The IBS information on this site has kept irritable bowel syndrome from ruining my life. It also contains information about IBS that others have used to greatly improve their lives, or even cure IBS symptoms. Maybe it can help you too!
How long did you have the bloating, diarrhea or constipation of IBS?
And how long before you got an IBS diagnosis?
Most people search for years before finding a name for it. Doctors run test after expensive test, until you start to lose hope of finding any relief.
But many people believe that a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a catch-all for “We can’t figure out what’s going on inside you.”
There are usually some vague recommendations about fiber and avoiding fatty foods, maybe a pamphlet with a little IBS information, and off you go.
Home. To the Bathroom.
I want you to know, that can change.
Living With IBS Doesn’t Have to Mean Misery.
There are plenty things you can do to help IBS symptoms. There are plenty of people that have even found ways to completely eliminate IBS symptoms. What they needed was good information about irritable bowel syndrome.
And there is plenty of IBS information out there.
Finding real help can be a challenge though. There are a lot of sites with all kinds of IBS information. Some sites are too technical, others are too jumbled.
Some are giant advertisements for a product.
“All you have to do is buy product X and your troubles are over.”
Unfortunately, solving this puzzle is a little more complicated than that.
BUT YOU CAN DO IT. The pages of this site have IBS information to help you.
A Lot of People Have IBS.
You’re not alone.
I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My wife has it. As many as 1 person out of 5 has IBS symptoms.
It took me a while to find out what was giving me so much abdominal pain and bloating, along with a host of other symptoms. I read the books and the latest research about causes of irritable bowel syndrome. I experimented with elimination diets and alternative therapies. I dug in seeking any IBS information out there that could help.
I put the pieces together over months and years, and finally got relief.
I put together this IBS information site, so that you can get some relief too.
So look around. And don’t give up!
You can find out more information about IBS symptoms and what causes IBS, or better yet, proceed to the IBS First Steps page.
Hey Shawn,
Just wanted to say that I think it is fantastic that you are spreading the news about the impact of food on our bodies. The more information we give to the general public, the greater the awareness. Awareness gives us choices which means that we stop buying products that impact us and therefore leaving manufacturers with no alternative but to change how they do things if they want their products to sell. Food intolerance symptoms can be reduced by looking at our food choices and then healing the body using food.
I am an advocate of raw food and food for healing once you know what it is you are dealing with.
Regards, Eileen.
Thanks Eileen,
I think I need to learn more about raw food. Thanks for that tip.
It’s ancient knowledge that “you are what you eat” but somehow many people forget that.
Regards,
Shawn
Shawn,
Re Annatto, I have a comprehensive list of foods with annatto on my website.
I also have the Letter to the Editor and the Editorial response by Martin H. Floch, MD, published by Yale University at http://www.ibsnomore.com
It’s easy to try an elimination diet of no annatto for 72 hours. If your IBS symptoms go away and you have a “normal” one, it could be your trigger food.
Carrageenan is my newist discovery: I believe that
carrageenan, not lactose/dairy, could be the cause of the lactose intolerance and not the lactose. Try to find dairy without it now! It wasn’t always this way. I grew up on pure milk and only recently react to dairy. This includes some yogurt and cottage cheese. When I omit carrageenan I reliably don’t get diarrhea. I would love to hear from people if this is true for them.
Thank you, Shawn, for this terrific web site.
need to edit the previous reply to read “could be the cause of lactose intolerance diagnosis”.
Hi Marlene, Thanks for the kind words and good information.
I’m quite interested in your proposal that carrageenan might be the cause of intestinal distress. I find that I get IBS symptoms when consuming most dairy products even if I use Lactaid or similar enzymes. I’ll look into it myself!
Shawn
Connection? More people than ever are now being prescribed anti-depressants to help them cope with the stresses of our modern life. They remove your depression by increasing the ‘feel good chemical’ – serotonin – in the brain. What most people are unaware of, is that only 5% of serotonin is found the brain.. while 95% resides in the gut! Hence why manufacturers warn about potential digestive problems. A very common factor to be aware of nowadays, when IBS is the diagnosis…
An excellent and well informed point Roy. I agree totally. I don’t see how tinkering with serotonin could NOT affect the bowels to some degree. Thanks again for your comments.