IBS News & Updates
May 2, 2010
15 PRODUCE ITEMS WITH THE LOWEST PESTICIDES
Being kind and thoughtful to our bodies as a whole is a very important strategy for IBS sufferers. Here is the 2010 list from www.foodnews.org, a watchdog group on pesticides and other contaminates in our food supply, of the produce items available at your local grocery store that contain the lowest amount of pesticides from the best item which is onions (meaning barely any pesticides show up in rigorous testing in this item) to the last on the list that still has a very low pesticide rating- this is a very useful list as few of us can afford to buy all the certified organic produce we might prefer to..
Always wash and then peel all produce - the peels and skins are difficult to digest for IBS tummies, and can have residual pesticide contamination from being close to other items that contain high levels. Also some produce items over the years has been known to have E-coli contamination on the peel from poor handling in the field:
Onion (Best)
(does not include green onions - they are very high in pesticides)
Avocado
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato
APRIL IS IBS AWARENESS MONTH
04-12-2010 Prebiotics help promote probiotic friendly gut bacteria. According to the John Hopkins Medical Newsletter, bottom line is to avoid probiotic supplements because of the unnecessary expense, and often they don't work as well as advertisesd and can sometimes cause diarrhea, SO anyone with digestive problems does themselves a favor by regularly eating prebiotics in healthy foods (certified organic, if possible) like yogurt (it also has a probiotic effect with live cultures, check labels),
oatmeal, barley, onions, bananas, asparagus, and leeks.
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03-16-2010 by Prunella
Like myself, many people suffer from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). And unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed for years, although more doctors are becoming aware of the chronic disorder and its debilitating symptoms. IBS is a worldwide problem, affecting between 9% and 23% of all cultures.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating/gas, and altered bowel habit (chronic or recurrent diarrhea, constipation, or both – either mixed or in alternation).
IBS affects between 25 and 45 million people in the United States (10 to 15% of the population). Approximately 60 to 65% of IBS sufferers are female; 35 to 40% are male. IBS affects people of all ages, even children. The exact cause of IBS is not known.
Symptoms appear to result from a disturbance in the interaction between the gut, brain, and nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motor or sensory function. IBS is not caused by stress. However, because of the connection between the brain and the gut, symptoms can be exacerbated or triggered by stress. The impact of IBS can range from mild inconvenience to severe debilitation, controlling many aspects of one's emotional, social and professional life. Those with moderate to severe cases, affecting an estimated 10 to 15 million people, must struggle to overcome symptoms that often impair their physical, emotional, economic, educational and social well-being. IBS is unpredictable. Symptoms vary and are sometimes contradictory, such as diarrhea alternating with constipation. Chronic and recurrent symptoms can disrupt personal and professional activities, upset emotional well-being and limit individual potential.
Treatments are available for IBS to help manage symptoms. However, research is needed to provide greater relief and more treatment options. Although IBS is very common in the general population, few seek medical care for their symptoms. On average, patients report it takes more than three years from onset to diagnosis, and see nearly three healthcare professionals before their condition is diagnosed as IBS. Approximately 20 to 40% of all visits to gastroenterologists are due to IBS symptoms. For those with IBS an additional burden comes from living in a society where the word "bowel" may scarcely be spoken. Individuals are left to cope with multiple symptoms that affect every aspect of their lives while those around them may be unaware of the true impact, or even the existence, of the disorder.
Most IBS organizations tell you that IBS can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. However, if you are suspicious you may have IBS or any related digestive problem, please go online to www.helpforibs.com - this is the site that helped save me from daily agony and possible hospitalization, and helped change my life so much for the better. After years of sickness, I am forever grateful that I found that site. If you do not have a computer or access to one, Heather’s book is available at most Public Libraries: “Eating for IBS” by Heather Van Vorous, written by the woman who began the site mentioned above, to help others, like herself, to understand IBS, and find relief. The book gives you some of the crucial information from her internet site. Sign up for her monthly newsletter, too.
As for surviving IBS, it turns out that the answer is to help yourself once you have the real knowledge of what to eat and what not to eat – and that knowledge makes all the difference in your quality of life!
