I wouldn't knock it until you try it. We all have to remember to be objective about what we read and be open minded about solutions for our problems. For example, not everyone can tolerate acacia, yet it is one of the things suggested on these boards.
I've seen Augie posting on here for months looking for answers, obviously the Eating for IBS diet isn't working for her. I feel terrible every time I see her messages because no matter how hard she tries she isn't relieved of her pain. I think it's great that people can come onto these message boards and bounce ideas off each other, because we all know our family doctors and specialists are not a lot of help. I am also much more willing to take on a plan that has future goals of allowing me to eat what I want without fear and not having to eat like a rabbit for the rest of my life.
You say in your opinion the 1/2 SF is safer, but have you tried eating more IF? I was skeptical too at first but was very happy to see how well they agreed with me. I think sometimes we become so afraid of upsetting our stomach that we baby it too much and don't provide it with what it needs to function properly. I would also like to point out that I was not trying to combine the two plans, I was just providing different information. This may not have occured to you but the colon is muscle, and we all know that any muscle that isn't properly exercised will hurt when used past its capacity. In effect the cleanse was helping to strengthen the colon so it was strong enough to work on it's own.
FYI - after too many days of holiday celebrations, I fell into the deep fatique that always follows a poor diet, and all it took was one meal that followed my naturopath's suggestions to give me back my energy and flat tummy.
When it comes down to it we're all on here to help ourselves and each other. I've spent over $200 on appointments with the naturopath plus the cost of supplements and groceries, and I thought I would do everyone a favour by posting the information I paid dearly for so they could see for themselves what their other options might be. No matter what we are all eating for IBS, however we choose, it doesn't mean we that we have to succumb to a diet of white bread and applesauce for the rest of our lives. I say this with no disrespect for Heather, she has done amazing work to help so many people, but there are usually more than one way to solve a problem and we shouldn't be so quick to reject an alternate solution.