IBS

[SLOV8213]

My IBS is causing excessive gas and bloating. Appreciate any ideas getting depressed.

[jimmylegs]

sorry to hear you're having a bad time. when i had bad GI symptoms it turned out my zinc status was very low - lower than your average ms patient. have you had your serum zinc level checked? it's very easy to correct if needed. I don't have GI trouble since fixing poor zinc status. just one potential avenue to investigate. pretty low-hanging fruit.

[tzootsi]

I got rid of IBS by doing two things - eliminate 90% of my dairy intake, and had accupuncture treatments for a few months.

[jimmylegs]

re dairy, that would certainly help, tzootsi
ZINC DEFICIENCY
http://www.carehospitals.com/healthlibr ... a=Z&id=462
"A zinc deficiency could be the result of low dietary intake or be due to consuming excessive amounts of certain substances that prevent zinc from being used by the body... These substances include: calcium, vitamin D, fiber (high fiber diets), and phytate enzymes... Risk increases with alcoholism, excessive dairy intake (especially in children)... "

[SLOV8213]

Thanks for all the advice. I was also advised to begin LDN at 1-5mg/day to start, I have used it before with no noticeable improvement in general. I recently received stem cell infusions, my doctor thinks it could also be attributed to the repair of neurogenic pathways. Just need some relief from gas it's pretty constant and keeps me up all night. I have been through Gastro's tests, Endoscopy, Gastroscopy, samples, tests etc.

[Quest56]

Hi,
My lower gut used to ache most of the time, and this was especially noticeable as I lay in bed at night. Also, my digestion was not good.

This was years ago, it stopped after I stopped eating gluten (wheat, barley, rye) and dairy, and it hasn't returned.

Also, my Dad takes a few drops of peppermint oil before and after eating to ease his digestion. Here's a link that talks about the health benefits of peppermint oil. Scroll down and view the paragraph about peppermint oil and IBS:

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oil ... t-oil.html

I also take triphala (available from amazon), two in the morning and two at night. This has vastly improved my regularity and digestion. Triphala has been used for 1000's of years in India to improve digestion and peristalsis.

Good luck,

--Tracy

[jimmylegs]

makes sense q - same thing for gluten as for dairy. gluten free diet lets zinc levels rise.

slov, finding out if your zinc is low is a good first step. if you've already had a serum zinc test done, do you know the result? if you have a number and it's less than say 18 umol/L, you could try to increase the level via dietary zinc, adding zinc supplements, removing foods that interfere with zinc, etc etc etc. any or all of the above. if you supplement zinc just be sure to balance with copper. eg 50mg zinc citrate to 2mg copper citrate.

Zinc as a Modulator of Chronic, Inflammatory Intestinal Disorders with Focus on Celiac Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s Disease
"Although the exact etiology of IBS is unknown, its development is a result of multiple causes, including genetic defects, impaired gut motility, changes in the intestinal mucosa, as well as the heightened inflammation, with Zn as a key micronutrient involved... Zn could be a promising agent for prevention of altered intestinal permeability..."

[SLOV8213]

Thanks Jimmy, I have not had a Zinc level test, I lived by Ashton's diet for about five years and still follow some of his strategies. With so many positive changes I pretty well broke free of meds, supplements etc.

[jimmylegs]

ok, well if you do look into your zinc level and find it is below 18 umol/L, correcting that could improve your IBS symptoms

[NHE]

re dairy, that would certainly help, tzootsi
ZINC DEFICIENCY
http://www.carehospitals.com/healthlibr ... a=Z&id=462
"A zinc deficiency could be the result of low dietary intake or be due to consuming excessive amounts of certain substances that prevent zinc from being used by the body... These substances include: calcium, vitamin D, fiber (high fiber diets), and phytate enzymes... Risk increases with alcoholism, excessive dairy intake (especially in children)... "

I seem to recall that you have posted that zinc helps vitamin D3 absorption, not inhibit it.

[jimmylegs]

to clarify the above is not saying that zinc inhibits D3 absorption. it's saying that excess D3 can inhibit zinc absorption.
ie because zinc is needed for absorption, D3 inputs are used inefficiently when zinc status is poor. because zinc is needed for absorption, when D3 inputs are excessive, zinc demand increases driving zinc levels down.

[mmpetunia]

my partner has IBS symptoms that are pretty clearly exacerbated by food intolerances. when i went gluten and dairy free so did she...and she found a remarkable reduction in her symptoms. next was coffee. once she cut that out she noticed a sharp decline in her symptoms again. then she cut out onions and garlic and again gained even more relief. tummy problems used to be a daily thing for her and now she only occasionally has problems. its been almost 2 years since we cleared the house of gluten and dairy. we still eat it a few times a week but i think having a nice, long break gave our guts a chance to heal a bit. have you tried keeping a food journal? it might help you identify triggers. i also have a friend with ulcerative colitis who follows the FODMAPS diet and it helped him get off the meds. maybe applying some of the dietary principles from this would help? and as another poster said, herbal teas can be really helpful. i use peppermint tea for digestive problems and ginger tea is also a good one.

sorry you are so uncomfortable!

[Quest56]

...we still eat it a few times a week but i think having a nice, long break gave our guts a chance to heal a bit(

mmpetunia,
I've noticed the same thing about gluten sensitivity, after not eating gluten for several years, I can now eat small amounts of gluten occassionally, maybe a small amount every few months, without problem. Same applies to some forms of dairy, although I never consume it directly, only occassionally in baked goods.

I used l-glutamine daily for a time as recommended by a doctor to help promote healing. When the intestinal walls become weak and compromised because of food sensitivity issues, you are also open to problems related to leaky gut syndrome, which can cause undigested food particles to enter the blood stream and possibly trigger an immune response.

--Tracy

[jimmylegs]

reposting a great study documenting the various changes in important nutrient levels after gluten free diet:

http://www.theprofesional.com/article/2 ... f-1056.pdf

when you read the data tables it shows that on average, nutrient levels in all participants increase. the patient group showed the most improvement. (duh, if you're healthy your levels won't be depleted enough to manifest illness. possibly because with controls the gluten free diet represents a lesser overall dietary change, compared to patients).

[standingtall]

slov,

Have you ever taken or are currently taking proton pump inhibitors? I did for too many years and it really messed me up. Of course now, the medical and pharma community suggest only taking these for up to two weeks but many still prescribe long term. I did get off of the PPI's after going gluten and dairy free, but was still low on zinc. Addressing zinc now.

Was just wondering about the meds? I believe long term use of proton pump inhibitors disturbs the flora of the gut in such a way that many bad things begin to happen in the presence of low stomach acid......