usually start with a lower-fiber or low-FODMAP approach, then rebuild toward the broadest diet you can tolerate as your gut heals.
My labs and colonoscopy were normal — what does that mean?
It means the standard workup didn’t find a structural problem, not that nothing is wrong. Most of my IBS patients have completely normal labs and imaging; the cause is usually something that workup isn’t designed to find, like SIBO, bile acid malabsorption, or a hiatal hernia.
Do you order food sensitivity testing?
Rarely. In my experience these panels are inaccurate and tend to flag the same handful of foods for almost everyone. I get more reliable information from a structured elimination approach.
How long until I feel better?
It depends on the cause, but many patients notice meaningful improvement within weeks once we’ve identified what’s driving their symptoms.
Do you accept insurance?
I don’t bill insurance directly, but I provide a superbill after each visit that you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement. Working this way gives me the time and freedom to treat you as an individual, not a diagnosis code.
Have a broader question about my practice? Visit the full FAQ page.
Let’s Get Started
A doctor who cares about science
Working as an independent physician gives me time to study and keep learning new ways to help my patients. I’m proud to have contributed to our understanding of the gut–thyroid axis in a paper published in 2022.
I graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine and School of Public Health in 2011 and completed my Family Practice training in 2014. I treat many conditions, with particular expertise in GI health and mold and heavy-metal toxicity. When I’m not with patients, you’ll find me playing with my three kids, exercising, meditating, or playing the drums.
