Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I'm not going to argue this guy's sincerity. It sounds like he does want to help, however, he doesn't seem to do a very good job at interpreting the information he's collected. He describes gluten sensitivity, but what about it? If you're gluten sensitive than you probably have celiac disease, which means you don't necessarily have IBS. Plus he lists the following as a "typical meal" and I don't know if he means one that will definitely give you an attack (because it will if you suffer from IBS) or if it's one of his meals in his 30 day plan :
Lettuce Tacos - Fry half pound extra lean ground beef cooked in half teaspoon olive oil, garlic, salt to taste, chopped carrot and chopped zucchini. Serve in butter lettuce leaf.

BUT, what really, REALLY bothers me is the following statement:

Now that you're here, our goal is to rid you of not the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) but the cause of it.

First of all that's pretty much saying that he/they can cure IBS. He doesn't say cure, but getting "rid of the cause of it" means the exact same thing.

Second of all, the problem with IBS is that researchers, scientists, doctors, have not been able to find an organic cause. This is why we can only manage it and not cure it. IBS is not even fully understood other than it's a group of common symptoms. That's why it's called a "syndrome" and not a disease. For all we know, IBS is a catch-all term for various digestive disorders that doctors may understand better in the years to come. I believe that someday a cure will be found, but I believe it will be a result of research and studies which find what the cause of IBS is.

I'm tired of feeling sick and having to be a "picky" eater, too. I like that others who have suffered from IBS and are doing better are trying to help the rest of us. But I don't think this person is able to take the information he's gathered, such as the studies he's looked at, and make an educated, logical conclusion about the data that proves his plan can get rid of the cause of IBS in 30 days. Maybe he means getting rid of trigger foods to avoid attacks, but that's different from being "IBSfree." You might argue the same about Heather, but I feel her understanding of the various studies, the evidence she provides, the resources she lists, and the ability to communicate this information in an educated way is what makes her stand out. Plus Heather has the support of the medical community (see the introduction to The First Year: IBS written by the David Posner, MD, Chief of Gastroenterology at the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland).

If you want to try it, that's up to you. If you feel the information he's provided makes sense and is worth a shot, go for it! Just becareful, because even people with the best intentions might not have the best information.

Edited by Maria!Maria! (08/25/05 11:24 PM)

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