BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,Anto
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 11:06 AM

I have had the worst IBS the doctors have seen even had to were nappys not fun for a 30 year old male, 2 years this went on for, 3 times I had the camera up my bum, not nice, CT scan, capsule cam the whole lot,    now for the cure dont ask them TELL them YOU want 25mg Amitriptyline Take before bed and one sache of FIBERGEL in the afternoon they come in boxes of 10, trust me it took 4 doctors but i can now leave the house and everyday is a god one.   GET to the doc now and tell them.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 May 07 - 02:53 PM

There is no anatomic part called the diverticulum-- diverticuli are little wounds in the gut.

---

That bean jingle's as old as the hills. I remember it from childhood.


~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: bobad
Date: 22 May 07 - 02:42 PM

There is a lot of divergent opinion regarding diverticulitis and diet. This from the Mayo Clinic :

"In the past, many doctors recommended that people with diverticulosis avoid seeds and nuts, including foods with small seeds, such as tomatoes and strawberries. It was thought that these tiny particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation (diverticulitis). But there is no scientific evidence that seeds and nuts cause diverticulitis. In fact, eating a high-fiber diet — which may include nuts and seeds — reduces the risk of diverticulitis.

However, if you have diverticulitis and you believe that nuts and seeds trigger your attacks, avoid them. Just make sure you get enough fiber from other dietary sources."

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Betsy
Date: 22 May 07 - 01:37 PM

Sorry I don't want to give a dog a bad name ,but, I stopped eating Weetabix with cold milk (which I adored) for my breafast.
End of story / problem.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: pattyClink
Date: 22 May 07 - 12:46 PM

Aark!!! I think you don't have IBS, you may have "celiac sprue".

Getting back to the original question: if your friend doesn't feel a lot better after a few months on the program for IBS, please get him/her checked out for celiac disease. It's a simple test apparently but the disease is WAY underdiagnosed in the US, though many many of European descent carry a gene for it.

A colleague suffered for a couple of years with bowel problems and lost 50 pounds and was looking cadaverish while taking tons of drugs and being put through nasty GI tests etc.   Somebody finally checked him for celiac. It was killing the little fibers in his intestines or colon or whatever to the point where they were no longer functioning, and apparently the diease had been progressing for years, the first several of which he had no idea.   The entire cure is avoiding wheat flours and glutens, I don't know the details. Which is why it sounds suspiciously like what Aark is having.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Dickey
Date: 22 May 07 - 02:43 AM

I find if yourself getting backed up, eat some beans or as a last resort take Colace. Those Citurcell pills help too.

I heard a new jingle on the radio for some brand of baked beans. It was a bunch of little kids singing (if I remember right):

Beans, beans the magical fruit
The more you eat, the more you toot
The more you toot, the better you feel
So eat your beans at every meal

Beans have a lot of fiber.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: mg
Date: 21 May 07 - 09:38 PM

http://www.coconutdiet.com/digestive_disorders.htm

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: mg
Date: 21 May 07 - 08:53 PM

Read about coconut oil and IBS and Crohn's. Also read about eating 2 coconut macaroons, Archway is mentioned, daily, for relief. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST
Date: 21 May 07 - 12:15 PM

Castor Oil doses will get things through you better than duck grease.

For the itis of the divicular - cheyenne pepper twice a day - it cleanses the inflamation.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 21 May 07 - 12:10 PM

Bobert, I think a surprising amount of people have this. You have to find your own diet but some guideposts....do you eat meat and dairy? Do you gorge or eat small meals a lot throughout the day? Do you try to force evacuation? Be good to yourself. roughage from vegetables will help. Grains will not because today they are contaminated. Stay away from processed foods. But most of all, find out what works for you because you are unique.
Be in touch with your body.

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Dickey
Date: 21 May 07 - 12:04 PM

Bobert:

I have IBS and Diverticulosis. All I can say is eat plenty of fiber. Fruits veggies and stuff made with whole grains. Everybody's IBS is different but for me fiber works. I used to take Citricell fiber pills as recommended by the Doc but now I don't need them.

