Good Gut 'Bugs' Help Irritable Bowel Syndrome

---

On that sweet tooth note. Have you tried stevia? I know you cant buy too many things that are already made with it, but if you like sweet coffee or tea, I found it to be a pretty good sweetener. I also use it for SOME baking, since my daughter has HUGE issues with refined sugar.

I have never used Stevia in anything to be honest. I have though tasted it and it about make me puke LOL. Granted it's not made to eat it plain but it turned me off really quick lol.I should give it a go though when baking goodies, could be a good substitude.

just remember it is EXTREMELY sweet...just a little goes a long long ways...like an eighth of a teaspoon is like using a cup. I forget, I buy packets, and there is fibre in them as well. So my measure is a bit different. (look at recipe for carob cake below..gives you an idea of how sweet it is)

Wikipedia:As a sweetener, stevia's sweet taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or liquorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.

This is probably why you didn't like it. Your not supposed to dip your finger in...lol

Ingredients:
1 cup of Spelt Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup sifted carob powder
1 tsp cinamon
1/8 tsp Stevia
1 Banana
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 egg
3/4 cup to 1 cup rice milk

How to Prepare:

Sift dry ingredients well.

Using a mixer blend banana and egg well. Add olive oil and milk. Mix dry and wet together well, bake 8 inch square pan, 350 - 25-30 minutes.

I don't like straight stivia...I'll mix it with some splenda or just use honey. Perhaps in small doses it might be OK, but at the levels I use it just mucks up the flavor of my coffee.

I'm big on sweet foods. Not necessarily candy though.You may want to look into buying some Xango / Mangosteen Juice. A woman told me it has really made a big difference in her IBD.http://www.xango.com/learn/index.htmlI'm trying to stay away from caffeine, spicey foods, greasy foods, and foods with seeds and things that are hard to digest.You may want to consider drinking smoothies. It has really helped out quite a few people with IBS and IBD. Plus, it may help curve your sweet tooth.Also, I've been trying to stick with a low residue diet. It's supposed to help colon health quite a bit.

OMG, isn't that the Web site of the woman from New Orleans who came here a year or so ago pushing Mangosteen juice as the cure-all for every possible malady. It's sold as an MLM thing, so whether or not it does anything, it's way too expensive.But now Costco sells it.A low residue diet is not at all good for a healthy colon (fiber is a good thing), but it can be helpful if you're having an exacerbation of an IBD.Did you say you were under the care of a gastroenterologist?

lol, I wouldn't call Mangosteen Juice a cureall. It does dramatically help some people. But it works differently for different people.For people who suffer from IBS or IBD, low residue diet can help out quite a bit. Fiber is a good thing for a healthy colon... but for me, I can't have too much fiber or it just makes things worse.Yes, I am under he care of a gastroenterologist. I was taking Remicade... but on my last infusion I had an allergic reaction. So now we're looking toward other means. He wants to avoid surgery if he can, and so do I.

Remicade -- strong stuff. So you've tried prednisone, Asacol, and 6-MP? I'm not sure what's new for the purpose.Avoiding surgery, if possible, is certainly a good idea. If you take out one troublesome piece, it often recurs some where else. (For the benefit of anyone else who's interested in IBDs -- I realize that you must have already discussed it with your doctor.)

I was on 6 Mercapturine for quite a long time. It was pretty much my maintenance medicine.I was on Remicade on and off for a while there. Mainly to treat me when I was not feeling good and having a flare up.Right now, I'm on Entocort. Which is a corticosteroid like prednisone. The advantage of Entocort is it releases gradually into the system and reduces the chances of side effects.As for Asacol, I have found that I am very allergic to Mesalamine. So that is pretty much out of the question.I like to keep a close relationship with my doctors. Especially my gastroenterologist. lol. Which is pretty easy because he is very much into computers and I happen to be a technician. But anyways, he is aware of alternative methods of treatment and thinks it's a good idea.Having IBS and IBD has a lot to do with diet and nutrition. I have found that a lot of those that take their condition seriously seem obsessed with food. But for very good reason. lol

> Having IBS and IBD has a lot to do with diet and nutrition.

