# How Pimentel has helped me



## Moises (May 20, 2000)

I tried Xifaxan and it didn't help me at all.I tried Vivonex and it didn't help me at all.Years ago, I found that low-carb eating does provide me with a modicum of relief. (My favorite book on this subject is the inappropriately titled _Life Without Bread._) The low-carb diet I settled on is one where I would eat a maximum of 72 grams of carbohydrate (not counting fiber) a day. On a typical day the carbohydrates I would consume consisted of green vegetables (spinach, celery, or asparagus, with minimal carbs) and some of the following: fruit (typically apple or banana), whole-milk yogurt, nuts or nut butter, and bread (typically Ezekiel bread, a sprouted whole-grain bread).Pimentel does not like whole-grain bread and he is wary of fructose. And he does not recommend yogurt.I have now changed my carbohydrate consumption to match more closely Pimentel's dietary recommendations. I still have some cooked vegetables daily. But I now eat some white bread and some highly-processed cooked grain cereals (cream of rice, cream of wheat) with lactose-reduced milk for my carbs. I have stopped the fruit, nuts, and yogurt.I think there might have been some small improvement from this dietary change. My diet is now what most people would consider quite unhealthy: meat, cooked vegetables, refined grains, butter, and Lactaid. It hasn't cured me but I plan on sticking with this for a while since it's working slightly better than anything else I've done.


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## Pete (Jan 20, 2000)

Hi. Its Pete. Glad you are feeling better. Are you sure its not the delayed vivonex effect? Has this diet at all helped with the burping? Hope you continue to feel better


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## 17908 (Oct 18, 2006)

As you probably remember I had pretty good success with Xifaxn, and I've been taking Zelnorm for 4 months to improve motility.However, I agree that Pimental's diet is VERY important in the overall success of his program. I eat a very low fiber diet. I only get fiber from vegetables and a small amount of fruit.I'm still doing quite well, but I feel that I'll need another round of antibiotics before the one year mark. Zelnorm is still doing nicely for me, but the diet helps as much as anything.


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

> quote:Originally posted by Pete:Hi. Its Pete. Glad you are feeling better. Are you sure its not the delayed vivonex effect? Has this diet at all helped with the burping? Hope you continue to feel better


Hi Pete,The timing of my post was rather unfortunate. The next night I was awakened at 1:15 am by burping, some flatulence, and uncomfortable cramps. I didn't really sleep the rest of the night. The next morning I had liquid diarrhea. So, perhaps it was too early to be crowing about any successes.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Moises, how are you doing?This isn't online yet, but you can email or call them for a copy of Digestive Health Matters from the IFFGD."Gut Bacteria and Irritable Bowel Syndrome By: Eamonn, M. M. Quigley M.D., Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, IrelandBacteria are present in the normal gut (intestines) and in large numbers the lower parts of the intestine. These "normal" bacteria have important functions in life. A variety of factors may disturb the mutually beneficial relationship between the flora and its host, and disease may result. The possibility that gut bacteria could have a role in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may surprise some; there is indeed, now quite substantial evidence to support the idea that disturbances in the bacteria that populate the intestine may have a role in at least some patients with IBS. This article presents a discussion of the possible role of bacteria in IBS and various treatment approaches."http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/currentParticipate.htmlIt is an excellent article on the current state of research on bacteria and IBS.


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