Some of my favorite links:
Mike (my husband)
The books on IBS arrived on Saturday. One was so awful that I am returning it to Amazon. Don't even think about it... Title? "Tell Me What to Eat if I Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome". Why was it so bad? OOOHF!!OK, here goes. First, the author assumes that her message will help anyone and everyone else. It won't. IBS is labelled as itself precisely because each person's combination of symptoms and triggers and food problems is absolutely and totally unique. Thus, while there are general principles for sufferers who are more prone to diarrhea or to constipation or gas, each of us must continually try and discard remedies as they fail, and keep the ones that succeed in minimising symptoms.
More than any other trigger, stress (STRESS!!) is the overriding culprit. Minimising that will allow the IBS sufferer more flexibility when trying additional remedies.
Second, the author puts forth a couple dozen recipes that every IBS'er must eat! Sorry, but if I ate ANY of the foods in those recipes I'd be dead in three days. I guess that reinforces my first point.
Third, I am incensed that someone who claims to be an IBS'er, and who should know better, published a book that could conceivably make others very very ill! I think I'll pan it on Amazon...
Of the other books, I have only read one, and am really only half into it. I am happy, happy, happy with this book, "Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Natural Approach". The book has three main parts - the intro to IBS with clinical detail but in layman terms (thank you), the part on stress management (and here is where I got stuck, b/c there are these really cool exercises one can do to get in touch with triggers, etc), and the part on alternative treatments out there like acupuncture and homeopathy and yoga.
The book is easy to read, informative and does not seek to impose a single regimen on everyone. The authors guide the reader toward finding a path for herself. Way cool.
On another note, I found another very cool website on IBS, called DigestionInfo. And yes, there are links as well as snippets from BBS dialogues and links to websites for those other digestive diseases (the REAL ones).
Time to wind down. Today was a good day. It was a multiple doodie day. A satisfying doodie day. Today was also a satisfying personal/professional day. I would love to have many days in a row like this. Forever.
So, as my husband says, think happy thoughts.
posted by LST 9/11/2000 08:38:48 PM