This lady makes a lot of sense.

[Moggiedee]

Just found this lady's videos. What do you think? youtube.com/watch?v=IkWYuxf...(Not working as expected?)

[xjrs]

Here is my critical analysis of this video:

"Seek help from qualified health care professional whether this is a nutritionist, naturopath or GP"

My assessment: Seek help from a qualified dietitian, GP or gastroenterologist. Do not seek help from a nutritionist or naturopath since their practices are not clinically proven - they could make your health worse and very much out of pocket.

"Fodmap elimination can keep you stuck and end up with more symptoms"

My assessment: Yes, possibly. This happened to me. I was low Fodmap for years. Although this gave initial relief for some time, eventually my IBS pain got worse whatever I ate (whether low Fodmap or not).

"Risks:"

"1) changes in the gut microbiome occur when you remove Fodmaps from your diet from the removal of prebiotics"

My assessment: Yes. True. There are clinical studies that show this.

"2) not eating a healthy balanced diet - avoiding wide range of foods, can miss out on key nutrients (calcium, iron and B12) - best way to get nutrients is from foods rather than supplements"

My assessment: Makes sense.

"3) disordered eating behaviours - stress and anxiety around meal times - becoming afraid of food and fearful of reintroducing foods back in - stuck with small limited amount of foods"

My assessment: Makes sense.

"4) eating low fodmap is stressful and overwhelming figuring out what to eat and cook - double checking every ingredient - having to eat differently from everyone else"

My assessment: Makes sense. However, in my experience whatever help is sought regarding IBS, many IBS sufferers will still be left with some food intolerances, so they are unable to eat what everyone else is eating without making symptoms worse. Personally, I've found it easier to control my symptoms by eating as healthful a diet as possible (including as many Fodmaps as I can tolerate) whilst tailoring my diet to keep me feeling well and also periodically rechallenging with foods I'd previously not been able to tolerate.

"5) increase in hypervigilance and alertness - question everything put in mouth - constantly looking out for reactions - might magnify symptoms - twinge might seem bigger than it is - did anxiety flare IBS and not the food?"

My assessment: Makes sense.

"6) what you can say yes to in your life - weddings, social gatherings create anxiety - especially where there is a set menu - emotionally taxing and stressful - easier to say no and stay at home"

My assessment: Makes sense. However, see answer to 4) above. I think it isn't helpful to suggest that everyone can completely fix their IBS without perhaps having some residual food intolerances.

"7) risk using it as a safety crutch - easy to stay on diet - then compounds the other risks"

My assessment: Makes sense.

"Food is not likely to be culprit - food is not issue with the bowel - it is to do with the gut/brain axis not working. Instead of changing diet, need to change factors that impact this - understand the pattern, what eat, when eat and levels of anxiety - when you are calm you can eat many types of foods - when you are anxious at meal times get symptoms"

My assessment: This statement is not entirely true. It is to be remembered that the presenter makes money from gut directed hypnotherapy. Her bias will be towards this. Gut directed hypnotherapy is one tool in the amour towards helping fight IBS symptoms. Yes, there is often the gut/brain axis communication channel going awry involved, which hypnotherapy might help with, but IBS is multi-factorial, in that it can have many other causes, some of which are understood and maybe others are yet to be found. For instance, the gut microbiome can be comprised by unhealthy diets, high in processed foods, high in protein and bad fats and low in plant based foods. It can also be compromised by gut injury such as food poisoning. Both can lead to a gut bacterial imbalance where bad bugs dominate causing symptoms. This is why I suggest trying a probiotic which has been scientifically studied for IBS on a 3 month trial first. Gut directed hypnotherapy (such as the Nerva app) can be tried alongside or after probiotics have been tried. I would recommend trying the Fodmap elimination and reintroduction diet as a last resort (for all the reasons above), still trying to maintain as many Fodmaps as possible. Trying probiotics and/or gut directed hypnotherapy may make you more tolerant to foods, meaning that you need to eliminate fewer Fodmaps (if you need to try that diet subsequently).

[Luisa22 in reply to xjrs]

I agree with what you said. This : " However, in my experience whatever help is sought regarding IBS, many IBS sufferers will still be left with some food intolerances, so they are unable to eat what everyone else is eating without making symptoms worse. Personally, I've found it easier to control my symptoms by eating as healthful a diet as possible (including as many Fodmaps as I can tolerate) whilst tailoring my diet to keep me feeling well and also periodically rechallenging with foods I'd previously not been able to tolerate."

is exactly the ONLY way I have been able to manage with my IBS. And it's a work in progress. Sometimes I rediscover high Fodmap foods which are fine for me, and some in any quantities. But sometimes I fail over 1/4 of a banana, or 7 blueberries. But keep trying.

I liked this lady and she said some sensible things but as always, I don't feel there is only one way to deal with IBS.

I did low Fodmap trial for 8 weeks. Meanwhile I have a friend who did it for TWO YEARS! Doing that is inadvisable, but something worked for her. She said she literally woke up one morning and could thereafter eat anything she liked, as she "knew she wasn't sick anymore".

That wouldn't work the same way for lots of people, and even I didn't feel the low Fodmap diet solved very much at all. It helped, that was all.

But it's likely that IBS, and the things that help it, take on as many forms as there are people.

[xjrs in reply to Luisa22]

Totally agree Luisa22 - IBS is like a patchwork quilt of symptoms, causes, treatments that work for some and not for others - everything needs to be tailored to a specific individual.