what are some ways to make living with IBS more tolerable?

Answer 1

make sure you are getting enough fiber.

Answer 2

1. Make sure you know your triggers. Experiment with eliminating certain foods from your diet for at least a week. Dairy is a very, very common problem (not just the lactose but the protein as well). Others are wheat/oats/barley/rye, soy, caffeine, insoluble fiber, and in my case, it was MSG and MSG-containing additives like malt extract, "natural flavors", and soy protein. (I've been doing great since I changed my diet!)

You can keep a food and symptom diary to see if you can find any connections over time between your symptoms and what you ate. Remember there can be a delayed reaction! If you *really* want to go for it, you can do a BRA diet (only plain bananas, rice and applesauce) and slowly add foods back in one at a time until you find the culprit(s).

2. Stress elimination does help - acupuncture provides relief for some people, massages, exercise, whatever works for you. Even sleep aids - I find those long sleepless nights of worrying wreak havoc on my digestion.

3. Find a good support group to get ideas and have a forum for your questions - I LOVE the group on the IBS board at WebMD.com. The people there are very knowledgeable, wise, and always willing to answer your stupidest questions =) If it wasn't for those folks' help, I'd probably still be suffering everytime I ate.

4. Probiotics ("good" bacteria) help a lot of people. Get a good one (eg Digestive Advantage, Culturelle, Kirkman Labs, Trader Joes, etc.) and try another one if the first doesn't do anything. Different ones work for different people.

5. Soluble fiber (not insoluble fiber) supplements - psyllium, pectin, metamucil, etc. I'd avoid the artificially flavored ones - the chemicals don't do you any favors. I get generic psyllium and grapefruit pectin capsules online or from a local health store. Try the diet described on Eating4ibs.com . It's pretty easy to follow, and involves eating a lot of soluble fiber and less insoluble fiber- it's all explained on the site and costs nothing.

6. Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague. They often cause or aggravate digestive troubles, among other evils.

Hope that helps!

Answer 3

work out what foods iritate
fibre isnt always the answer, i have to eat less fibre and fruit when mine flares up

dairy or wheat can be common irritants and red meat is difficult on the digestive system. so keep a food diary for a month or so and check out what is better or worse for you

Answer 4

keep a food diary and work out what you cant have colonic irrigation is good also as the thearpist tells you what you cant diegest proparly