I suffer really bad bouts of IBS, does anyone know of any natural remedies that I can try. I'm sick of popping pills that I don't think really work. My doctor is not very helpful and tells me not to eat spicy food or drink alcohol. I am quite a shy girl and don't like too much confrontation so I can't argue with him.
my girlfriend suffers with ibs for years, she isnt as bad now as she has found some foods which caused it the main ones were chocolate, coffee, cheese white bread and pasta, since she stopped eating these she doesnt really suffer. she is ok with spicy foods so i guess its different foods with different people, cant help you with remedies as she never used any but try and find out what foods start it off.
I have suffered with IBS for the past 7 years.. It got me really down for the first 3-4, popping 12 pills aday just to stay on me feet, it was hell.. Tried everything.. Nothing really worked, was always tired, felt bloated blah blah blah blah... You know the score. Saw my doctor who sent me for tests, read between the lines, they wanted to shove tubes down me throat and up me arse.. The best they could diagnose was either ghoul stones (spelling) or crones disease... This made me worse.. By a stoke of luck one of my customers I delivered to had suffered with the same as me, and she suggested going to see an alternative practioner.. Was a little sceptical to say the least, but it was the best thing I ever did.. The lady in question practices Kenesiology healing for health. What she basically did was through muscle relexes she asked my body what it was intolerant too, turns out i was intolerant to about 20 food groups, wheat, sugar, green veg to name a few. I visited her for about 2 months going once a week for a series of non neddle accupuncture sessions, I held / pressed certain area on my upper body and she presses / held certain area on my lower body.. After just two session i felt so much better, like a new person.. I have since sent three other prople to the same persona nd they have had the same result as me.. I know live a semi normal life with just the odd flair up after a heavy drink or too spicy fooded meal, but other than that everything else has stopped.. I strongly recomend you do a search in your area for some who practices this..
One thing she did suggest is I take before each meal a table called slipery elm, you can buy it from most health food stores, it helps digest you food easier..
Three years dow the line and I know very rarely get a flair up and haven't taken a table for about a month... And I'm not constantly looking for a loo either...
Good luck and hang in there.. Getting down is the worst you can do.. It won't beat you..
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I have just started drinking peppermint tea - it's an acquired taste but I was told that might help. It's not made much of a difference but i suppose I need to give it some time.
I too was subjected to many tests and was also told it may be gall? stones. I'm going to have a look for the practitioners in my area today, something needs to work! I'll also be heading out to the health food store at lunch time.
Thanks again for giving me new ideas on how to battle this, It's not fun when you are too worried about your stomach to go out with friends at the weekend.
Some other natural products worth consideration are:
- L Glutamine Powder
- Aloe Vera Juice
- Psyllium Husk
You may also want to consider taking a good quality probiotic and a full spectrum digestive enzyme product. The probiotic will help populate your digestive system with the friendly bacteria it needs (forget probiotic yoghurts and drinks, most of the bacteria is either dead or dies in your stomach before it has a chance to do any good).
The digestive enzymes will help you to digest your food properly and strip all the available nutritional value from it. As we age we produce less of these enzymes and so we increasingly find it difficult to breakdown food properly and get the full nutritional value from our food.
Some foods you should consider removing from your diet are:
- All dairy/lactose
- Wheat
- Gluten
- Caffeine
- Refined sugars (all sweets, chocolate, cakes, processed foods)
- Refined carbohydrates (pasta, white bread etc.)
- Yeast
- Fermented products such as vinegars, marmite
- Moulds (mushrooms)
- Alcohol
Also consider getting a food intolerance test done, or go on an elimination diet and begin to remove the above foods one by one to try and indentify the main culprits.
It's not going to be easy but it can be overcome through a sensible diet and identifying intolerances rather than throwing medication at it.
i've had similiar problems in the past, for me its the refined carbs that are the main culprits. For those that like milk on cereal, i'd recommend rice milk, its pretty nice stuff, its naturally sweet and I have it in everything but normal tea which I can't resist. Also try nettle tea, it takes a bit of getting used to but its really good for you.
I hate to plug the show but that mckeith lady is right, if your body is hurting, its what you are putting into it that's the problem. I used to get weekly stomach cramps which would knock me for 6, but since having a diet without most of the above food that Czar recommends cutting out I haven't had IBS for over 3 years.....
Hey, just saw this. Hope the peppermint tea is going well.
I have Crohn's myself, and use to take 16 pills a day. Now I take none, and I eat what I want (not complete crap though), although my specialist tells me no dairy, and no booze. Also, weight is better than ever. Cant give you a specific reason, but I would say stress is an important a factor as anything else from my experience. I play sports again, good job etc, and try to remain as relaxed about everything as possible.
When I push myself too hard, I do feel things creeping back, but far better than it use to be.
I just read the whole thread for some reason then realised I didn't really know what I was talking about. I could Google it but I'd prefer it from the horses mouth.
Well I'm not sure if it's all in my head but the peppermint tea seems to be working and helping with the digestion. My friend also has Crohn's disease and has a very limited diet but she swears by pep tea. I've cut out alcohol, bread and dairy and it seems to be having a great effect on the bloaty feeling (i looked about 6 months pregnant some mornings) and I am trying to stick to a bland diet until I can try to re introduce some stuff back in. I have lost a couple of pounds too, I'm not overweight but could maybe lose a couple more to make me a bit healthier. I still get really tired quickly but am trying to do more walking and swimming.
I suppose IBS sufferers have different symptoms but to my understanding the bowel does not work properly and has troubles passing food through, my doc calls it a sluggish bowel although I have heard that it is oversensitive to many things like fatty food, dairy and alcohol although what triggers it is different in everyone. I get alternate constipation and diarrhea? and lots of cramping and gas. I also have times where I feel like i need a toilet there and then and have to run, sometimes there is no need to though (if you understand without me getting graphic).
All your suggestions have been great and i will persivere until I can find the right balance for me.
IBS - Help
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