As far as certain foods that trigger it, I can't nail down anything in particular.

Eating more fiber will also help with Diverticulitis. It will prevent getting it if you don't have it yet and prevent Diverticulosis if you already have it. Diverticulosis is the condition of having diverticulii and Diverticulitis is when they get infected.

One food the be avoided for people with Diverticulitis is popcorn. Those little hulls get into the diverticulii and won't come out.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 May 07 - 04:40 PM

Since I last posted a friend with diverticulitis told me that eating peaches when he feels an episode coming on often calms it away. I don't know if they're fresh or canned.

I'm still avoiding nutrasweet and I have another food to avoid--shredded lettuce. I think the problem is with whatever it is treated with to keep it from wilting or turning brown when it leaves the plant and travels to Subway and Burger King and the other places that can't be bothered to shred their own lettuce. I avoid lettuce like the plague now and though I miss it on sandwiches, I'm much happier not having to hover near the bathroom all night long after eating a sandwich for dinner.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: kendall
Date: 20 May 07 - 03:06 PM

Yogurt and dicyclomine works for me. I also avoid pop corn, which I love, and sesame seeds.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 16 Apr 05 - 07:50 PM

Good advice from Susan and several others here. Susan, your statement about "blood, barf," etc. should be elaborated a bit. There are conditions that might seem to be irritable bowel syndrome but are something more serious, such as inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer. If you have blood or mucus in the stool, severe abdominal pain, persistent fever, recurrent vomiting, unexpected weight loss, persistent decreased appetite, or a significant change in your normal bowel habits, then don't follow random advice from any friend or online forum, get checked out.

Yes, there are doctors who are lazy and careless and arrogant and don't consider multiple diagnoses. Most of us, though, are fairly competent.

In fairness, many primary care doctors are being squeezed by insurance companies and HMO's to see more patients in less time, and often don't have the time to sit and listen to a long detailed patient history, even though they know they should. I know...that's one reason I closed my primary care practice and took a position as a subspecialist, where I DO get to spend a long time with a family in order to help figure out what's going on with their child.

But I digress. The fact is that IBS is not one of modern medicine's great success stories. There are a number of things that help different people, and many that don't. I would definitely put in a plug for relaxation. I'd even recommend hypnotherapy, if the symptoms don't seem to be responding or are persistent, AND if you're sure that you have a correct diagnosis. But if you do go that route, make sure you go to a licensed practitioner who is certified by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis or a similar organization.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,Rocky Road
Date: 16 Apr 05 - 02:05 AM

Eating lots of licorice and sticking a big cork up your ass can be fun............................worked for me!!

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Once Famous
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 03:54 PM

ejsant, spoken like Mr. Natural himself.

amazing how taking a big dump can make you feel better.

tell you what. Next time you come up with another disease, get in rhythm with the world again. I would suggest you always walk in the opposite direction the world revolves in, but keep in mind what phase the moon is in.

If that doesn't work, smoke another big, fat one.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 03:47 PM

Spaw, thanks for the highly detailed input about diverticular disease. I, too, occasionally take a chance and try little bits of varous foods that have come to scare me. For example, I'll occasionally eat a serving of strawberry shortcake when the luscious Louisiana strawberries are at their best ~ I can live with a bit of irregularity the next day when it's really worth it!

Seriously, I know for sure that popcorn wreaks havoc with my system, but I'm much less sure that regular corn will hurt me. On the basis of your encouragement, I'll start giving corn-on-the-cob another chance. It's crawfish-boil season now, and the ears of corn and new potatoes customarily boiled in spices along with the mudbugs have always been among my favorite delicacies.

Even if I may have been overly cautious in the few years since I learned what to avoid because of my condition, I haven't found things too terribly difficult and certainly have not fallen into the drama-queen/victimn/martyr role over avoiding a few optional food choices. It's not such a great sacrifice to buy seedless rye bread, to select Nestles Crunch instead of Snickers at a vending machine, or to order my fried oyster po-boy with lettuce and mynez but no tomato.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,AArk
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 04:57 PM

Perhaps I didn't have it too bad but minimising intake of wheat products certainly worked for me, and within just a few days. Felt years younger too. Incredible.

