Organic Acacia
Soluble Fiber

The prebiotic fiber that reduces bloating & gas!

In this Issue...

Food & Recipes

Special Events

Rx News & Research

Ask Heather

About Us

Gut-directed hypnosis is one of the most effective ways to help relieve all IBS symptoms! Results can last more than 5 years.

	Tell a Friend about the IBS Newsletter!

Fennel Tummy Tea for IBS Bloating & Gas

Fennel has anti-spasmodic properties and it stimulates the production of gastric juices. Fennel tea is the best for relieving bloating and gas!

Get the IBS Diet Kit!

With Eating for IBS, plus organic fennel tea for bloating and gas, plus peppermint caps to prevent spasms and pain.
Take control of your IBS!

Get stable now ~
and stay that way!

Did you miss the latest
IBS newsletter and Poached Mango Chicken?

Past issues
are posted here!

The IBS Starter Kit!

Learn every way possible to successfully manage your symptoms!

With the First Year: IBS, an essential guide, plus Eating for IBS, plus Acacia Tummy Fiber to start stabilizing immediately!

Try Peppermint Caps

Peppermint Caps are the best for abdominal spasms, cramps and pain!

Heat Therapy for IBS
Hot packs can help prevent stress-related attacks!

Delicious Recipes
for IBS!

Learn how to eat well and feel better

Try Heather's
Peppermint Tummy Tea

Peppermint is a smooth muscle relaxant and has pain-killing properties. Our tea is large leaf with a high volatile oil content - much stronger than tea bags!

IF YOUR NEWSLETTER IS HARD TO READ OR IF THE LINKS DON'T WORK,
Please copy and paste this address into your browser window:
http://www.helpforibs.com/news/newsletter/macheese042804.html

April 28, 2004

This week ~ Mac & Cheese!

Hello to everyone -

Welcome to a very special edition of the IBS Newsletter! This week I'm thrilled to announce two new moderators on the IBS Diet Message Board, JenX and Angylroses. JenX has written the wonderful (and instantly famous) Information for Newbies post on the board, and Angylroses is spearheading the Las Vegas IBS Fall Sprawl!

If you're new to the IBS community, you should know that all of our moderators are incredible people, who go far above and beyond the call of duty to help others with IBS learn how to sucessfully manage the disorder. Today's newsletter has several special features that simply wouldn't be possible without these moderators and the terrific work they do. Curious? Just keep reading to learn all about it!

Best Wishes,
Heather Van Vorous

Note: Did a friend send you this newsletter? Sign up here for your own free subscription.

Kree's Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Makes 4-6 servings

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 cups OR 2 1/3 cups shredded cheddar soy cheese (depending on how cheesy you'd like it!)
1/4 cup Egg Beaters OR 2 organic egg whites
1 1/2 cups soy milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp non-hydrogenated soy margarine (such as Soy Garden or Organic Spectrum)
Fresh or storebought breadcrumbs
Soy parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions until al dente (tender, but firm).
3. Drain macaroni and pour into 9" x 5" baking dish.
4. Add soy cheese, Egg Beaters/egg whites, soy milk, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly.
5. Dot with margarine and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and soy parmesan.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until it is well-melted and the top is slightly browned.

If you like a zestier mac 'n cheese, and you can tolerate hot peppers, try a few drops of hot sauce on top!

Looking for an all-American dessert to go with this dinner? It's hard to beat TessLouise's famous Anti-Depressant brownies, featured in one of our most popular previous newsletters. TessLouise is the original IBS Recipe Board moderator!

Thanks to Kree, our other fabulous IBS Recipe Board moderator, for her incredible Macaroni and Cheese! For IBS recipe questions and answers (plus oodles of delicious ideas), come visit the IBS Recipe Board.

If you're searching for one particular recipe, check the IBS Recipe Index, an incredible resource compiled by Mags, our graciously indefatigable IBS Diet Board moderator!

Are you just learning how to eat for IBS? A little intimidated at the thought of special IBS recipes? Not quite sure just what makes these recipes special in the first place? Don't worry! Come see the IBS Diet pages, and find the answers to all your questions.

Help Us Pass A Restroom Rights Bill!
Jill Sklar, our wonderful Crohn's & Colitis Board moderator, is working to pass a law in the state of Michigan that will make it illegal to deny access to a bathroom. The language of the bill, which is soon to be proposed by State Rep. Andy Meisner, is posted below. Anyone who is a resident of Michigan is strongly, strongly urged to contact their state legislators and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. You can find out who your legislator is by calling Brian Mingus in Andy's Mesiner's office at (517) 373-0478. This law would be of tremendous benefit to anyone with IBS or IBD, so please help out if you're from Michigan! If the law is successfully passed, we'll try to spearhead similar movements in all 50 states.

