Bombarded with ads

[Barney100]

Hi like many of you on here, I have been struggling quite badly this year with symptoms. Are many of you also bombarded with online ads for the next best thing - probiotics/prebiotics/herbs/other treatments etc - all stating a great success in helping IBS people. I have wasted a lot of time listening to experts tell me how amazing their products are etc. It is quite demotivating and adds to the overall cycle of woe. I have generally avoided paying out for these although it can be tempting. What are other people's experiences? Perhaps some of these are good but it is so subjective and exhausting. Ignore all? Thanks

[Maureen1958]

I would say ignore them personally, I have not found one thing that makes me feel better. About a year or so ago, I did a blitz of trying things and they all made me feel worse. I only do one thing at a time. I don't takes any meds for IBS because again I have never found anything that helps. The only medication I take is betablockers for high blood pressure!

[Tess359]

Hi Barney, I've suffered from IBS for 60 years and I've wasted thousands of pounds on supplements, quacks and probiotics and had no success with any of them. It can be bewildering and you feel pressured to try these things, but many of the claims are misleading and some of the products can make things worse. The only thing I've had a degree of relief with is a low Fodmap diet and even then I get flare ups.

[xjrs]

I went through the mill the year before last trying to get a handle on my symptoms. I relied on so called 'experts' (nutritional therapists) and took extortionately costing supplements, became more ill and got no further forward. I then took matters into my own hands and did my own research reading scientific paper after scientific paper to get myself well again. What turns my stomach the most is the fact that since there are many people struggling with their IBS, there are also many people jumping on the band wagon to make money from them - either through products or services and they are getting away with it because people are desperate. I ended up knowing far more than my nutritional therapists, who didn't bother to read the latest evidence or make sure that what they are practicing was safe. It was more important to them to earn loads of money, work part-time and spend time with their families and they certainly didn't put their patients first. One of them kept telling me that she had too many clients to answer my questions - 'too many clients' means more and more fees. It was absolutely shocking.

This is why I feel compelled to share everything that I have learned with others FOR FREE, on this forum. No one should be making money out of other people's ill health, unless they are a fully qualified doctor or researcher.

To get back to the information that I have found that has helped me, here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group in case any of these tips are of interest to you:

IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.

There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as excess gas, pain or disordered bowel movements. There is an interesting infographic on this here:

gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/....

This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app and Kings College fodmap apps, they will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. The year before last all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.

If you are also suffering from pain, you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:

iffgd.org/lower-gi-disorder...

It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.

You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.

You can find some info on self management here:

theibsnetwork.org/the-self-...

If all of the usual IBS remedies fail and you are experiencing diarrhea, it is worth getting tested for BAM (Bile Acid Malabsorption), which can cause constant diarrhea - there is a separate test and treatment for that. Good luck.

[juniepoonie]

Like you lve spent a fortune trying different things to no avail! I havnt said anything about my latest because I don't wanna give any one false hop but this has really helped me it's called livespo colon! I've had lbs for 20 yrs so you can imagine lve tried lots bin under hospital had every test available! I was always ibs d more recently ibs m but now I am eating more than l have in a long time . I'm still extremely careful but Livespo is helping me this is my 3rd month of useing it

[magnetictherapy]

Hi Barney sorry to hear you are fed up with all these adds.

My hobby is magnetic therapy, it’s been an interest for 25years, four years ago I developed a product myself, which works very well with most problems.

For more information see Magnets4wellbeing.com

There is a thirty day money back guarantee.

Best Regards

Martin

[Barney100 in reply to magnetictherapy]

Hi Martin many thanks for your comments and magnets look interesting. How can it potentially work for IBS sufferers like me though? Do you have many customers who have used it for abdominal pain etc?

[magnetictherapy in reply to Barney100]

Hi Barney

Thanks for coming back to me .

I’ve had two people have them for IBS and it’s helped them both , unfortunately I haven’t been able to get reviews from them , as magnets were purchased by there a family member. Therefore I I’ve not been able to speak with the users.

I’ve also seen three people with broken ribs feel some pain relief within two minutes.

All sounds to good to be true, this I do appreciate, but over the last four years I’ve probably witnessed around one thousand people feel some benefits within minutes.

The magnets not only give pain relief, they also give more flexibility and mobility normally within minutes.

Any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards

Martin

Magnets4wellbeing.com

[wigglewoggle]

Hi Barney. I've tried a couple of things Dida which is herbal - no difference. Probiotic supplements in pill form - no difference. Symprove a very expensive probiotic recommended by a colleague - it actually made me feel worse. After a recent IBS flare up I've tried Actimel and that actually seems to help a bit (or maybe its a placebo effect as I like the taste). But generally working out what bothers my stomach has helped more for e.g. I can't have caffeine, too much milk, beans or oats. No harm in trying stuff but IBS is pretty whimsical- you can have periods when you're fine and then flare ups for no logical reason.

[Jayneelizabeth]

Of things to take Aflorex turned out to be the best, but every day proved too much, now take every two days.