IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome
My clinic seems to be overflowing with IBS patients at the moment. When all tests are done to rule out serious diseases people can be left still symptomatic with no clue what to do to help themselves. Here is where some of the problems start. People then self diagnose and self prescribe something which I am forever telling people who come to see me, not to do. A whopping 80% of people I see with IBS take themselves off wheat and dairy foods without really knowing why or having a good explanation. Often this is not the problem at all. The no wheat no dairy diet is being oversold by various untrained “quacks” as the panacea for all IBS ailments. I’m afriaid it just isnt that simple. Bowel problems are complicated and can often overlap into allergy, but all this needs proper testing and proper diagnosis using blood tests, stool tests and food diaries.
No one person is the same and it is often the bowel that is compromised rather than the food itself. It is true that gluten and cows milk can be difficult to digest but taking out grains and dairy food can make life complicated and eating out a nightmare.
So if you feel you have bowel problems and dont really know what you are doing – get it sorted by going to see firstly your GP and if all tests are fine, try a nutritionist who has more access to testing and finding out why you are ill in the first place.
For more information on tests available for the diagnosis of IBS, go to www.theibsclinic.co.uk.