---------------------------------------------------------
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients Not More Likely To Get Colon Cancer
Also Included In: Irritable-Bowel Syndrome; GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology; Public Health
Article Date: 10 Mar 2010 - 1:00 PST
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at no greater risk of having polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases than healthy people undergoing colonoscopies, according to new research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
"Patients and doctors get nervous about the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)," says William D. Chey, M.D., professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. "They think the symptoms represent something more sinister."
"This study should reassure doctors and patients that typical IBS symptoms are not indicators of a more serious disease," he adds.
Chey was the lead author on the study, the largest prospective evaluation of the results of colonoscopies in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
IBS symptoms include recurrent episodes of abdominal pain or cramping in connection with altered bowel habits. The condition affects 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population and is more common among women than men. Many of those afflicted never seek treatment.
IBS patients often undergo colonoscopies because physicians are particularly concerned about missing colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, Chey says. Roughly a quarter of all colonoscopies performed in the U.S. are for IBS-related symptoms.
This research shows that it is unnecessary to order colonoscopies for IBS patients, unless they show other alarming symptoms like unexplained weight loss or anemia, bleeding from the GI tract, or have a family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease, says Chey, who also is director of U-M's Gastrointestinal Physiology Laboratory and the Michigan Bowel Control Program.
"Lay people and doctors overuse colonoscopies, which are very expensive procedures, in patients with typical IBS symptoms and no alarm features. Of course, patients over the age of 50 years or who have alarm features should undergo colonoscopy to screen for polyps and colon cancer." Chey says.
Chey's research also showed that a small percentage of IBS patients older than 35 (2.5%) had an unusual disease called microscopic colitis. Microscopic colitis can masquerade as IBS in patients with diarrhea and is important to diagnose because it is treated differently than IBS, he says.
March is colorectal cancer awareness month. Not counting skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in this country. The risk of a person having colorectal cancer in their lifetime is about 1 in 19.
Source: University of Michigan Health System
----------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL THE PAGES HERE IN MY BLOG FOR QUICK, EFFECTIVE RELIEF SUGGESTIONS, AND WAYS TO APPROACH POSSIBLE AND REALISTIC LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS.
I am not a professional medical person, and do not claim to be. Please contact your physician before beginning any new eating plan or change of lifestyle!
Thank you, Prunella
*********************
15 PRODUCE ITEMS WITH THE LOWEST PESTICIDES
Being kind and thoughtful to our bodies as a whole is a very important strategy for IBS sufferers. Here is the 2010 list from www.foodnews.org, a watchdog group on pesticides and other contaminates in our food supply, of the produce items available at your local grocery store that contain the lowest amount of pesticides from the best item which is onions (meaning barely any pesticides show up in rigorous testing in this item) to the last on the list that still has a very low pesticide rating- this is a very useful list as few of us can afford to buy all the certified organic produce we might prefer to..
Always wash and then peel all produce - the peels and skins are difficult to digest for IBS tummies, and can have residual pesticide contamination from being close to other items that contain high levels. Also some produce items over the years has been known to have E-coli contamination on the peel from poor handling in the field:
Onion (Best)
(does not include green onions - they are very high in pesticides)
Avocado
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato
APRIL IS IBS AWARENESS MONTH
04-12-2010 Prebiotics help promote probiotic friendly gut bacteria. According to the John Hopkins Medical Newsletter, bottom line is to avoid probiotic supplements because of the unnecessary expense, and often they don't work as well as advertisesd and can sometimes cause diarrhea, SO anyone with digestive problems does themselves a favor by regularly eating prebiotics in healthy foods (certified organic, if possible) like yogurt (it also has a probiotic effect with live cultures, check labels),
oatmeal, barley, onions, bananas, asparagus, and leeks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
03-16-2010 by Prunella
Like myself, many people suffer from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). And unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed for years, although more doctors are becoming aware of the chronic disorder and its debilitating symptoms. IBS is a worldwide problem, affecting between 9% and 23% of all cultures.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating/gas, and altered bowel habit (chronic or recurrent diarrhea, constipation, or both – either mixed or in alternation).
IBS affects between 25 and 45 million people in the United States (10 to 15% of the population). Approximately 60 to 65% of IBS sufferers are female; 35 to 40% are male. IBS affects people of all ages, even children. The exact cause of IBS is not known.
