IBS?

[little frog]

so i've been diagnosed with IBS again, on top of the celiac. They're sending me to a GI specialist, which i know from experience will be a useless waste of time, but to make my employer happy, i'm going.

i would love to know what the naturopathic approach to IBS is, esp if you can't eat wheat. thoughts?

[Rionach aka Spec K]

lay off the anal sex :lmao:

no, but seriously - just really watch what you eat - limit (eliminate?) most sugars, cheese (dairy), red meats, alcohol

have you done the whole food diary thing?

[TEO]

This is a topic I have not covered with any of my "natural healers." For now, much love, courage & strength. :heart:

[little frog]

i have already eliminated all the foods that cause bad reactions .. i have no problems with dairy foods, i eat very little red meat, or any meat these days. many of the conventional thoughts here didn't work for me, like eating tons of wheat fiber, that almost killed me.

i've had this all my life, just looking for anyone with it and how they cope daily, what do they do when it flares up (wondering if there's something i'm not doing already)

btw .. anal sex with a right oil is actually soothing ;)

[sums]

marshmallow root tea. seriously good stuff. make it really strong :thup:

probiotics (i know you're already taking those :heart: )

lemme do some more thinking about it...

[sums]

this looks like a really good site:

http://www.helpforibs.com/news/newsletter/052405.html

[sums]

aloe juice would be good too :thup:

[little frog]

the tea and the aloe juice are both something i want to try. i drink ginger tea (fresh) and that helps too

[Bonsai]

Are you on any meds that cause digestive side effects?

I had horrendous stomach issues for a while that went away as soon as I went off a certain medication.

[little frog]

i don't take any pharmaceuticals if i can help it, advil sometimes and otc allergy meds. i refuse to take chemicals unless really really necessary.

[Bonsai]

i don't take any pharmaceuticals if i can help it, advil sometimes and otc allergy meds. i refuse to take chemicals unless really really necessary.

I figured as much. It seems like you're pretty holistic.

That is such a conundrum. From what I've read, doctors are pretty clueless about IBS so I think pursuing some of the natural remedies is the only way to go.

[little frog]

an IBS diagnosis is the second most useless diagnosis you can get, right after, we have no idea what's wrong with you. basically it means, we have no idea what's wrong with your digestive system, at least they've narrowed down what they have no idea about.

so yeah, the holistic approach has been much more useful than anything medical science has tried to offer. i have a theory that many humans simply cannot tolerate the chemical cocktail we are bombarded with daily, i'm affected in my digestive area because it's the weakest part of my system.

[Bonsai]

i have a theory that many humans simply cannot tolerate the chemical cocktail we are bombarded with daily, i'm affected in my digestive area because it's the weakest part of my system.

I've thought this before as well. It's funny how it seems the two organs that have been hardest to figure out are the stomach and the brain. It seems like there are some significant links between the two.

[Elphaba]

fresh, ripe pineapple.

[china cat]

an IBS diagnosis is the second most useless diagnosis you can get, right after, we have no idea what's wrong with you. basically it means, we have no idea what's wrong with your digestive system, at least they've narrowed down what they have no idea about.

so yeah, the holistic approach has been much more useful than anything medical science has tried to offer. i have a theory that many humans simply cannot tolerate the chemical cocktail we are bombarded with daily, i'm affected in my digestive area because it's the weakest part of my system.

I'm going through the same exact thing. going to a specialist in a few weeks but it feels more like "i have no clue so i'm passing the buck.." -Dr. Useless

[Jam Fan]

my best friend from high school has suffered with IBS for like 15 years.
he chew papaya/pineapple enzymes with everything he eats now.
he is also on some doctor's meds, but says that the enzymes help a lot.


http://deathknight.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/chick.png

[TEO]

Another thread reminded me, have you tried colonics from a qualified practioner?
I went to one in Northhampton in conjunction with some liver cleanses. She has used them to overcome a lifetime of IBS and something a bit more severe. (At that point in time, she was symptom free, as long as she maintained the proper diet.)