Hope you can find something that works as well for you.

Good luck

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: ejsant
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 08:10 AM

Greetings Martin,

"Go to a real doctor and quit wasting your time.

None of these posters is trained in medicine."

Five and one half years ago when I went to what you refer to as a "real doctor" to be treated for a severe MS exacerbation their "real doctor" treatment protocol made me psychotic. I couldn't walk either. I abandoned the "real doctor" treatment protocol for one balanced with the rhythms of our planet, regained my ability to walk and left the world of the psychotic behind, well maybe not completely. I use no pharmaceuticals at all in my treatment and frankly would not for any reasons.

I would suggest that you do not pass judgment of that which you so obviously know so little about.

Peace,
Ed

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 07:36 AM

I had a Doctor friend look over this Thread, so to, almost everyone, that contributed, congratulations, he was impressed with the diagnosis and remedies.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,WYS
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 07:24 PM

The great thing about what I posted is, it can't hurt you unless you are a diabetic with starch-exchange worries. Oh I guess the oats, in some forms, could bother diverticulitis, but the basic plan helps just about every kind of digestive problem there is. Following it is one way to help the doc know that what is was, was indeed IBS. Cuz if it ain't-- that regimen won't help much.

A few of the signs it ain't IBS-- blood, barf, blues, fever, and fainting spells. Any of that going on-- go to the ER. I'm sure others can add to that list, and my post is NOT meant to be a medical diagnosis or treatment plan.

My secret info is that this person Bobert wrote about has had IBS before and is confident that's what's up now.

And about food allergies-- that's a catchall term. There are true allergies-- where a little will set off a list of symptoms, no matter what else you do-- and food sensitivities-- where with the proper management, one CAN handle the item in small quantities.

A LOT of IBS sufferers get into a mindset of "Oh poor me, I can't eat this, or this, or that. I can't go out, I can't do this, or that, or anything.... . I need help from YOU because I gave in to a craving and ate something I KNOW sets me off...." This becomes a sentence of victimhood and deprivation, and one can talk oneself into this quite easily in the same way bulimics talk themselves into a body-image that requires them to purge. But the reality is, they CAN eat all that, and DO all that, IF they are ALSO eating and living in balance. People like that blame the food, when really it's their stress or lifestyle choices causing them problems. (I'm not referring to Bobert's friend or anyone in this thread, but to people I know and am related to!) They brag about having IBS instead of dealing with it and overcoming it.

IBS used to be called Spastic Colitis, and the stereotype was nervous women with psychosomatic symptoms-- people used to the victim role for attention. Looking at it as a disorder of one's habits, which one can easily change, is just a much more empowering approach.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 06:26 PM

Poppa-Gator.......There is a lot of disagreement on diverticular disease at the present time. Everyone knows what it is but the treatment method is another story. Something like 65% or more of Americans will develop diverticular disease over their lifetimes. The number who have serious attacks of diverticulitis is far lower but when they tell you that if the infected mass doesn't clear within 24 hours they will operate, you get really serious about it!

For years it has been thought that you have to eliminate all types of seeds and nuts, veggies with tough hulls like peas and corn, popcorn, etc. Now they are backing off that some and the general idea is to experiment in small quantities if you dare. After a long time on the "White Diet" and finally getting back to more normal food, I talked it over with my Gp and decided to experiment a little. Once you have had an attack, you recognize the early symptons immediately so I would try something andsee what happened. If nothing, I'd try a bigger quantity. If I had a reaction I immediately went to liquid only for a day followed by 5-7 days of White Diet.

