# IBS - always wheat intolerant?



## katstratford (Jun 18, 2002)

Hi thereI am having ongoing troubles with diet and IBS. I've already figured out that I'm lactose intolerant and have cut caffeine and other irritants out of my diet but am still having problems. Does IBS always = wheat intolerance? How do you find out whether you are wheat intolerant?Please help! Food frustrated!kat


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## echris (Jul 19, 2000)

katstraffordarticipation on this bulletin board is never a substitute for good medical care. Your physician should have a good history by now. Perhaps the most important "rule out" is Celiac Disease. Celiac's cannot have any wheat, barley, rye, or oats. There's a simple, reliable blood test for Celiac Disease. If this test is positive, then it would be followed up with a biopsy of the small intestine. These tests are very reliable if positive. However, if negative, it does not mean that you don't have an intolerance to wheat and wheat products.It seems that many of the people on this BB have already had a lot of medical tests but have not found answers to their questions yet. However, the vast majority of people who suffer from IBS and IBS type symptoms are helped by their physicians. Give traditional medicine a chance before you start looking for answers in alternative medicine (or worse).Don't mean to sound preachy but we (the people on this BB) usually represent the small percentage of people not helped by their physicians. I think that we all wish that we had been helped so we wouldn't be here now. There's simply no motivation for those people to stick around here. They've gotten on with their lives.


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

HI Kat,No- IBS does not ALWAYS mean you are intolerant to wheat. I knwo alot of us are- I am- but I am not sure if there are so many of us because of the wheat itself, or we eat so much wheat in Western Cultures. Echris is very right in suggesting you get checked for sprue. If you want to though, on your own, you can eliminate wheat for a couple of weeks and see if it helps. There are quite a few substitues if you just want to try a little experiment. But I woud DEFINITELY see your doc first about the sprue. Jan, the LEAP RD, I know can give you lots of options to avoid wheat, if you are interested.Also, the book, "Food Allergies and Food Intolerance" by Dr. Brosoff is excellent and may give you xome clues to your own situation. (You can get it at amazon.com or at the library)Echris,I am doing GREAT now- and that includes many other health problems besides IBS. I am here in the hopes of helping someone else- trying to be the kind or person I wish had told me about the MRT and LEAP a few years back.(Sadly, not available in Australia or New Zealand yet either) Its part of my spiritual view and what I feel is my obligation to my fellow man. I know that makes me a bit of an oddball, but there are a few of us here who are asymptomatic, feeling terrific and MAKE the time to come back here. Don't count us out!







Lisa from Nevada in California


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Hi KATS....I would also suggest that a little self-study on the subject of the writings of doctors who have made a close study of the subject can help one understand how to sort out dietary issues better...I always recommend that these 2 books be added to the must-read list"FOOD ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICTION AND TREATMENT", Professor Jonathan Brostoff , M.D.. Allergy, Immunology and Environmental Medicine, Kings' College, London http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089...6487508-3420903 IBS: A DOCTORS PLAN FOR CHRONIC DIGESTIVE TROUBLESBy Gerard Guillory, M.D.; Vanessa Ameen, M.D.; Paul Donovan, M.D.; Jack Martin, Ph.D. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-h...9085785-1742301 MNL


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