Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Non-Gi complaints w/ IBS

Hello, very interesting, because IBS is such a complicated thing, let me add to the confusion. Yes i get a lot of those symptoms, a lot of which are present in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). I have always attributed my IBS to a severe case of Ciguatera poisoning when a child. Ciguatoxin is the most potent neurotoxin known, 10000 times more toxic than arsenic w/w. There was a study run in Hawaii not long ago on CFS patients in which about 98% of them tested positive for traces of ciguatoxin! I really do wonder if IBS patients all went and got tested what % might also have been exposed to it at some time.
Of course its speculation, but science does sometimes identify causative agents that have far reaching consequences.
Incidently one of the symptoms of ciguatera poisoning, apart from the severe gastro etc, is a reversal of temperature sensitivities, ie hot things feel cold, cold things hot.
Ciguatoxin attacks the sodium/calcium channels in the nervous system causing nerve cells to trigger rapidly but then take a long time to recover. Sound a bit like IBS? Overactive gut or sluggish gut????
Having been exposed to ciguatoxin, a patient is apparently hyper-senstivie to re-exposure. I have often wondered if occasional tiny amounts in food i eat may trigger IBS attacks but have no effect on a normal person.
Anyhow i rant, i have posted similar info once or twice before, sorry if i have bored anyone, but it is very interesting to me, and of course not ever likely to be investigated or proven.
cheers
Ralph

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