What I found is that I am mainly affected by the small, hard, and shiny seeds like sesame, poppy, caraway.....and unaffected by corn, peas, and tomatoes. I was never happier because I am a corn junkie. Every sweet corn season, Karen threatens to divorce me,,,,I get a bit voracious. Truthfully though, even though I can eat corn, I limit myself far more than I'd like. Hell, I can eat some, why push it?

Popcorn can get me so even though I love it, I avoid it....and when I am overcome by the smell of the stuff, I take some and chew it to death, then spit out the little that's left. On nuts, I just process them to a fine grit and eat them. Mainly I want them for Thai dishes such as Phad Thai which I dearly love! But I will take some and sit around chewing them like gum, well past the point of ridiculous but I have never had a reaction that way.

Oddest reaction I ever had was a little hard to remember. I had obvious symptons and couldn't figure out why. Turned out to be slightly undercooked rice.....and rice is a staple of the White Diet. It was not cooked long enough and basically acted like a sesame seed!

Can layman know much about medicine? Well, I'm married to a Medical Lab Tech so our dinner conversations often include topics like huge tumors and such. And there's nothing like a rousing story about a 5 pound uterus to get your appetite up. Then, if you are anyways close to interested in what is happening to YOU......and a lot of things have been happening to YOU lately.......Well, I tell people I'm working on degrees in several specialties from the Igotit Medical College of Hard Rock University. In the past 12 years, I've also had 2 back surgeries, 4 heart surgeries, 2o abdominal surgeries and that's not to mention a couple of unfixable things I live with....like an aortic dissection aneurysm. And if you met me you'd never figure that at all.

Anyway Bobertz....Tell your friend to be certain of that diagnosis and then follow the advice Susan gave above.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 06:12 PM

Hey, I am not denigrating modern medicine ~ I wouldn't be here today if not for the highly sophisticated computer graphic imaging used to pinpoint the radiation treatment that completely eliminated the cancer in my throat last year. I am very much impressed and very thankful.

My experience, however, is that I received much less serious attention for a non-life-threatening but very bothersome poo-poo problem than I did for my malignant tumor. Also, thankfully, the diagnosis and the accepted course of treatment for my particular kind of cancer was very clearcut and unambiguous, while my irritated-bowel symptoms were subject to varous different interpretations.

When I went to get scoped (more than once) for my intestinal complaint, the specialists who performed the procedures were only thinking in terms of cancer screening. Also, they were strangers, not my "regular" doctor who was familiar with my reasons for undergoing the scoping. They simply would report, "no tumors, no problem," and leave it at that.

Only after a couple of repetitions of the (rather invasive) procedures, and then only after repeated questioning ("Didn't you see anything amiss up in there?") did one doctor offer the offhand observation, "Well, you've got some diverticuli ~ no big deal." No advice on what that meant or how to handle it; that came months later, thanks to an unusually attentive and concerned woman doctor who was subsituting for my vacationing primary care physician. The insight I gained from her might just as easily come from a lay person, certainly from anyone living with the same condition who had learned how to cope, either from a doctor or from any other resource.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,WYS
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 05:47 PM

I forgot to put a good Chicago dog on the list, didn't I.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Once Famous
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 04:51 PM

That's what you get from eating too many White Castle Sliders.

You guys obviously aren't going to those better Jewish doctors who didn't get educated in Pakistan.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 04:36 PM

make sure to rule out an infection or parasite. I cured what was diagnosed as IBS with a course of antibiotics (Cipro) for another problem altogether.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 04:16 PM

Isn't it funny that stomach acid can dissolve a gold tooth but organic sweetcorn and pine nuts go through completely unscathed.....

I'm with Pop over this one. I've had misdiagnoses from my usual doctor which when spotted by an Emergency room (A&E) nurse, was confirmed as a fairly serious heart problem.

My father was misdiagnosed with an ulcer for years until a new doctor finally decided to open him up and found he was riddled with stomach and bowel cancer.

I think we're all well aware that this is not a medical forum, but the advice given here is just as, if not more sensible than some 'instructions' I've seen on so-called medical sites.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Once Famous
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 03:53 PM

PoppaGator, anyone can get it wrong once in a while, but I would still take an MDs opinion on a health or medical issue over a folksinger/socialist/activist opinion.

