# Does anyone know of any natural remedies for IBS?



## Chelle24 (Oct 15, 2004)

Hey everyone!







I was diganosed with IBS earlier this year. I'm on Zelnorm, which is amazing BUT I don't want to be on it for the rest of my life. I'm only 19 years old and I still have so much goals to achieve in life and IBS really gets in the way sometimes, esp when it comes to college. I miss at least one day of classes every month or so and simply missing one day of class can really throw you off.I visited my IBS doctor this week and he suggested that I can zelnorm "as needed" which was great to know, esp since my dad is worried about me being on a particular mediciation for so long. Anyway, I know that a specialized diet could really help with IBS but my doc did not want to suggest what to eat and what not to eat since I don't have much to me anyway. I was wondering if there is ANY kind of natural herb or vitamin that could really help me? There are so many books out there about natural remedies but I don't even know where to start. If anyone knows of any natural remedies can you PLEASE inform me. Thanks guys.







P.S.--I just became member today! Yay! I'm really looking forward to sharing my experiences with others who know EXACTLY what it feels like because until you have it, you have NO idea!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

With Zelnorm being the treatment begin tried I assume we are talking the constipation end of the spectrum.Magnesium Oxide supplements often at the standard dose of 400mgs (some people may need less or more) can pull water into the stool which makes it easier to pass. Higher doses are what you get in Milk of Magnesia, an osmotic laxative. Osmotic laxatives are OK long term, but stimulatory ones like Senna and Cascara (which are both natural) are only for very occasional use (like every couple of weeks or so).Peppermint can help reduce the pain. But can increase heartburn. Peppermint Altiods have enough Peppermint oil to be effective. Peppermint Tea or capsules can help as well.Any fiber supplement may help the constipation as well by bulking up the stool and keeping water in the stool. Also higher fiber foods can help.See http://www.ibsgroup.org/main/books.html and scroll down to Eating for IBS by Heather Van Vorous which has diet help that works for some people pretty well. ../diet/ is her website. http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs01.htm also has some high fiber diet info.For some people the high fiber route doesn't work, and you may need to build up over time, but it can help some people quite a bit.K.


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## Chelle24 (Oct 15, 2004)

Thanks a lot Kath. I'll def. have to try that. It can't hurt, it can only help.


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## scottyswotty (Jun 29, 2000)

in terms of natural or alternative therapies which address structural/functional side of things, you might want to try: *Neurolinkwww.neurolinkglobal.com look under practitioner search and ensure the practitioner has up to date training. *Cranial Osteopathy. try the Upledger website.there are many herbs and supplements that help but you want to try and address the causes of your gut related symptoms first.otherwise ibsacol and Digestive Advantage may help


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## Modgy (Apr 15, 2004)

Hey ChelleI would also recommend a few things that are really helping me (I am a C):Vitamin C 2,000-3,000mgs a day. Increase the dose until your motions get loose and stabilise at the dose just below that level. It isn't harmful.Flax seed oil up to 5,000 mgs a day.eight 8 ounce glasses of water everyday, preferably tepid, not cold.Upon rising, a glass of hot water with the juice of half a lemon will set your gut reflex going.Cut ALL refined flour and starchy foods out of your diet. No white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes. Eat the wholemeal versions if you can tolerate them, I can't. Do you like and can you tolerate nuts?? I don't do well with wheat or any other grains really, so these days I make my own breakfast muesli out of nuts and gound seeds. You can vary this recipe but this is the one I make up:1 cup each of chopped raw cashews, pecans, walnuts, lecithin granules, and LSA mix (linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds ground up and mixed together - you can buy this at the health food shop or at the supermarket). I eat 1-2 tablespoons of this for breakfast with a big spoon of natural yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon juice and some blackstrap mollasses (also great for C).Its doing wonders for my constipation, and its much less heavy in your stomach than a stodgy ol' bowl of cereal.I wish you luck


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## F1 fan (Nov 3, 2004)

I've looked up IBS in my nutrition book. It says increase fiber intake, eat low fat, small meals, avoid dairy products and gas forming foods, and stress reduction.Hope that helps a bit.


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## rosipederson (Dec 28, 2004)

just a quick thought, i have IBS with alternating D and C, and find a product caled DigestAbiliTea quite calming. it's herbal and contains things like peppermint, ginger, and fennel, known for thier soothing properties. when i'm feeling ill, i'll just brew a cup and i don' t know if it's a placebo effect or something like that, but it always calms me down. it doesn't make things totally better, but i always feel an improvement. the tea bags were made by an herbal tea company but have been discontinued. however, you can buy it looseleaf from uniteaherbs.com. hope it helps!


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