What do you find to be best treatment for irritable bowel?

[ohiolady]

I seem to have developed irritable bowel syndrome.  I'm wondering what the best treatment is, in particular, more natural treatments.  I do not want to take any additional meds.  Have any of you ever used peppermint tea?  Thanks in advance.

Anna

[missyb]

Ok I went round and round with this a few years back, to the GI Dr's, all the tests and xrays and pill after pill. When I stopped eating gluten about 75% of my problems went away. There are times when I can't resist some bread but I found that a natural protect called Digestive Advantage, IBS formula works wonders, as does a nightly cup of Get Regular tea from Yogi Tea, so I do occasionally indulge in some bread or cake like I did this weekend when we had company and I am OK as long as I don't get into a string of bad indulgences! LOL

[missyb]

also, drinking some Kefir on an empty stomach in the mornings also feels really good.

[wednesday mc haggis]

sinc ei went on the anti canddia diet...no yeast, sugar, preservatives and additives, and cut out gluten, my fibro and IBS have reolved, after 19 years of bloating  constipation/diarrhoea i wake every moring, have a normal stool, for me it was diet and now ive changed mines, i feel a whole lot better!

T x

[Scottietottie]

Hi Anna 

I think that diet's the way to control it too but I think different diets work for different people. I'd try keeping a food diary and see if the IBS is particularly bad after something specific or some group of foods.

The other thing would be to go on a very bland diet and then re-introduce foodstuffs and see what effect they had. Try to find your 'triggers' and eliminate them.

I have a friend whose daughter developed IBS when she was about 14. Her mother put her on a gluten free diet and she got considerably better. After about a year of the gluten free she was actually able to reintroduce some gluten and as long as she's sensible, she doesn't have to eat too strictly.

Personally, I found eating Activia Yogurt helped a lot. Was recommended by a friend. I was dubious because I didn't like the adverts. However, I tried it - and its helped me.

Take care - Scottie 

[cinmac]

Hi, Ask your doc about Konsyl.  It is a natural fiber product but I had tried tons of them and this one, recommended by my proctologist worked.  It can be used together with Miralax if need be.  One warning-it tastes like furniture polish smells and without a shaker it does not blend up well, but I chug it down anyway.  Start slow if you try it.  Your bowels didn't get tied up in a knot overnight and it takes a bit of time to for them to untangle.

Good luck.

They have it at Walmart here, but it is in Walgreens and Rite Aide too-just costs a bit more.

cinmac

[Calli66]

Konsyl works great for me, too. I get the unflavored kind. It's plain psyllium husk like metamusil, but for some reason (for me anyway) it works much better.

IBS----reading the forum "Help for IBS" http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=diet
Scroll down to the page numbers below the "stickies" to read the posts.

The founder of the site recommends acacia fiber to help stabilize both constipation and diarrhea. I have taken a heaping teaspoon of this powder in water every day for about 2 years, and I think it has really helped develop the right gut bacteria (it's a "pre-biotic"). I'm mostly stable now. The site author also recommends peppermint and fennel (you can get enteric capsules so they get down to the gut where they can do some good) for gas and bloating. These didn't do much for me, though.

Calli