The legislation is:

A bill to provide for restroom access for persons with certain medical conditions; to provide immunity from liability for permitting restroom access; and to prescribe penalties.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1. As used in this act:

(a) "Customer" means an individual who is lawfully on the premises of a retail establishment.

(b) "Doctor" means a licensed doctor of medicine or a licensed doctor of osteopathic medicine and surgery.

(c) "Eligible medical condition" means Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, any other inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or any other medical condition that requires immediate access to a toilet facility.

(d) "Retail establishment" means a place of business open to the general public for the sale of goods or services.

Sec. 2. A retail establishment that has a toilet facility for its employees shall allow a customer to use that facility during normal business hours if all of the following are met:

(a) The customer requesting the use of the employee toilet facility suffers from an eligible medical condition or utilizes an ostomy device.

(b) Two or more employees of the retail establishment are working at the time of the customer requests use of the employee toilet facility.

(c) The customer provides the retail establishment with a copy of a statement on a prescription form that indicates the customer suffers from an eligible medical condition or utilizes an ostomy device, signed by a doctor.

(d) The retail establishment does not normally make a restroom available to the public.

(e) The employee toilet facility is not located in an area where providing access would create an obvious health or safety risk to the customer or an obvious security risk to the retail establishment.

(f) A public restroom is not immediately accessible to the customer.

Sec. 3. A retail establishment or an employee of a retail establishment is not civilly liable for any act or omission in allowing a customer to use an employee toilet facility that is not a public restroom if the act or omission meets all of the following:

(a) It is not willful or grossly negligent.

(b) It occurs in an area of the retail establishment that is not accessible to the public.

(c) It results in an injury to or death of the customer or any individual other than an employee accompanying the customer.

Sec. 4. A retail establishment or an employee of a retail establishment that violates section 2 is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $100.

Sec. 5. A retail establishment is not required to make any physical changes to an employee toilet facility under this act.

Did You Hear About the Las Vegas IBS Fall Sprawl?
If you missed the last newsletter, you might not know that the countdown has started for the very first IBS Las Vegas Fall Sprawl! Members of our amazing IBS community are planning the first annual get-together, and they'll be taking Vegas by storm on the weekend of October 15-18, 2004. Who is "they", exactly? Why, the fabulous and friendly folks on the HelpForIBS.com message boards and members of this very newsletter...so that includes you!

They think it would be wonderful to meet in person and have a little (or a whole lot) of fun in Las Vegas, so pack your soluble fiber and come hang out! They're still in the early stages of planning, and more information will be coming your way as events unfold. The IBS Fall Sprawl is being coordinated by three wild-n-crazy gals from the boards: Jen, Kandee, and Mags. If you would be interested in attending the Fall Sprawl (or if you just have questions), drop by the Vegas message board. Please note that these three wonderful women are doing all of the coordinating for this event. Though I definitely hope to be able to attend, I'm not directly involved in any of the planning, and I'm not sponsoring the event, so please direct all questions and comments to the Vegas board; I won't be able to personally answer any concerns about this subject.

Disclaimer: Though I'm delighted to announce the Vegas get-together, and to host the Vegas message board forum, the IBS Fall Sprawl is being organized and run by members of the IBS message board community completely independently of HelpForIBS.com and Heather & Company for IBS, LLC. I cannot warranty or guarantee any outcome or success of this event. Please direct all inquiries about the event to members of the Las Vegas forum.

Hypnosis Treatment for Severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Hypnosis improves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the mechanism is unknown. Possible physiological and psychological mechanisms were investigated in two studies. Patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome received seven biweekly hypnosis sessions and used hypnosis audiotapes at home. All central IBS symptoms improved substantially from treatment in both studies. Somatization and psychological distress showed large decreases. In conclusion, hypnosis improves IBS symptoms through reductions in psychological distress and somatization. Improvements were unrelated to changes in the physiological parameters measured. Check here for more information about this study...

Hypnosis May Help Non-Responsive Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients
In patients with irritable bowel syndrome that does not respond to other treatments, hypnotherapy appears to be able to reduce colon symptoms after eating, according to Swedish researchers. Twenty-eight patients with irritable bowel syndrome that had not responded to other treatments were randomly assigned to receive gut-directed hypnotherapy 1 hr/week for 12 weeks or supportive therapy (control subjects).

Hypnotherapy patients were given suggestions in the hypnotic state directed at normalizing gastrointestinal function, and encouraged to practice their "hypnotic skills" at home between sessions. At study entry and at 3 months, the patients underwent a series of tests to determine colon function. All patients had similar function at the start of the trial. After the treatment period, the hypnotherapy patients but not the control patients had lower responses on tests of colon sensitivity.