Modern medicine is a miracle. Or at worst case, get various opinions from on-line medical web-sites.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 03:37 PM

MG: "Real" doctors get it wrong sometimes. I waited years for a correct diagnosis of my problem, during which I underwent multiple sigmoidoscopies and colonoscopies. I was told (correctly) that I didn't have colon cancer, but that was never my concern ~ I wanted to know why I was having so much trouble taking a simple shit, and no one had an answer for me!

It was an MD who eventually set me straight; I went in for a routine checkup when my regular doctor was on vacation, and his substitute (a woman doctor who normally works in an emergency room) took the time to discuss various aspects of my health with me, and finally gave the bowel-related answers I had been seeking in vain for so long.

I think that sharing each other's experiences is entirely legitimate and helpful ~ not as a replacement for conventional medical advice, but as a supplement. We all have to decide for ourselves how to interpret what our doctors tell us, and decide whether to seek second and third opinions, especially when the first opinion offered is not helpful.

I'd also like to point out that there is no one well-defined irritable bowel condition. The "Syndrome" can be any of a number of things, each of which causes similar sysmptoms for different reasons. The most effective regimen for a person with diverticuli might be entirely different from what works for a person with food allergies. And, of course, the list of foods to avoid is different for each different allergy.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,WYS
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 03:24 PM

OK, I call it projectile pooping. :~) Hey, when you have this you need to lighten up; it's no &*^%ing fun!!!

IBS is a dysfunctional pattern of peristalsis, when the normal waves of action that move material from mouth to potty become spasmodic and when food is ejected before the small intestine has fully digested it. It can include sensitivity to trigger foods, but the syndrome has far more to do with learned patterns of eating/elimination and being physically agitated over things. Eating for IBS need NOT be bland-- it isn't the heat of any spices that sets it off, and some spices actually help.

A happy gut, in recovery from IBS, is a gut comfortably full of soluble fiber-- so the muscle walls can have something to hold into, and to absorb the spasms at the site where they occur, and not be passed dwon along the gut forcing ejection. Like a tunnel full of fluffy pillows would absorb shockwaves.

For IBS-- Level I

Increase water-soluble fiber:
Oats in any form, rolled and cooked are best.
Oat bars (if low in sugars)
Oat bread (NOT with whole wheat flour)
Oat bran (look in cooked cereals dept. with cream of wheat stuff), added to anything
Boiled/baked potatoes, mashed potatoes (no butter)
Sweet potatoes-- baked till very soft, plain with salt optional, no butter. Pumpkin (low-sugar pumpkin pie is GREAT for this medicinally)
Oat & sweet potato bread would be great, so is pumpkin bread.
Black beans
Spinach
Corn chips, corn tortillas, popcorn (Yes, dry popcorn! Amazing but yes!)

Be sure to sip water in increased amounts each time these are eaten, and between. Dried-up stuck poop is not going to help, a bit. Picture the inside of your gut holding a nice bowl of somewhat firm oatmeal-- that's what you want in there.

Increase digestive-aiding spices:
Cumin (a powerful anti-spasmodic)
Mexican food (avoid fats)
Indian food (avoid fats)

Increase helpful forms of dairy:
Yogurt
Cheddar cheese

Increase helpful habits:
Keep half a loaf of oat bread in the car.
Eat a slice of oat bread before each meal, chewing slowly, and sipping water to keep up with the starch.
Eat a slice of oat bread about 20 minutes after each explosion, chewing very slowly and sipping water.


Decrease trigger foods:
Varies by individual, for some it's tomatoes, coffee, milk, SUGAR, vinegar, fats, fried chicken-- often, just what we crave.

Decrease trigger habits:
Don't eat fast.
Don't eat too much at a time.
Don't get empty-- keep eating plain oat bread between meals.
Don't rush around after eating.
There are trigger SMELLS. Avoid them!

In general, settle the hell down.

