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I have not written articles recently, except for those that decry the claims made by Dannon Activia.
I do pay attention to anyone who writes a comment for this blog, and answer as soon as possible.
In about a month, I hope to start reviewing IBS books and new blogs. If you have found an interesting and helpful book, please let me know about it, or write a review for this blog. If we publish it, you would get publication credit in lieu of payment.
In the meantime, please feel free to look around and to comment on those posts you find interesting. There is a lot of basic information here.
June 3rd, 2008
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Blog, general, IBS |
no comments
Introduction
Every once in while I read a post on another blog that is so good that I don’t just sit back and think, “Now there’s a good post.” No, I sit back and think, “What an admirable, original post! I wish I had written something like that.” Sophie, who runs the IBS Tales blog, has just written that kind of post, on “Why self-diagnosis is so crazy.”
Listing Reasons
From time to time I see lists of IBS symptoms on web sites and blogs. Without giving it much thought, I say to myself “Perhaps For My Tummy should do something like that,” and then never write it. Of course I’m a procrastinator; that’s a perfectly good reason for not setting up a page with common symptoms of IBS. A second reason is wanting to think that readers come to this blog with some knowledge of what Irritable Bowel Syndrome is (or isn’t) and what the symptom picture is likely to be. A third rationale is not particularly wanting to specialize in either IBS-C (predominantly constipation) or IBS-D (predominantly diarrhea) or IBS-A (C and D are Alternating), nor discuss the specific forms that IBS takes–so I don’t discuss the typing of IBS according to current or historical symptom. It’s just IBS, and you know what kind you have, presumably.
Deepest Concern
AND the deep underlying ultimate reason is that I don’t want you, the reader, to diagnose yourself based on this web site. Use a lot of self-help measures, yes. Avoid things that don’t help, yes. Diagnose yourself, no. If that means you go get that colonoscopy your doctor says you need to have for a diagnosis, then this site will cheer you on and provide moral support–mostly metaphorical, it’s true. And for more encouragement on that path, of getting a real medical IBS diagnosis, read Sophie’s post.
Discuss
Do you have a strong reaction to this policy? See the “No Comment” link below–or if there’s been a comment, the link will have the number of comments? Click on that and a window will open that allows you to disguise your identity and tell us what you think.
January 17th, 2008
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Blog, Medical, general, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS Symptoms |
no comments
For those of you who are saying “Yeah, right!” to my post of earlier today on what to do at a holiday dinner or party, here is some commiseration from Sophie at IBS Tales. These quotes she lists might make you happier about staying home, if that’s your choice.
On the other hand, you can read through the quotes and say to yourself “Well, if I don’t hear *that* one, then the party/dinner went okay.”
And, if you are wondering about the sly strategies I suggest, and just want to honestly tell people –”I can’t eat that. I have IBS,” then read Sophie’s Reality List.
December 18th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
general |
no comments
In this Holiday season, I wish you the best outcomes in managing your IBS! May the “merries” and “happies” that you hear, all apply to you!
This is the time of year that lots of families and groups exchange wish lists.
When you want some special items to control your IBS, and are not in control of the grocery shopping, one strategy is to put Amazon gift certificates on your wish list, so you can order items and try them out, or order items that you keep apart from the regular groceries. Gift certificates from all one place can be combined into a “shopping for my IBS” budget.
Best,
Tummyblogger
December 3rd, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
general, IBS food |
no comments
Sustenex ™ is a variant on Ganeden BC ^30 ™, a probiotic used also in the Digestive Advantage ™ line of products for IBS, IBS-C, Crohn’s Disease, and Lactose Intolerance.
Sustenex, however, is marketed as a health-promotion product, rather than as a health-improvement product like the Digestive Advantage line. I cannot find out from the online literature whether there is the same amount of Ganeden BC^30 in each of the Ganeden products. I would be interested to know the differences among their products.
The reason I have been reading the Sustenex materials at www.sustenex.com is that I received a press release from them (Ganeden Biotech), which is reproduced here, without the main image.
1-800-456-0276 DigestiveAdvantage@GanedenBiotech.com
Dr. Mehmet Oz radio show on Oprah & Friends™:
Date: Thursday, November 15th
Time: 7:00am, 1:00pm and 7:00pm
How to listen to the show: Tune in to XM Radio channel 156 or click here! to sign up for a 30-day free membership.
Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen, renowned doctors in cardiology, anesthesiology, and wellness are also the best selling authors of the YOU series of books. Their latest book, YOU: Staying Young was just released and is on the New York Times Best Sellers List.
Learn more about probiotics >>
Learn more about GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans), our patented strain of probiotics >>
I am traveling out of town, and may not get to listen. Would you like to write a guest review of the radio show for the blog? Contact me tummyblogger [at] gmail.com?
And, to find out more about probiotics, especially for tummy problems such as IBS-C and IBS-D, and even IBS-A, read the following articles on this blog:
Originally from October 2006, on promising medical research:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/04/20/medical-research-on-probiotic
Recommended Reading on Probiotics:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/07/08/recommended-reading-on-probiotics-and-prebiotics/
And the series on Probiotics 101 and 102, as follows:
That even funnier word, SYNbiotics, is covered in this article:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/07/09/prebiotics-plus-probiotics-synbiotics/
Don’t forget PREbiotics, described in this article:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/07/09/prebiotics-plus-probiotics-synbiotics/
November 14th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, general, Digesting Information, Sustenex |
one comment
You know you are having a bad IBS day when
You start talking unkindly to the button you are trying to sew onto that winter coat that it’s cold enough for, when it’s really all the fault of the needle.
You know you are having a stressful and bad IBS Day when
You drop and break a perfectly balanced, grooved, weighted glass that knows better than to leap out of your hand and crash to the floor.
So the stress catches up with you, and you know you are having a really stressful and bad IBS Day when
Your IBS-C turns into IBS-D.
November 12th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Blog, humor, general, IBS, IBS-C, IBS-D |
no comments
Food and Environmental Impact
Somehow the slogan “food is a weapon” makes me think of food fights. We are familiar with some kinds of food fights, the kind when someone tries to make you eat something you know is going to cause IBS symptoms like diarrhea, gas, cramps, constipation.
This arresting poster
comes from World War II. The poster is a reminder that all kinds of environmental actions took place in order to assist the United States in the war effort.
Blog Action Day
As you know if you visit this blog repeatedly, I have a column devoted to public service ads, including a “tree in a widget.” That’s a low-key reminder to people not to slack off on environmental activism. Today, though, is “Blog Action Day,” a simple call to all bloggers to post something about the environment.
Behavior Change
Thus, this post. The source for the poster is the “No Impact Man” web site. He blogs about living a life that has no impact on the environment–and he lives in New York City! With a restaurant-loving wife and one child! Check out the noimpactman.typepad.com post on “Changing our Behavior.”
For My Tummy is a blog that’s dedicate to helping ourselves to change behavior about the food we eat. Can we parlay that expertise we’ve gained into reducing our impact on the environment? Does it take a War Office or similar governmental organization to push us into the kind of change that will avert disaster? What are your thoughts?
October 16th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Blog, general, IBS |
no comments
If you have been here before, there is a newer, bolder look to the Header and menu bar.
I was “working” (fooling around?) behind the scenes and changed a couple of things in the Header. The thing is, the changes I made did NOT promise to make the Name bolder, or to shift the menu down across the main page. I filled in the name and changed “home” on the menu to “Home” with a capital H. Doing either of those things was expected to have *some* effect, true–but I got more/different than I bargained for.
Still and all, I rather like the new look. So for now, until you let me know how you feel, I’ll keep it. The look and feel of this web site is, yes, a personal expression.
The look and feel is also, I hope, a familiar “face” to those who return. As such your opinion matters a great deal. So let me know.
October 1st, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Blog, general |
2 comments
In reviewing the questions that people ask search engines, and then get direct to this site, I am seeing a lot of “is it ok to take xyz every day.” The answers are sprinkled through this site, so I wonder whether people find what they are looking for.
In this post I review some of the queries and try out some answers. Feel free to comment by clicking on the “no comment” link, which opens the comment box:
Is it okay to take laxatives every day?
- a. By laxative do you mean anything in the laxative aisle of the drugstore? Then read beyond this question for information on Soluble Fiber Supplements, also called “prebiotics.”
- b. Generally it is not good practice to do this. Over a long space of time you become dependent on laxatives, and you need a larger and larger dose to get the same effect. A diet that avoids IBS triggers, and the simultaneous building up of your intake of soluble fiber supplements (SFS) to the recommended levels will relieve constipation over time. You do not need to have a bowel movement every day; fewer than three per week is a cause for concern. “Cause for concern” is code for “talk to your doctor about this.”
