best diet to treat IBS?

[umami_mommy]

i believe my DH had IBS... i'm sure he will take about 10 years to get the the doctor to look into it. in the meantime, i wonder what i should be feeding him.

he has the mixed type i believe.

supplement recommendations welcome too.

[kjbrown92]

A lot of times IBS is caused by food intolerances. He could keep a food journal and see if he notices any trends. My IBS symptoms (also mixed type) was from soy, but it could be any food.

[herenow2]

IBS can also be caused by parasites, so an anti-parasite herbal treatment can sometimes alleviate symptoms.

I've also heard of people having success with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet -
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

Or food combining -
http://www.alderbrooke.com/chart.htm

Or a diet specifically for IBS -
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/

I think it depends on what exactly is causing the problem. Keeping good food logs might shed some insight onto that.

[sbgrace]

Here it was parasites. Particularly d. fragilis and b. hominus are known for that. They won't go away on their own. My son just finished up 28 days of Alinia.

http://www.badbugs.org/Irritable_bowel_syndrome.htm

The problem with those bugs is the typical anti-parasites (herbal and prescription) won't kill them. A metametrix comprehensive stool will tell you a lot--parasites including those, bacteria, digestion. Another lab that tests for those parasites is Genova. Most labs won't look for stuff outside of giardia and similar. These bugs are more common and chronic. You want to make sure you are sampling the end of the stool to catch b. hominus. This is especially true if you do Genova. With Genova you'd want two three day tests to increase the chances of catching the parasite. The Metametrix uses DNA so doesn't need multiple tests.

Before I tried treating I'd want to know exactly what I was dealing with.

[Satori]

IBS is also often commonly Celiac. IBS is more or less a medical term of "we don't know whats causing it".

[JessicaS]

I would get my allergies tested.

I have IC and it is also a blanket diagnoses. I had my allergies tested and apparently I am allergic to dairy. I had no idea, I didn't have other symptoms besides the bladder ulcers.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by Satori

IBS is also often commonly Celiac. IBS is more or less a medical term of "we don't know whats causing it".

Celiac and IBS are not the same thing. People with Celiac cannot have gluten.

IBS is a blanket diagnoses. Not all people with IBS have Celiac but Celiac does cause IBS.

[umami_mommy]

we have already tested for celiacs, parasites, and food allergies. we have already kept a food journal and done an elimination diet. it's not any of those things. (believe me, this has been going on 8 years, we've ruled everything else out)

IBS is mainly somatic. which fits my DH's personality.

[WuWei]

Gut healing: Where to start? Help 101 Check out the Cliff Notes at the bottom.


Pat

[LaurieG]

Originally Posted by umami_mommy

we have already tested for celiacs, parasites, and food allergies. we have already kept a food journal and done an elimination diet. it's not any of those things. (believe me, this has been going on 8 years, we've ruled everything else out)

IBS is mainly somatic. which fits my DH's personality.

The Genova stool analysis will look into the balance of gut flora too. If the problem is an overgrowth of yeast or lack of beneficial flora then a Candida or SCD would be the way to go. My mother has had severe IBS for years and is having really good results with a Candida diet + Nystatin regimen. I'm not sure what diet would be best if the problem is strictly somatic though.

[BunnySlippers]

I had read a bit about horse milk being really good for the IT, it heals and rebuilds.
However I have never found a north America supplier of it (aside from my own mares which are not lactating any longer).
There was a supplier of dried milk in Switzerland.

[sbgrace]

I don't want to belabor a dead point. But my son was tested for parasites multiple times and was clean. The problem was we weren't using either Genova or metametrix. The tests his pediatrician was running was only looking for a select few parasites. Most labs aren't testing for the ones I mentioned. Moot point if he did a Metametrix or Genova but if he didn't I strongly recommend that before moving to treatment.

[nicolelynn]

Originally Posted by sbgrace

I don't want to belabor a dead point. But my son was tested for parasites multiple times and was clean. The problem was we weren't using either Genova or metametrix. The tests his pediatrician was running was only looking for a select few parasites. Most labs aren't testing for the ones I mentioned. Moot point if he did a Metametrix or Genova but if he didn't I strongly recommend that before moving to treatment.

Agreed, this is why IBS is "incurable" because blastocystis hominis and yeast overgrowth are never isolated and treated so the infection will last forever.

I, too did an elimination diet and IgG testing before getting a stool test. I tried an anti-candida diet, Bee's anti-candida diet, the SCD/GAPS diet, food combining, an alkalizing diet, a high fiber diet, etc and multiple herbs and probiotics...all to no avail (well, Primal Defense helped a bit). I finally just took Alinia for the b.hominis and am now on Nystatin for the yeast. I know I'll still need a gut healing diet after the medication, but b.hominis pretty much cannot be treated with natural methods. I spent 1.5 yrs researching and trying.

[sbgrace]

Originally Posted by nicolelynn

b.hominis pretty much cannot be treated with natural methods. I spent 1.5 yrs researching and trying.

Yes on this. And beyond that it has far ranging effects on the body as far as I can tell. My son had very low (almost non-existent) SiGa levels. This is caused by the hominis bug (maybe fragilis too...they often go together). Low SiGa levels predispose to all kinds of ills from autoimmune to gut infections to lowered immunity over-all and on.