Go to Level II when the above is not enough:

Use Immodium as directed and preventively, but not exceeding specified dosage.
Carry a small bottle of cumin and sniff at it when things start to feel uneasy down there. A vial of Essential Oil of Cumin ($5-10) is better but pretty smelly-- get it at the health store's aromatherapy dept. You will FEEL the tense gut relax like a string has popped, and avoid a lot of nasty explosions.

Level III

When this approach is not enough, document everything you have tried and take that to the doc, and request a prescription anti-spasmodic to add to the above.

If that doesn't work, it's time to consider stress medication to interrupt this terribly debilitating cycle.

Whatever level one is at, this can resolve amazingly quickly if you follow the above regimen. It's also possible to slip on the regimen, especially at first, and be right back where you were-- till your brain learns a new set of signals to send your gut. Once you are doing really well you can even start adding back in some of the trigger food s and habits, as long as you keep the oats and other water-soluble starches coming in.

AVOID till you're well:
Whole wheat bread
Brown rice
Wheat germ
Fibrous greens & veg

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Once Famous
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 02:42 PM

Go to a real doctor and quit wasting your time.

None of these posters is trained in medicine.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 02:41 PM

Jim, it sounds like your problem is indeed an allergy, a reaction to the chemical constitution of "true" nuts. (Peanuts are not nuts, biologically; they're legumes.) The problem that nuts, seeds, etc., present to those of us with diverticuli is mechanical ~ more a matter of physics than of chemistry. Any fragment that remains solid for the entire trip through the digestive/eliminative system, organic or inorganic, triggers the same reaction.

I used to be a fingernail biter, and chewer, and swallower. I suspect that ingesting all those nail parings in my younger years may have caused my current condition, and I'm absolutely sure that, if I were to eat a chuck of thumbnail today, I would experience the same reaction that would be caused by a pecan, peanut, tomato seed, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: ejsant
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 02:38 PM

Greetings Bobert,

Licorice and/or Chamomile tea have proven helpful for me. Diet is very important and I have found that staying away from processed foods with artificial ingredients works well to help control the symptoms. I eat a fair amount of dark green leafy vegatables. I also take a multi herb formula that contains licorice. Good luck.

Peace,
Ed

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 02:31 PM

As I understand it, IBS is a type of allergy. Your gut is having an adverse reaction to something you're eating. You fix the problem by figuring out what that thing is, and not eating it.

In my case it was nuts. Not peanuts, but almost any kind of nuts that grow on trees (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts). I'm not sure about coconut - that's a whole different botanical class (phylum? order?). So far, I haven't had any problems with seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, grains).

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 02:03 PM

Liz the Squeak: Thanks for clarifying the difference between diverticul-osis and -itis. I always get them confused, myself. I've never experienced the more serious infection, just the chronic-discomfort condition.

Roughage is not the problem per se. Bran, lettuce, etc, are entirely beneficial. The problems arise only with foods that not only contain cellulose, etc., but also nuts and seeds. Anything that remains solid (i.e., has not not turned entirely to mush) by the time it reaches the problem area (the very end of the lower intestine) will trigger the undesirable reaction. And it doesn't matter how tiny the solid bits may be ~ strawberry seeds, miniscule as they may be, really raise havoc. Of course, they're little, but there are lots of them, even in a small serving (even in a single strawberry).

I'm not sure how exact a diagnosis "Irritable Bowel Syndrome" may be. Before I was ever told about diverticu-whatever, I was told I "seemed to be" suffering from "some kind of" IBS. Well, the kind I have is different from various other kinds, and the appropriate treatment/regimen for my condition is completely different than the right answer for a person reacting to a different cause (such as, say, artificial sweetener).

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 01:04 PM

SRS - I had the same sort of problem with Aspartame quite a few years back - at the time the manufacturers of Nutrasweet were still insisting that there was no empirical evidence to back up reported problems and that the stuff was 100% safe.