Is Benefiber okay? Review of Benefiber?
- When the major ingredient of Benefiber was guar gum, it was okay. At that point Benefiber was a Soluble Fiber Supplement (SFS), which is the kind that helps IBS. Now it is not an SFS, because the makers (Novartis, makers of Zelnorm) changed the main ingredient to maltodextrin.
What about Fibersure? Review? Take it every day?
- Fibersure is an SFS, made from chicory root fiber, also called “inulin.” Anything similar that is all inulin–for example, a Walmart store brand, or a Canadian, Indian, Australian, or British product–would act similarly. This is the kind of product in the “laxatives” aisle that you should take every day. In fact, you should take several doses throughout the day to build up to 20 to 30 grams of soluble fiber every day.
- I don’t receive the queries about Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™, which is the other brand name Soluble Fiber Supplement (SFS). Like FiberSure, it should be taken every day. Like FiberSure, unlike senokot and similar laxatives, you should gradually build up to a base level of 20 to 30 grams of SFS per day.
Take Metamucil ™ every day?
- There are two answers here. First, unless you have a free year’s supply of Metamucil ™ without any additives, don’t take Metamucil ™ for IBS. It has several ways of irritating a sensitive tummy. Second, if you have an otherwise nice doctor who insists that you take a psyllium fiber supplement (PFS), try bargaining with her to take Original Konsyl ™, which is a PFS with absolutely no sugar, sugar substitute, orange coloring, orange flavoring, etc–no additives at all.
- So the short answer? Don’t take Metamucil ™ every day; don’t take Metamucil ™ at all! If you take Original Konsyl ™ every day, preferably add it to a base of 20 to 30 grams of SFS.
Look for a further post on “every day IBS care.”
September 30th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
fiber, general, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS-D, FiberSure (tm), Heather's Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber (tm), Benefiber (tm), Prebiotics |
4 comments
From the American College of Gastroenterologists : Digestive Health Smart Brief comes this brief item from Health Day News about when to see the doctor for tummy pain:
Guidelines on when abdominal pain requires medical attention
The American College of Gastroenterology has released a list of symptoms indicating when patients who have abdominal pain should see a doctor. These include steady, severe or recurring pain; pain that impairs the ability to work; and loss of weight or appetite. Symptoms that warrant immediate medical attention include abdominal pain with fever, diarrhea, blood in the stool, change in urine color, vomiting blood, jaundice, abdomen swelling, tenderness in the abdomen or persistent constipation.
I recently lost a friend who believed her loss of weight and bloated tummy were related to her diabetes diagnosis–and didn’t see a doctor. The symptoms were due to advanced uterine cancer. With any disease or disorder that has a large self-help component, one needs to be vigilant, and willing to let the doctor decide whether these symptoms are urgent.
September 20th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
general |
no comments
Puroast is one of a few brands of low acid coffee. Since coffee is my “Essential Food Group” and since my tummy is now pretty stable, I ordered it and tried it a couple of times, using 1/2 measure Puroast and 3/2 measure Rocamojo Soy Coffee. Both were in mocha flavor, and the resulting chocolate flavor was nice. No adverse effects on my stable tummy with one 12 oz. cup, each five days apart. I haven’t tested the “second-day rule” with this, though, so beware.
I’d welcome a guest review for this product; no freebies, but here is an announcement of their sale, with a promo code, that I received in the mail. So, for me and sixty of my good friends or so, here’s the sale:
PUROAST® LOW ACID COFFEE -
First Fall Promotion!
25% Off All Items
Promotional Code - 09132007
25% Off All Items Until
September 27th, 2007
Click Here or www.puroast.com
All Shipping in the USA is Free with FedEx GROUND
GREAT TASTE, 50% LESS ACID!
Puroast® Low Acid Coffee
First Fall Promotion! -
25% Off All Items
Type in “09132007″ where is asks for the the promotion code at Check Out -
+=============================+
|See Below: |
| Have a coupon? Enter the code here: |
| |
| Click Here to Order |
+=============================+
To Order By Phone:
Call 1-877-LOW-ACID EXT. 101
September 20th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
coffee, general, IBS, IBS-C, Soy Coffee, IBS Diet |
no comments
The theme you see on this page is temporary, until I reconstruct the familiar theme we’ve been using. All of the content of ForMyTummy is still here. Please read, enjoy, comment.
TummyBlogger
September 19th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
general |
no comments