Symptoms appear to result from a disturbance in the interaction between the gut, brain, and nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motor or sensory function. IBS is not caused by stress. However, because of the connection between the brain and the gut, symptoms can be exacerbated or triggered by stress. The impact of IBS can range from mild inconvenience to severe debilitation, controlling many aspects of one's emotional, social and professional life. Those with moderate to severe cases, affecting an estimated 10 to 15 million people, must struggle to overcome symptoms that often impair their physical, emotional, economic, educational and social well-being. IBS is unpredictable. Symptoms vary and are sometimes contradictory, such as diarrhea alternating with constipation. Chronic and recurrent symptoms can disrupt personal and professional activities, upset emotional well-being and limit individual potential.
Treatments are available for IBS to help manage symptoms. However, research is needed to provide greater relief and more treatment options. Although IBS is very common in the general population, few seek medical care for their symptoms. On average, patients report it takes more than three years from onset to diagnosis, and see nearly three healthcare professionals before their condition is diagnosed as IBS. Approximately 20 to 40% of all visits to gastroenterologists are due to IBS symptoms. For those with IBS an additional burden comes from living in a society where the word "bowel" may scarcely be spoken. Individuals are left to cope with multiple symptoms that affect every aspect of their lives while those around them may be unaware of the true impact, or even the existence, of the disorder.
Most IBS organizations tell you that IBS can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. However, if you are suspicious you may have IBS or any related digestive problem, please go online to www.helpforibs.com - this is the site that helped save me from daily agony and possible hospitalization, and helped change my life so much for the better. After years of sickness, I am forever grateful that I found that site. If you do not have a computer or access to one, Heather’s book is available at most Public Libraries: “Eating for IBS” by Heather Van Vorous, written by the woman who began the site mentioned above, to help others, like herself, to understand IBS, and find relief. The book gives you some of the crucial information from her internet site. Sign up for her monthly newsletter, too.
As for surviving IBS, it turns out that the answer is to help yourself once you have the real knowledge of what to eat and what not to eat – and that knowledge makes all the difference in your quality of life!
---------------------------------------------------------
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients Not More Likely To Get Colon Cancer
Also Included In: Irritable-Bowel Syndrome; GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology; Public Health
Article Date: 10 Mar 2010 - 1:00 PST
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at no greater risk of having polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases than healthy people undergoing colonoscopies, according to new research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
"Patients and doctors get nervous about the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)," says William D. Chey, M.D., professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. "They think the symptoms represent something more sinister."
"This study should reassure doctors and patients that typical IBS symptoms are not indicators of a more serious disease," he adds.
Chey was the lead author on the study, the largest prospective evaluation of the results of colonoscopies in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
IBS symptoms include recurrent episodes of abdominal pain or cramping in connection with altered bowel habits. The condition affects 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population and is more common among women than men. Many of those afflicted never seek treatment.
IBS patients often undergo colonoscopies because physicians are particularly concerned about missing colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, Chey says. Roughly a quarter of all colonoscopies performed in the U.S. are for IBS-related symptoms.
This research shows that it is unnecessary to order colonoscopies for IBS patients, unless they show other alarming symptoms like unexplained weight loss or anemia, bleeding from the GI tract, or have a family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease, says Chey, who also is director of U-M's Gastrointestinal Physiology Laboratory and the Michigan Bowel Control Program.
"Lay people and doctors overuse colonoscopies, which are very expensive procedures, in patients with typical IBS symptoms and no alarm features. Of course, patients over the age of 50 years or who have alarm features should undergo colonoscopy to screen for polyps and colon cancer." Chey says.
Chey's research also showed that a small percentage of IBS patients older than 35 (2.5%) had an unusual disease called microscopic colitis. Microscopic colitis can masquerade as IBS in patients with diarrhea and is important to diagnose because it is treated differently than IBS, he says.
March is colorectal cancer awareness month. Not counting skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in this country. The risk of a person having colorectal cancer in their lifetime is about 1 in 19.
Source: University of Michigan Health System
----------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL THE PAGES HERE IN MY BLOG FOR QUICK, EFFECTIVE RELIEF SUGGESTIONS, AND WAYS TO APPROACH POSSIBLE AND REALISTIC LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS.
I am not a professional medical person, and do not claim to be. Please contact your physician before beginning any new eating plan or change of lifestyle!
Thank you, Prunella
*********************
