>You left a message on the oasis IBS board in november 2002, they couldn't answer you back, your email didn't work, heres the message.
Dear Angel, > > It sounds like your IBS symptoms are quite severe. The first thing I would > suggest, of course, is that you see a good GP, and/or a nutritionist who can > assess your specific case - you may well have a food allergy or at least a > strong intolerance. Is there any particular type of food that you tend to > crave if you don't have it, or that you eat more than any other (e.g. > breads, pastas and cereals)? Have you always had problems putting on weight? > Did you have IBS as a child? > > I would be interested to know what you would normally eat over an average > day/ week. you say that you have 7 small meals/ snacks a day, but what do > those meals generally contain? Well done for drinking the statutory 8 > glasses of water a day. That definitely helps, and very few people manage to > make it a habit they stick to! > > I can't emphasise enough the importance of the first 3 suggestions on the > web site. Putting on weight may be your goal, but if you can manage your > symptoms and get your system working more harmoniously, then your body will > begin to be able to really absorb and make use of the nutrition you are > giving it, thus balancing out your weight. Simply based on what you have > written, I would suggest an elimination diet, both to give your system a > rest, a period of recovery, and also to try to identify which foods in > particular aggravate your symptoms. It also tends to allow the system to > clean and clear itself out gently. However, as I don't know your medical > history, and can't assess you properly over the Internet, I have to suggest > again that you see a qualified nutritional therapist. > > I have copied out below the main suggestions from the web site that I feel > are most important for your situation. These kind of steps are not "quick > fixes" and do take a bit of will power. Try to stick with them most of the > time for 3 or 4 weeks, and you may find they make a great difference to your > symptoms, which will allow your system to absorb the goodness of the food > you put into it, which should eventually lead to you being able to eat more > normally, and put on a little weight. > > *Increasing the intake of dietary fibre is one of the most consistently > successful treatments for IBS. Try to ensure that as much of this fibre as > possible is in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables, rather than wheat > grains, as a wheat intolerance may well be present. Eating some isn't enough - you need to eat lots! > > *Many nutritionists believe that food allergies or intolerances aggravate > IBS (some believe that they are actually the cause). As a result, it is a > good idea to avoid, for a period, the most common dietary allergens - dairy > products, wheat products, eggs, coffee, alcohol, spices and highly refined > foods (such as white sugar and fried foods). A good, whole-food, allergen > free diet (often called an "elimination" diet) should be followed for a week > or two. This would comprise a simple diet of lightly cooked vegetables, > fish, non-gluten grains (rice, millet, corn), perhaps lentils and beans, > plus seeds for the essential fat content. If symptoms have reduced, > introduce the potential allergens back into the diet one at a time, at the > rate of one every 2 or 3 days. Monitor symptoms for a reaction and worsening > after each food is re-introduced. If an allergen or intolerance is found, > avoid it for about a month. You might then wish to re-introduce it, but only > once or twice a week at most to avoid the intolerance building up again. You > may find that there are some items which will always cause a reaction and > should always be avoided, but others can be successfully re-introduced on a > small scale. > > *There may be an imbalance in the kind of bacteria in the intestines, so it > is a good idea to try to re-colonise the gut with "friendly" bacteria, by taking Lactobacillus supplements (about 2 million per day). > > I hope this is of help to you. Let us know how you get on, > > Kind Regards, > > Lynn Miles >
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