Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Naturopathy and dieticians

Hi Ruchie,

I believe dieticians and nutritionists are the same thing, but I don't know that for sure. I think it's worth a shot to go see one. My experience was very pleasant. They do make you do alot of work in keeping food journals and they ask you a ton of questions and have a huge questionnaire for you to fill out initially, but it is worth it because they really do a ton of research to try and figure out your problem. They help you make a list of what you need to ask your doctor and give you really good suggestions on recipes, snacks, etc. I think it would be a good idea to ask them the same questions Heather has listed in her book about what you should ask your doctor (ie. make sure whoever you go see is familiar with what IBS is and how to treat it properly through diet, etc.) In fact, a good dietician/nutritionist who claims they are familiar with IBS should already know of Heather's books and her diet - I would ask them if they have ever heard of them. I first went to see a dietician years ago because I was so tired I was falling asleep at 8:00 pm and not waking up for twelve hours. I couldn't figure out why I was so tired all the time. My dietician calculated my total calories for one day and I was only getting 1200 calories. I am a very active person and with all the activities I was participating in, she suggested that I need to receive around 2400-2600 calories/day. I gradually worked my way up and felt TONS better (I eat like a horse now!) I went back to see her last year when I started having symptoms of IBS. I had no idea what was wrong with me other than I thought all of a sudden I've developed tons of food allergies. She told me to go to my doctor and she made me write down a list of questions to ask him. She thought I might have celiac disease initially, but dieticians/nutritionists cannot authorize the proper medical tests to determine any diseases. To make a long story short, the dietician was VERY helpful and compassionate. (I don't have celiac disease by the way).

As for a naturopath, I also highly recommend them. They are not covered by my health care plan so I pay him every time I go see him, but I get a half hour appointment every time I book and he really cares about how I am doing. When I go to my regular doctor, I'm trying to ask him questions while he has his hand on the door knob saying "take this medication - if it doesn't work, come back and see me in a couple of days." The naturopath sits and listens to ALL my complaints/questions with an open mind. A friend recommended him to me. If you're wondering about how to find out if they have a medical degree I think you'll just have to call a bunch of different places and ask??

I hope this helps and you're feeling better very soon, I'll be thinking of you!

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Lorna

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