Food and herbal nutritional products » Digestion » Dr. Donohue: Many Treatments For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Dr. Donohue: Many Treatments For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
View PDF | Print View
by: Guest
Total views: 404 Word Count: 415
Q: I'm a 46-year-old woman who has suffered from digestive problems for many years. I have had X-rays, scans and scope exams, and nothing has been found to explain my stomach pain and elimination difficulties. Finally, the doctor has declared that I have irritable bowel syndrome. He has left me hanging. I have no idea of the diet I should follow, and I have been given no medications. What works?
A: Irritable bowel syndrome is seen daily in all doctor's offices. One striking sign is a three-month alteration in bowel movements - constipation, diarrhea or constipation alternating with diarrhea. Abdominal pain is another sign. Rectal passage of mucus is a frequent manifestation. Bloating and gaseousness are common problems. No blood test, no X-ray, no scan and no scope exam show anything is wrong.
IBS patients have to determine their own diet. Foods often found to be troublemakers include onions, celery, carrots, raisins, bananas, apricots, prunes, Brussels sprouts, pretzels and bagels. Eliminating these foods, one or two at a time, will allow you to see if they are upsetting your tract. Another worthwhile trial is steering clear of dairy products. Your digestive tract might not have enough of the lactase enzyme, needed to digest milk sugar.
Some home remedies can curtail IBS signs and symptoms. Many IBS patients find peppermint oil soothes their digestive tracts. So can the fiber psyllium. Two psyllium Metamucil and Fiberall. Some find that introducing good bacteria into the digestive tract is beneficial. Align, a product produced by Proctor and Gamble, contains the bacterium Bifidobacterium infantis and might work for you.
Lastly, Xifaxan, an antibiotic that's not absorbed, might ease your symptoms.
Q: It's impossible for me to lose any weight unless I go on a starvation diet. It's been this way all my life. I have to completely stop eating to get any loss of weight. When I start to eat again, the weight creeps back. My friends tell me this is a dangerous way to keep weight down. Why?
A: With starvation, the body turns to protein for its energy. Stored protein is muscle. Much of the weight you lose through such stringent dieting is muscle weight - not good. Yo-yo dieting - cyclical weight loss and weight gain - often produces a lowering of HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol and the kind that keeps arteries free of clogging buildup.
Dr. Paul Donohue appears Mondays. Write to him at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.
Additional information:
Active Digestive Enzymes for Probiotic Basics and Digestive Aid by
Nutrients - Milk , algae, baking soda
Digestive Enzymes , Natural Enzyme Supplements
Active Digestive Enzymes - $29.95 from Renewed Health Company
Digestive Enzymes - Beta-Gest Digestive Enzyme - Golden NeoLife
Nutrition and Health Articles - Ask Gay Riley: Your Questions Answered
Enzymes Help with Digestion And Help Long Term Digestive Health
Digestive Enzymes Supplements , Puritan's Pride
Super Digest and Alka Pan ( Digestive Enzymes ) - Gluten Free
Nutra-Life Health & Fitness: Australia & New Zealand - Digestive
Related "Digestion":
- HealthNews Dozen: 12 Top Foods That Boost Productivity
We live in a busy world. Days are consumed with ... - Alzheimer's Scary Link To Diabetes
NEURONAL SHIELD In this composite image of two ne ... - Good counsel: Listeria monocytogenes bacteria
Listeria monocytogenes is a very common bacteri ... - Herbs Spicy herbs for digestion
The ingredients are all herbs and there is no em ... - Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Bauer ...
Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it ...
Rating: Not yet rated (votes: 0)