All I know is if I ingest the stuff I know it pretty fast and it can take days to get it out of my system.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 12:41 PM

Liz is right, Guinness has the same result as cyanide, Porridge, thick and boiled with water, is the right remedy.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: JennyO
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 10:49 AM

Oh no! Say it ain't so, Liz!!

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 04:59 AM

As can..... shudder..... alcohol! Apparently Guinness is a particularly bad one....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Crystal
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 04:58 AM

Buffalo milk in place of cows milk can help. Also finding and identifying foods which trigger it so you can avoid them. Processed foods can be part of the problem so look at them first.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 04:57 AM

I take Colpermin which makes my life a lot easier, and the morning visit to the throne room much more pleasant. Colpermin
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 04:12 AM

Poppagator - interesting to hear your view on diverticulosis. Both Manitas and my mother have this condition, and both have been told to eat lots of roughage.

(For those who get confused, diverticulosis is the condition of having little pockets in the large intestine, diverticulitis is the condition of inflamation in those little pockets).

For the IBS, this site has some useful tips & info about it. It was recommended to me by a work colleague who is an IBS sufferer and controls hers by diet (she's a vegetarian) and takes those friendly bacteria yoghurt drinks to aid the flora in the gut that make digestion a happy experience.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 03:55 AM

Good old Porridge is the answer,no kidding, it`s as good as two of sand and three of cement, the Coconut was also the remedy for an old friend, I won`t tell you where he put it.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 12:06 AM

You might try oatmeal.....lots of mucilage (sp?) in it to help the bowel function. Also, back off on drinking lots of liquids except water. Excess liquids can cause diaharrea.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:10 PM

Stop drinking diet soft drinks that contain "Nutrasweet" (aspartame) and avoid any foods with it. I thought I was coming down with an irritable bowel, and out of curiosity stopped the Diet Coke. It didn't take long for my symptoms to disappear, and if I accidentally get nutrasweet now, it hits me hard and fast. A good substitute, if you still want diet foods, is to find stuff with Splenda.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,Dr.
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:09 PM

drink lots of farmhouse cider

and eat lots of jars of pickled eggs and onions

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 07:30 PM

I've got a bowel problem that was not correctly dignosed for years, and which turned out to be diverticulitis.

All I have to do is avoid eating nuts and seeds and I'm OK. If I eat the wrong stuff, the result is like having diarrhea and constipation at the same time. I'll spare the gory details, but if anyone wants details via PM (no pun intended), I'll oblige.

Before I learned what was really going on, I would try to help myself by eating maximum roughage, including lots of the very stuff that made my condition worse (e.g., coarse heavy bread with plenty of seeds and wheatberries, etc.)

The condition has to do with having small "potholes" in the lining of the lower intestine. When little hard things get lodged in these pockets, your autonomic nervous system thinks you have to "go," even when there's nothing there, or when what's there is not fully processed and therefore not really ready to be excreted.

I have looked up internet resources that say the traditional advice to avoid nuts and seeds is outdated and false. Don't believe it ~ I know what happens to me when I eat that stuff and when I don't.

The toughest things to give up have been strawberries, tomatoes, popcorn, and corn-on-the-cob.

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Pauline L
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 07:01 PM

Bobert, WebMD is a very useful website with accurate information in terms laypeople can understand about many medical conditions. I recommend it to learn about whatever ails you. Their information about IBS is here. Another good strategy is to go to www.nih.gov and follow the links to the medical condition you're interested in. I just did that and I found their IBS site. Better still, hire me. I'm science/medical writer and I've been unemployed for a long time. Writing samples are available on request. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: Bobert
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 06:44 PM

I don't want 1000's of hits, skipy... Just some good home remedies and this joint is mighty good with home remedies...

Thanks, mg...

Anyone else had luck with coconut?

Subject: RE: BS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Question?
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 06:33 PM

Look up coconut and IBS...specifically consider eating two coconut macaroons daily, Archway is the suggested brand but I suppose any good brand with lots of coconut would do. This has been suggested many times on coconut email list, and also in the outlaw pharmacist or whatever he is called.. mg