|
Real-life IBS stories revealed
11th August 2006
I hope you've given the search engine on this site a try. (It's to the left of this article!) It's a great way to find out my opinions and research results on a huge variety of health problems.
And if you're feeling 100%, you can also relive my awful jokes and ridiculous stories!
Of course, the Good Life Letter is more than just “Ray Collins”. A lot of it is really written by you, my readers.
For instance, I received so many fascinating emails on Irritable Bowel Syndrome after last Friday's letter, that I barely had any input into this...
This letter almost wrote itself... like a Frankenstein's monster made entirely of bits of email...rampaging into your inbox.
----------------------------------------------
Your useful tips on relieving IBS
----------------------------------------------
To start off, Good Lifer, J.B, wrote to say:
“Just thought you might be interested to know that according to some experts in the US two thirds of people with IBS have food intolerances - the most common of which are wheat, dairy, sugar and caffeine. The wheat of course explains why bran makes people worse.
”I'm a colon hydrotherapist. My psyllium product of choice is Lepicol which comes in a variety of forms and I have found it to be very effective for people with IBS.”
Also on the subject of psyllium, P.L emailed me with this piece of advice:
“I found Shirley Trickett's book 'IBS & Diverticulitus' an enormous help. Also the combination of one dessertspoon of Psyillum husk and seed and one heaped teaspoon of slippery elm.
“Pour into this an amount of cold water, swirl for a short while then add an amount of warm water, drink immediately.
“For me the avoidance of all sugars and wheat's enables me to keep this wretched thing under control, being vegetarians this does limit my choices but then there's always booze!”
|
R.W had this to say about Aloe Vera….
“I thought I should tell you about my own remedy which is Aloe Vera juice. This is by far the most effective relief for IBS. It does work!
“Me and my partner have both been taking it for years and during that time I have never had to take time off work with IBS. I would highly recommend it to everyone with this condition.
“Also, if you research Aloe Vera juice on the web it will tell you it's also good for arthritis, skin complaints, asthma, etc. The list is endless. I would never be without it. Before I started taking it I checked with my GP to see if it was OK and she said that, if it helped, then why not? I haven't looked back since!
“Just one word of advice: don't try the plain Aloe Vera juice as it tastes disgusting and it might put you off ever taking it again! There are plenty of manufacturers that make it with a fruit flavour and these taste much nicer.
“Oh, and the juice has a much better effect than taking the tablets or capsules - the closer to the source of the natural plant the better.”
Thanks for that, and all your emails!
****************Previously recommended ***********************
EYE PROTECTION IN A TINY CAPSULE!
Grape seed extract... bilberry... selenium... vitamin E... beta carotene... vitamin B2, B6 and B12... Marigold....
These natural substances can help protect your eyes without the need for expensive, synthetic drugs. Now you can get them into your diet regularly, without hassle.
Vision Clear combines 21 of the most powerful, natural 'eye foods' in a tiny capsule. Click here for more details.
Vision Clear
*******************************************************************
|
--------------------------------------------------------------
The great thing about eggs and ham
-----------------------------------------------------------
Finally, here's an email that struck a chord with me, as I too have taken to eating ham and eggs in the morning…
Reader, G.R writes about his own dietary cure for IBS:
“What I have found is that reverting to old fashioned fried bacon and eggs has reduced my flatulence and improved my bowel functioning enormously. My wife does not like a fried breakfast but cold meat and cheese seems to do the same for her so, as her nutritionist advised her, it is protein that is the essential key, at least for us.
”My breakfast regime is fruit (usually a pear) and natural yoghurt, two fried eggs and two rashers of streaky bacon, finishing with gluten free toast and marmalade, all washed down with cranberry juice.
“With this I can get by at lunch time with a hunk of cheddar and a few leaves of lettuce, although I like some cold meat as well if I have time.”
A breakfast fit for a king. And not a flatulent one like Henry VIII…
The reason I've also started eating eggs and ham in the morning (not every morning - I alternate this meal with yoghurt and fruit) is that it helps me keep my weight down.
I find that avoiding bread in all but one meal of the day, I get less of that carbohydrate rush that makes me crave food even more.
A breakfast with bread seems to make me hungrier by lunchtime, almost desperate… for MORE BREAD.
Which reminds me…
-------------------------------------------
A great book for food addicts
--------------------------------------------
I am reading a great book called 'The Hungry Years: Confessions of a Food Addict', by William Leith.
It's a very honest and depressingly funny account of one man's battle with carbohydrates and food addiction. The overweight writer used to binge on white bread, fried rice and burgers until he went to interview a certain Dr Robert Atkins.
I am not sure what the outcome is, as I am only a third of the way through, but it's the sort of thing I can relate to. The hapless eater spends his 30s bouncing between different weights, falling off the wagon after every diet.
He says:
”I'm hungry most of the time. I also feel bloated most of the time. I am always too empty, and yet too full. I am always full, and yet too empty. Last night I ate three platefuls of mash and gravy. I also had chicken and vegetables. I can barely remember the chicken or the vegetables. The mash was fluffy, starchy. I could not relax until it was all gone.”
If you feel like reading a comedy memoir about one man's health crisis, it's only £3.99 on www.amazon.co.uk.
(I bought it for £7.99 from an old fashioned book shop. What a wally!)
Enjoy your weekend,
Yours, as ever
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
|
|
|
|