Some people have found that to be true, others have found it not to be as true. To the extent that it is true, it's more of an issue of disease maintenance rather than disease cause. How things affect an individual is an individual thing, so it's well worth experimenting. If any dietary thing proves effective, then run with it. And who knows, maybe some environmental factor might have some effect, even something that has nothing to do with nutrition.

It's important to ensure that there are no specific problems with nutrient absorption.

Since you are interested in alternative treatments, it's good that you've found a doctor who is knowledgeable in the area. That's good advice for others who are shopping for a doctor.

Once again, I'm sure you know this stuff, and I don't have anything too clever to add, but someone else might find the info useful.

Quote:

it's more of an issue of disease maintenance rather than disease cause

Yep. Right now medical people are still trying to figure out what is causing it. It's all pretty much speculation at the moment.

Treating the sydrome or disease is what I am most interested in. For some reason, it seems that people who suffer from the condition do very well on more natural stuff than processed. Probably because they can control what is in it better. Processed foods have a lot of things in it.

You're right, experimentation is very important. For example, many people with IBS or IBD have found that what really messes their stomach is drinking OJ. But I am fine when I drink it, and so is a few other people I talk to. Each of our bodies are different. It's that simple.

I'm all about spreading the info! Generally on the web... and sometimes about sex.

Though I do like my candies, I am big on anything sweet like cakes and cookies etc etc. I've been that was since a small child. It's a wonder my mouth is not riddled with cavities lol.Right now I am on Robinul Forte, which seems to be helping some, though hard to tell I have only been on the medication roughly a week and also taking the probiotics as well so hard to say which one is working. One thing I really hate is the side effect of dry mouth from the Robinul, which seems to be a side effect for most medications that are dealing with IBS/IBD it seems. I wake up in the morning with the worst dry throat.I have tried several different desensitizing diets, taking liquid herbs (which wasn’t bad except for the slippery elm, just yuck! Lol), and eating only organic foods. Though I will admit I felt healthier and had more energy, it hasn’t seemed to help my IBS.As for the other things I have tried, I have tried several different desensitizing diets

Okay I looked up the drugs you mentioned, and what I don't seem to understand is why your doc is giving you drugs thats for Colitis (SP??) and Chrones disease?I know with my scopes, upper and lower, it was ruled out that I had either (no inflammation in the intestical track or colon).Just curious.

From what I remember long ago, he does have Crohns disease.

I wish I could get my sis here to read stuff. She has pancreas issues and other stuff. Actually really bad stuff going on, and the doc's cant figure out what is wrong with her.Probiotics helped. We have yet to see her complete a week on a gluten free diet to see if it is Silliacs. No greasy food, as far as meat, she seems OK as long as it swims or flies. I don't know that she has diarrhea but she definitely has a lot of pain. Right now she is getting steroid shots every few months. It gets scary, and my mom wont talk about it. My sis is just tired of explaining. She has lost so much weight that it is hard to hug her...literally, you get a bony hug back.I just wonder how much the diets you guys are describing would help her. And if she would stick to it long enough to know...Any one know how long it takes for you to know if changes are useful? I usually notice in around a week when I change my vitamins, but I am fairly healthy.

Originally Posted By: sdpFrom what I remember long ago, he does have Crohns disease. Wellt han that would explin it. I thought he had IBS/IBD.

Crohn's disease is an IBD -- inflammatory bowel disease -- as is ulcerative colitis.

Well the best way for your sister to find out if she has Celiac is to have a biopsy done on her small intestines. Done easily through an Upper GI scope, I just had that done before Christmas. If she has issues with Glutens I would recommend her having this done, Celiac can be a deadly condition, but it is very treatable.
As for diet change (At least with the two desensitizing diets I did) it is recommending for 30 days to truly see a change in your body. I noticed that I felt healthier though, with more energy in about 1-2 weeks.

Originally Posted By: Steve_ACrohn's disease is an IBD -- inflammatory bowel disease -- as is ulcerative colitis. Alright. I have heard a lot about colitis and Chohn's for the obvious reasons. Guess just never heard them classes as IBD's. See learned something new.

Actually, they're IBD's. What is an ISD? (I think I know what the "I" and "D" mean.)