Based on their findings, the investigators conclude that hypnotherapy reduces the sensory and motor components of the gastrocolonic response in irritable bowel syndrome. They reasoned that this could be one of perhaps several factors responsible for the good clinical efficacy of this treatment modality in these patients. Check here for more information...

Curious about trying self-hypnosis for IBS? Learn all about how and why it works, then come ask any questions on our IBS Hypnotherapy Board, moderated by the amazingly knowledgable (and devastatingly handsome!) Shawn Eric.

Probiotics and Prebiotics in Gastrointestinal Disorders
This review summarizes the clinical efficacy of probiotics and prebiotics in gastrointestinal disorders and examines the mechanisms of action related to their therapeutic effect. Recent findings demonstrate that immune and epithelial cells can discriminate between different microbial species has extended the known mechanism(s) of action of probiotics beyond simple barrier and antimicrobial effects. It has also been confirmed that probiotic bacteria modulate mucosal and systemic immune activity and epithelial function. The progressive unraveling of these mechanisms of action has led to new credence for the use of probiotics and prebiotics in clinical medicine. Level I evidence now exists for the therapeutic use of probiotics in infectious diarrhea in children, recurrent Clostridium difficile-induced infections and postoperative pouchitis. Level II evidence is emerging for the use of probiotics in other gastrointestinal infections, prevention of postoperative bacterial translocation, irritable bowel syndrome, and in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. Nevertheless, one consistent feature has emerged over the past year: Not all probiotic bacteria have similar therapeutic effects. Future clinical trials will need to incorporate this fact into trial planning and design.

This study summarized that the use of probiotics and prebiotics as therapeutic agents for gastrointestinal disorders is rapidly moving into the mainstream. Mechanisms of action explain the therapeutic effects and randomized, controlled trials provide the necessary evidence for their incorporation into the therapeutic armamentarium. Check here for more information...

No Link Apparent Between IBS and Celiac Disease
The results of a study of local residents by researchers at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, show no association between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and celiac disease. There have been reports of a particularly high prevalence of celiac disease in patients with IBS, Dr. G. Richard Locke III and colleagues note in the April issue of the Mayo Clinical Proceedings. They also point out that serological testing offers a sensitive and specific means of identifying celiac disease.

To investigate, the researchers conducted a case-control study, and one hundred fifty subjects were evaluated. Overall, 50 had IBS, 24 had dyspepsia and 15 had both conditions. However, serological testing showed no significant difference in celiac disease distribution among groups. In all, two controls tested positive for celiac disease (2.6%), as did two subjects with IBS (4.0%) and two with dyspepsia (5.9%). Celiac disease, the team concludes, "did not explain the presence of either IBS or dyspepsia in these subjects."

"Our study," Dr. Locke added, "shows that celiac disease is an uncommon cause of IBS symptoms in the community." Check here for more information...

Yoga Bests Conventional Treatment for IBS Diarrhea
This study was conducted to evaluate the comparative effect of yogic and conventional treatment in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in a randomized control design. The conventional group was given symptomatic treatment with loperamide, and the yogic intervention group consisted of a set of 12 asanas (yogic poses), and pranayama (right-nostril breathing) two times a day for 2 months. All participants were tested at three regular intervals and were investigated for bowel symptoms, autonomic symptoms, autonomic reactivity and state anxiety. Two months of both conventional and yogic intervention showed a significant decrease of bowel symptoms and state anxiety. This was accompanied by an increase in electrophysiologically recorded gastric activity in the conventional intervention group and enhanced parasympathetic reactivity, as measured by heart rate parameters, in yogic intervention group. The study indicates a beneficial effect of yogic intervention over conventional treatment in diarrhea-predominant IBS. Check here for more information...

Curious about how to begin a yoga practice for IBS? Come visit the IBS Yoga Board, moderated by our expert (and empathetic!) YogaTeacher.

Looking for the latest IBS research and news?
Check out the IBS Research Library!

Sick and tired of IBS? Drop by the Living Room, our neighborhood meeting place and happy home for all non-IBS discussions. When you simply need to take a break, come visit this friendly forum, moderated by our own delightful Ruchie!

What are some IBS-safe snacks I can eat when I'm in a hurry?
This is a question that I get asked A LOT! People are always looking for fast and easy snacks, pre-packaged foods they can grab on the run, and safe foods that will be at their fingertips when they're in a hurry. So, I am just ticked pink to announce:

Our fabulous IBS Diet Board moderator HanSolo has compiled a big list of everyone's favorite quick and easy snacks that are safe for IBS. Ta-Dah!