[little frog]

colonics? i'm willing to try a number of alternative treatments. i really have it under control most of the time, but it does interfere with my life. my mother's whole family has this, plus diabetes and ulcers.

and again, i've had this all my life, not just a few years. i've always had tummy trouble, since i was a baby, and i'm sure 'modern medicine' was the trigger, telling my mother back in the 60's that breast milk was inferior to formula.

[TEO]

I'll see if I can dig up her contact info, and hopefully a website.

[little frog]

can someone tell me how to stomach the taste of aloevera juice :undecided:

[TEO]

I like to think of it as being similar to doing a shot of tequila.

[Amethyst]

try an anti-inflammatory diet!

Aloe juice is good.. if you can get it down.. I can't...

There is a great book for this..but I cant think of the name of it for the life of me.... I'll get back to you!

[Jam Fan]

can someone tell me how to stomach the taste of aloevera juice :undecided:

i use a flavored one from Gary Null

[little frog]

I like to think of it as being similar to doing a shot of tequila.

if it made me drunk i'd be all over how bad that tastes. :)

what is the anti-inflammatory diet? interesting

thanks on the heads up on flavored AV juice .. i'll check that out.

[Elphaba]

i don't have ibs, but here are some links to the basis of the anti-inflammatory diet that i follow for my neuropathy issue. fresh, ripe pineapple is supposed to be good for digestive issues also.

http://www.thedietchannel.com/Anti-Inflammatory-Diets.htm

http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/a/antiinflamfood.htm

[little frog]

thanks handy .. i was looking them over and as it turns out i already eat that way everyday. :)

[sarah b.]

Chinese medicine can help (in the phone book under Acupuncture; if you look into it, someone who is certified in herbs, as well as classical Asian medicine, will have more training than someone without the additional knowledge of Chinese herbs [some of which are also used by western herbalists, some of which aren't, due to what grows where in the world]). If you want more info on this, feel free to holler, and I'll send you some links to stuff licensed practicioners who know more than me on the topic (which isn't difficult) have written.

[irieday]

Pure peppermint oil has always helped me with my past IBS symptoms.

[vinandtonic]

ah, the joys of IBS. :rolleyes: peppermint tea usually helps when I know I'm about to have an attack or one has already started.

where can you get aloe juice?

[Jam Fan]

i buy Gary Null brand from Vitamin Shoppe. but i've seen canned at grocery stores.

[vinandtonic]

great, thanks!

[twirly jill]

an IBS diagnosis is the second most useless diagnosis you can get, right after, we have no idea what's wrong with you. basically it means, we have no idea what's wrong with your digestive system, at least they've narrowed down what they have no idea about.

so yeah, the holistic approach has been much more useful than anything medical science has tried to offer. i have a theory that many humans simply cannot tolerate the chemical cocktail we are bombarded with daily, i'm affected in my digestive area because it's the weakest part of my system.

when i was having my tummy problems a few years ago, i went through pretty much the same thing. they wanted to give me meds for crohn's disease. the doc's theory was that if my symptoms disappeared, i had crohn's. i told that doctor to get bent, bc i was not going to take some med to see if i had a particular disorder. she had never dealt with someone like me, who didn't think she was a god and just follow her blindly.

as for the aloe vera juice, i'm pretty sure george's is the brand i used to use back then, completely flavorless and oderless. i'd have to see it to remember. if you go to a local health food store, i'm sure someone there would be able to help you find it.

[HoopsTer]

Alison, I learned this past weekend that a hot water bottle on your tummy can help soothe IBS sufferers! I know, it sounds silly, but IBS is caused by inflamation of the lower intestine and colon. Everyone knows that inflamation is blood and fluid collecting in a certain area. When you place a hot water bottle on your tummy/lower abdomen the blood in that area gravitates toward the warmth and this helps to ease the inflamation so your lower intestine and colon can start working again! Simple and amazing, right?

[little frog]

so, since i took the iud out my ibs symptoms are disappearing .. odd

[HoopsTer]

I just got my Natural News update from Mike Adams (love him!!)

There's a good article in there on Omega 3s and inflamation.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025518.html