Quote:

---

So someone can relate??!!! You are saying you have had this and you feel it is gas pressure and spasming?

I had the heathers peppermint oil capsules, fennel tea, and I also just added a bit of the tummy fiber. I am not seeing relief with the capsules. When do you take peppermint? Before every meal? I mostly was taking them at night since my symptoms are worse at night. But by the time I am bloated with gas and having pressure they don't seem to help. Thank younSO much for responding

---

Thanks--long post,
You had said you were doing fodmaps diet with this diet (and fennel "tea" is higher in its fodmap), so I thought I'd post info on the peppermint caps;I like them (in lieu of not being able to do peppermint tea with my gerd/heartburn) and this site referenced the study saying they help with constipation;I think because mainly the peppermint relaxes (unkinks) the colon as well as helps with gas. I've gotten up an hour before the next A.M. alarm goes off to take my first cap for the day, then just an hour or less before lunch and dinner;If you have heartburn, then especially an hour before breakfast per instruction. It's hard if you don't want an A.M. anti-acid or a proton pump inhibitor (that you have to take 30 min before breakfast) to cause them to open up prematurely, which would end up being an 1 1/2 before the fiber right before breakfast. I've somehow done it that way and end up going right back to sleep for an hour. They do work by PREVENTING, so the gas at night would have to be prevented by taking earlier and throughout the day, AND EVERY DAY.

I need to comment especially if you are ibs-c, you have to drink plenty enough throughout the day, because water helps the acacia fiber move through better and get things out so they don't more rapidly ferment in the colon, causing excess gas. BTW, people can take the fiber spread throughout the day before eating anything.

Utilizing the fiber built slowly, (taking longer to build for constipation) and the peppermint+ caps (which includes the non-fodmap fennel (OIL) and the ginger oil) are a must for IBS. Remember, the acacia feeds the good Bifidus in your colon slowly, which is the best way to build good bacteria.

Extra help "IF" this pertains to your situation Per Heather:
It is definitely possible to transition from a laxative or other unnatural methods of alleviating constipation to Acacia. But, you can't simply switch from one to the other in a single day and expect equivalent results. What you CAN do is keep taking your usual dose of laxatives while you begin your Acacia and start to gradually increase your Acacia dose. When you've been able to reach a fairly high daily dose (say, 2-3 tablespoons) you can start to gradually decrease your laxative.

Keep increasing the Acacia and continue decreasing your laxative, taking each step slowly and carefully. This is not likely to be a fast process, but the slower and steadier you go the more likely it is to have a highly successful result. I've heard from numerous people who transitioned off of laxatives, senna, enemas, and even prescription constipation drugs and onto a soluble fiber supplement, with terrific results. But it took anywhere from one to six months, depending on how long their bowels had been dependent on the laxatives. Good things can be well worth the wait, and this is one of those situations where patience is truly a virtue. IBS is a lifelong problem for most people, so giving yourself a few months to make a tremendous improvement is not really taking too much time in the grand scheme of things.


Print     Remind Me     Notify Moderator