The complete list will be updated regularly as people add their own suggestions, and the list will always be posted right here on the IBS Diet Board. Here's what we have so far:

Crackers
- Rice thins, Rice crackers
- Graham crackers
- Arrowroot crackers (make sure they're dairy free)
- Animal crackers (make sure they're dairy free)
- Fat free saltines

Cereals
- Heather's Honey Chex Mix
- Barbara's Bakery Puffins Cereal
- Honeycomb
- Rice Chex
- Corn Chex
- Crispix
- Cheerios
- Kix
- Barbara's Bakery Shredded Spoonfuls

Bars
- Nature's Choice Multi Grain Cereal Bars (cherry flavour)
- Zone brand Apple Cinnamon Bar, Chocolate Raspberry Bar
- Luna bars

Chips, etc.
- Baked Lay's
- Baked Tostitos
- Pretzels
- Rice cakes
- Quakes
- Sakata Salt and Vinegar Baked Crisps
- Kellogg's Apple Jacks
- Bachman's Pretzel Twists
- Quaker brand Mini Rice Cakes
- Baked Ruffles

Cookies
- Fortune cookies
- Peek Freans brand "Nice" cookies
- Newman's Own organic cookies
- Second generation alphabet cookies, ginger sandwich cookies
- Carr's brand Biscuits for Tea
- Trader Joe's Meringue cookies
- Uncle Eddie's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Nilla wafers

Soy
- Genisoy Apple Cinnamon Soy Crisps
- Soy chips
- Provamel Soya Desserts (vanilla) Bars
- Dairy Free Cliff Bars
- Dr. Soy brand Soynuts
- Glenny brand Soy Crisps
- Belsoy brand soy pudding cups (vanilla, chocolate)

Safe Bread/Rolls
- Peanut Butter Roll-Ups (soft tortilla with 1 tsp peanut butter, rolled up)

Fruits and Vegetables
- Betty Crocker brand Fruit Roll-Ups (strawberry sensation)
- Veggie Stix
- Dried Papaya
- Mott's Health Harvest Applesauce
- Mott's Fruitsations individual size applesauce cups

Drinks
- Your favourite herbal tea in a thermos
- Cranberry Juice in individual size containers (ie. juice boxes, bottles, etc.) - make sure they're cranberry juice ONLY

Please take your own tolerances for things like high fructose corn syrup and trace amounts of dairy into account when choosing a pre-packaged food, and always read the ingredients so you know what you're eating!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Han!

- Heather

If you're new to the IBS newsletter, we just wrapped up the Seven Sneaky Deadly Sins of the IBS Diet. Wondering what they all are? Check here...

1. Coffee (yes, decaf counts)
2. Yogurt (it's the safest dairy product for IBS...isn't it?)
3. Alcohol (just one glass of wine is okay, right?)
4. Vitamin supplements (they're good for you, aren't they?)
5. No insoluble fiber foods (they're triggers, so you just don't eat them, right?)
6. Too low a dosage of soluble fiber supplements
7. Not drinking enough water (doesn't soda pop count?)

Heather & Company for IBS, LLC is dedicated to serving people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Our mission is to provide education, support, and products that allow people with IBS to successfully manage their symptoms through lifestyle modifications.

We offer extensive information and tangible help for IBS, including the world's best-selling and best-reviewed books for the disorder. We provide the internet's top IBS web site resources; a twice-monthly IBS Newsletter; seminars and classes; dietary brochures for patient distribution by health care professionals; an IBS Research Library; and Heather Cooks!, a healthy cooking show on Seattle television. Much of our work is based on Heather's development of the first and only comprehensive IBS dietary guidelines and recipes, an achievement which has earned numerous awards and accolades as well as thousands of thank you letters from IBS sufferers.

Heather & Company also provides the only patient-expert moderated IBS Message Boards on the internet with forums for diet, recipes, hypnotherapy, yoga, plus Crohn's and Colitis. In addition, we support and coordinate the formation and continuation of local in-person IBS support groups across the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. We will soon have other IBS services and products available.

Our website receives over 2 million visits each year, and our newsletter is sent to over 22,000 people. We are regular exhibitors at the Digestive Disease Week and American Dietetic Association conferences.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the message boards and this newsletter for companies and/or products that have been legitimately established as helpful for digestive disorders. Please contact us for information.

You are receiving this email because you have expressed interest in IBS news and information.

To unsubscribe from Heather's IBS Newsletter, click here http://www.helpforibs.com/news/unsub.asp or send an email to heather@helpforibs.com.

If you are viewing this newsletter on a website and would like to subscribe for email delivery, please "Join the IBS Newsletter" here.

ANTI-SPAM PRIVACY POLICY

LEGAL DISCLAIMER - This email is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Any application of the recommendations in this email is at the reader's discretion. Heather Van Vorous and Heather & Company for IBS, LLC are not liable for any direct or indirect claim, loss or damage resulting from use of this email and/or any web site(s) linked to/from it. Readers should consult their own physicians concerning the recommendations in this email.