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That is the billion dollar question 
It is early days but there indications that researchers are getting a better idea of where and what to look for. There is a hint of a practical side. A previous study reported that clinical tests of a new generation of antihistamine drug, Ketotifin, that works on mast cells in the gut showed "decreases visceral hypersensitivity and improves intestinal symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome". So the research in the new article appears to follow this general line of investigation in detail. It goes a bit further and shows that the effects of histamine, serotonin and proteases (enzymes that breakdown proteins) found in the extract of IBS suffers that excited gut nerves can be turned on and off using special chemicals.
It will be interesting to see where it leads them. 
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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mmm.. thanks. I still clearly recall that there have been cases reported when people with IBS went to a professional hypnotherapist regularly for a month, it 'cured' the IBS (in that they could eat anything, at any time, in any combination, yet they had no C or D or pain or bloating, after the hypnotherapy). This heavenly state persisted even after the hypnosis sessions ended for good. How it was explained: their brain-gut communication had just been corrected. Was this just a tall tale, could this not be true in your opinion?
(I do believe you but I don't want you to be right and I don't want to think that there is no cure for IBS. Go ,naively optimistic me!!)
Incidentally, just what is a cure... if someone has high blood pressure and has to take medication every single day, they are still not cured, right? I wouldn't mind taking medication for the rest of my life to be honest if it meant an end for my digestive woes. But then there is the thing about something majorly effective being discovered like Zelnorm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegaserod
and then it being pulled from the market due to its dangerous side-effects...
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Susie, born in 1985,
(pseudo-)D and bloating April 2007-December 2010, now stable
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Cure is a strong word. It means that the treatment removed all signs of the disease forever. For example, taking an antibiotic for a bacterial infection that is completely eradicated is a cure. On the other hand taking insulin is not a cure for diabetes, it is a treatment that removes symptoms of the disease for the time being. Similarly, taking blood pressure medication to control high blood pressure isn't a cure either.
You likely have seen claims of hypnosis being a cure in the news and even on this web site. For example, in the adverts for the gut directed hypnosis section of the web site you see "Gut-Directed Hypnosis Called A "Cure!"" and in the library section you see a reference to an 2007 news report that European physicians at the Digestive Diseases Week conference claimed "Hypnotherapy Called a Cure for Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome". In this instance they defined a cure as 85% of individuals had significant reduction (not 100% disappearance) in symptoms after one year. The interesting thing is that when these results were published in the peer-reviewed internationally renowed journal Gastroenterology the notion of a cure was not mentioned. It appears that the reviewers were dissatisfied with the notion that hypnosis could be called a cure for IBS.
Perhaps hypnotherapy can produce remission of a IBS symptoms in some individuals for a period of time. To the best of my knowledge there have been any studies that have looked at the life time effects of hypnosis on IBS. Also, reading postings in the hypnosis section of the board it is not unusual for individuals that have had good success to return some time later and report that the IBS symptoms are back.
The use of the word "cure" and "IBS" in the same sentence is perhaps a bit too strong of a claim. Hopefully someday there will be a cure but I am not optimistic. There is no doubt that gut directed hypnosis is an excellent tool for managing IBS symptoms for some individuals. 
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Oh that was painful! 
Thank you!
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Susie, born in 1985,
(pseudo-)D and bloating April 2007-December 2010, now stable
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