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Claire,
I do believe in alternative medicine and have had great luck with homeopathy in treating seasonal allergies, osteopathy and massage in treating musculoskeletal complaints, etc. But some segments of the alternative medicine community have no scientific proof behind them, and I'm afraid that I don't believe in candida overgrowth. It's a myth. If your body were really overrun by candida, you'd be deathly ill, not suffering from IBS. And you're NOT deathly ill, so don't even go there  .
There's more info here.
Amelia
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Oh, Claire, please stop being so hard on yourself.
1 Have you read all the info on this site about what IBS is and how it affects you? Have you read all the dietary advice? If not, then do so. I just don't believe IBS has been caused by abusing your body with anorexia. I suffer from IBS C&D and I've always enjoyed eating everything wholeheartedly without ever worrying about my weight.
2 Colonics/enemas - if you think about it there is nothing natural about them and certainly a way to punish yourself, if that's what you're looking for. What's natural about sticking a tube up your ass and blasting away?! You don't need to scrub your insides out after menstruation each month, or having a baby. Think of all the medical advice to avoid douching - it's actually damaging because it removes all the GOOD bacteria that we need inside us to survive. You don't need to sterilise your colon in that way either.
3 You talk about feeling dirty and unclean inside. I suspect this may have more to do with your body image or self-esteem than any physical condition. Have you been under pressure recently? If you have IBS, all that is wrong with you is that your gut is much more sensitive than other peoples. For me that makes sense. I have over sensitive skin, an over sensitive gut and, well, I'm a sensitive soul generally. I'm emotionally sensitive. Your body is NOT punishing you for who you are and what you have done. Your body is asking you to avoid punishing or abusing yourself - it's asking you to treat yourself as gently and as well as you can in this life. In some ways, you can learn to think of this as a blessing. I (or my body) just won't tolerate the kind of abuse that others throw at theirs on a daily basis. With the right lifestyle and by listening to yourself (instead of paying to listen to other 'experts') and your body, you can learn to feel so much better - inside and out.
4 Candida - this is such an easy cop-out for people to say. I was told by someone who gave me 'food-intolerance tests' that this was my problem. Eventually, after loads of blood tests and a stool test it was confirmed by the leading medical experts in the UK there was no way I had candida overgrowth, or anything other than IBS.
If you have been properly diagnosed as IBS, please trust this and learn what IBS is and how to deal with it. I have lots of info now from official health web sites in the UK that support the information Heather provides on this site.
I hope this is not too ranting and is, in some way helpful to you. Take care
Shellsbells
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Sensitivity
#34899 - 01/02/04 11:27 AM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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Michelle, this isn't ranting at all -- it's GREAT stuff! Terrific information in here.
By the way, I too am very sensitive. Everything about me is sensitive -- not only my behavior, but everything inside me and outside as well. My skin, for example -- I can't stand labels on shirts, they all have to be removed. If you touch me, I'll bruise. My hearing is so intense, I can't stand the noises around me and oftentimes have to use my ear plugs -- especially at the supermarket where they play that horribly loud "rock" music! It's an assault on my ears. My smell -- last night I made pizza, and I'm still smelling it! When my dog poops, my hubby has to pick it up because if I pick it up I'll smell it on me the rest of the day! (Anyway, that's a good excuse, ain't it?  )
With all this sensitivity, why should I wonder, then, about having a sensitive gut as well?
You make a LOT of sense, Girlfriend!
Bev
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Bevrs,
Like you, I couldn't figure out why I developed IBS in my middle years (55), when I'd been as healthy as a horse (except for a few minor controllable things) all of my life. Because my pains are high up I convinced myself, at first, I had liver cancer. I went through a battery of doctors and a million tests, some very unpleasant, only to find out I now had IBS, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! Next question, what caused it? I've tried to sort it out but have resigned myself to the fact that I likely could make a million speculations but what good would it do? I now get on with getting on, or so they say.
I think I ordered EVERY book that Amazon had on the subject of IBS and it wasn't until I read Heather's 1st Year did it all start to make sense. I tried some of her recommended foods and wa-lah, no pains. With that I knew she (and now me as one of her followers) was on to something that worked. The only down side is that I've now started to put weight on. I WAS overweight when it all started and got down below what I weighed in High School. That's what eating only rice and bananas (the only things I could tolerate) will do. Nice thought to be skinny and I was happy with that but parts were starting to atrophy and well, you know what happens to the skin………………yuck, elephant skin. Now with a year of intense exercise it's all firmed up, but I still would like to take the 12 lbs. off I gained. Just to feel good (most of the time) is well worth the payment of a few extra pounds. And like you, Michael's hypno tapes has helped with the reduction of stress levels.
Kandee
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All so well said I'm not sure any one of us could have said it better. Thank you for your wisdom, Shells!!!
Kandee
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but this can be a really wonderful tool to help your body and mind accept that you did not ask for IBS, that you did not bring it on yourself, or that it is somehow a punishment you deserve. It's simply an illness, and for reasons that are still mostly unknown some people simply develop it at different points in their lives. There is no one and nothing to blame here - certainly not yourself! You didn't ask for IBS, and you don't deserve to have it - but you do, and simply accepting that can actually be one of the biggest steps towards starting to truly manage and overcome it.
Mike's hypno tapes specifically address these issues right off the bat, and this is a huge, huge relief for so many people with IBS. If you haven't tried these, check out the hypno board here and see what folks have to say about this.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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