OP, you may already know all that and he may have already had one of those labs run. But it's good to get this information out there in case someone else is searching and doesn't know this common IBS cause (and that there is simply no good treatment outside of a few select drugs).

Generally low carb is recommended to help control symptoms better than other diets (the parasites eat carbs) but it's not going to irradicate the problem or resolve things long term.

[blessedwithboys]

all the pp's contain great info, but you asked for a diet rec, so i would say a low carb traditional food diet would be ideal for IBS. it works well for mine.

[momofmine]

Originally Posted by nicolelynn

Agreed, this is why IBS is "incurable" because blastocystis hominis and yeast overgrowth are never isolated and treated so the infection will last forever.

I, too did an elimination diet and IgG testing before getting a stool test. I tried an anti-candida diet, Bee's anti-candida diet, the SCD/GAPS diet, food combining, an alkalizing diet, a high fiber diet, etc and multiple herbs and probiotics...all to no avail (well, Primal Defense helped a bit). I finally just took Alinia for the b.hominis and am now on Nystatin for the yeast. I know I'll still need a gut healing diet after the medication, but b.hominis pretty much cannot be treated with natural methods. I spent 1.5 yrs researching and trying.

So has the Alinia made a change for you? Did it help? Are you still having symptoms? Did you ever try any herbal options, like garlic, wormwood, or oregano oil?

How did you know you also needed the Nystatin, in addition to the Alinia?

Does Alinia get absorbed systemically?

Trying to research this now.

[nicolelynn]

My stool test showed "moderate blastocystis hominis and many yeasts" so that's how I knew to take the Nystatin as well.

Unfortunately I am still having symptoms (primarily constant discomfort/inflammation in my lower left abdomen, occasional loose stools 1-2x per week and occasionally inflammation in my liver which I think may be gluten) after taking both. My follow up stool test from the hospital lab 1 month ago showed no infection, so my Dr said either the inflammation in the gut is still healing or we will need to do further tests (colonoscopy probably) to find what else is causing it.

I chose to get another stool test from the Parasitology Research Center in AZ before I get anything invasive done to see if it is still the parasite. If so the other lady posting about b.hominis and Alinia said she had read a study that a 28 day course is needed and I only did 10 days. So we will see.

I did try Oil of Oregano, something like 3 weeks and I did the drops and capsules at the same time to get better intestinal delivery with the capsules. No luck, and I had read a small study that showed 7 of 11 people with b. hominis eradicated the infection with it, so it may work for some people. That is the only natural therapy that seems to offer some hope, and maybe a potent Chinese medicine regimine.

I tried other herbs: wormwood, clove, etc to no avail. I did get in touch with a lady online who has a gut healing website who says she prepares her herbal remedies fresh as the stuff you get in health food stores has been sitting and thus has lost it's potency and that is why it dosn't work. So maybe there is something to that as well, I don't know.

For me I finally felt that even herbal remedies can eventually damage the liver, especially in the amounts and duration needed to kill this parasite if one is even lucky enough for them to work. I know the Chinese medicine protocols are only done for 3 weeks or something like that to protect from liver damage. So drug therapy seemed like the best option for me since the herbs weren't working.

[moonlight mom]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

A lot of times IBS is caused by food intolerances. He could keep a food journal and see if he notices any trends. My IBS symptoms (also mixed type) was from soy, but it could be any food.

didn't read all the responses but totally agree with food intolerances. Would recommend trying an elimination diet.

[earthmama369]

I've had IBS for nearly 15 years and have tried a lot of different diets. Everyone is different, but two things that come up repeatedly for IBS sufferers are fats and insoluble fibers. Fried, greasy food is the obvious one, but even healthy fats can cause discomfort. Likewise, I loved the idea of a raw food diet, but it just about killed me. Insoluble fibers can be a equally difficult thing to digest. It's ironic, because my own leanings are toward a diet high in healthy fats, whole grains, and lots of raw fruits and vegetables, and for someone with a normal digestive system, that would be a great diet. But for IBS, sourdough breads and white breads (rather than whole grain), cooked fruits and veggies, and low fat foods have made a huge difference in my symptoms. And I hate to say it, but caffeine and alcohol are absolute nightmares when it comes to IBS.

It helps not to eat within 2 hours of going to bed, and to take a walk or do some mild exercise after eating to prompt the digestive system into working a bit more. Ginger (which comes in capsule form) can help smooth out the muscle fibers in the digestive tract and relax them, so that you digest foods better and have fewer symptoms. A prescription for naprosyn (a fairly mild pain reliever that also targets the muscles of the digestive system) can help, as well. Daily probiotics and digestive enzymes can be good, as well as supplemental calcium and magnesium (the magnesium especially right before bed if IBS gets in the way of sleeping). Some people find that soluble fiber supplements help with regularity and general comfort -- keeping the digestive tract at about the same level of "fullness" rather than going "full-empty-full-empty" can keep those muscles working better when they don't work so well under the normal rhythm of digestion. Mints are stomach-soothers, too, and socially it's not obvious that you're having an IBS flare-up when you pop a mint, so he might be more comfortable carrying a tin of those around rather than something like ginger or calcium supplements when he's out and about, you know?