Worth Reading for IBS'ers

[Harry]

Hi,
I am trying to create an Infomation Archive so a person can just click on for information that is available for people with IBS:

[url]http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/0497web/gastro1.html[/url]

This is a good article from Johns Hopkins magazine. Feel free to add to this thread. Just make sure the addition doesn't contain advertising and follow the Posting Policy.

Harry


[This message has been edited by Harry (edited 08-14-2001).]

[Harry]

Yogurt with L. Acidophilus helps re-establish or keeps in balance your good intestinal bacteria(Flora).

Water soluble fiber absorbs water--makes your colon expand and function properly. Your Gastro Intestinal tract NEEDS FIBER to operate!!! A normal person really needs a combination of both soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber works to control constipation just as well as diarrhea. Insoluble fiber has a tendency to give me diarrhea--- things such as nuts, wheat bran, cauliflower. Psyllium seed husk that is the active ingredient in Metamucil, Konsyl, Equate(Wal Mart brand) and others--- is water soluble. Just make sure you drink enough water when taking it. It is a natural fiber so it does breakdown by intestinal bacteria, ferments and causes some gas when you first start using it. But --that soon goes away with continued use for most people.

All meat, seafood and dairy products contain NO Fiber.

Insoluble fiber makes your intestines contact to move digested food along and out. All fruit and veggies are insoluble. Also, nuts, seeds, the outer parts of grains, beans and peas.
Soluble fiber that absorbs fluids and bulks up your stool is all the root veggies--- like potatoes , sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, and Inulin that is chicory root. Also the inner part of all grains, beans and peas. The water solublble fiber supplements like psyllium, Citrucel, Benifiber, Fiber Choice.

Fibercon is considered an insoluble fiber.




[This message has been edited by Harry (edited 04-30-2002).]

[6th_sense]

Here's one more official website for the list: [url="http://www.aboutibs.org"]www.aboutibs.org[/url]

Cheers, Raju.

[Sarah68]

If you are on antibiotics for your stomach, remember to take some Acidophilus caps with them too, though at different times and on an empty stomach. The antiboitics will kill off alot of your good intestinal bacteria and could make your stomach worse. At least the Acidophilus will afford you some protection.

Celiac Sprue is a problem with breaking down and absorbing gluten that is present in wheat, barley, oats and rye. This is normally diagnosed via a blood test and an endoscopy to look into the small intestine. A biopsy is taken from here and that will be positve too. If you eat gluten, this will damage the villi of the small intestine, but once you cut out gluten, the damage resolves and it means that you will have to eat a gluten free diet for the rest of your life.

Celiac disease can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, weight loss and just a general feeling of lethargy and of being unwell.

[Harry]

Lactbacillus Acidophilus is a live active culture that has to get to your intestines to colonizes and work. It is destroyed by stomach acids so should be taken on an empty stomach so that more can survive the getting through the stomach. THat would be the time you have less stomach acids.

It should also be stored in the refrigerator because heat will also kill it.