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Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| colonoscopy , is it safe ? | 12/5/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I am from India. My doctor wants me to undergo a colonoscopy, is it safe . when i Google, I found ... A: Colonoscopies should be safe when performed properly by an experienced specialist, when the patient ... | ||
| figs | 12/3/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: firstly let me thank you for your time in reading my question. I don't particularly have ibs but ... A: I'd get a second opinion about a fiber supplement, though. I've never heard of your doctor's ... | ||
| severe digestive problems please help | 11/30/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: i got the paraguard iud inserted about 8 months ago and have had GI problems ever since. I have a ... A: IBS can be triggered by hormonal fluctuations, and if the IUD is releasing hormones it could affect ... | ||
| Gas:( | 11/29/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Hey guys! I am a young teen who suffers from excessive gas! It's been going on from about a year ... A: I can't diagnose you. You can take enteric coated peppermint oil capsules, and drink fennel tea. ... | ||
| Vitamins to take with IBS and no appendix or gallbladder | 11/18/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I'm wondering if u can suggest specific vitamins/natural remedies for my symptoms. I have had IBS my ... A: You really do need to see a GI doctor to find out what you're dealing with. You could have IBS, ... | ||
| Gas:( | 11/17/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Hey guys! I am a young teen who suffers from excessive gas! It's been going on from about a year ... A: At a minimum your symptoms have to fit the criteria (and just excess gas does not fit). And you'd ... | ||
| IBS abdominal pain | 11/3/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Backgound: 34 years old male. Overwieght and taking low doeses of blood pressure medicine daily and ... A: IBS is defined as lower abdominal pain or discomfort, in association with bowel dysmotility ... | ||
| gatro issues | 10/24/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I'm a 39 y/o male- otherwise healthy. For 5 months I have had gastro issues. I have had sporatic, ... A: constipation, or alternating). So no, your symptoms do not fit those of IBS. There is full ... | ||
| Sigmoidoscopy | 10/22/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Heather, thank you for taking my question. I will shortly have a sigmoidoscopy performed. Do I ... A: this is really outside my knowledge. I don't know who would normally perform this procedure, though ... | ||
| Major case of IBS-D wont let up | 10/21/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I've had IBS-D for about 3+ years, and was diagnosed by speaking with My general Dr. about a 1yr ... A: There are lots of non-drug treatments for IBS, but it concerns me that you might not have a proper ... | ||
| fish, belly | 10/4/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Heather I am looking and feeling much better now that I have given up red meat. Although I cant find ... A: Fennel tea and some other things can help that - check here ... | ||
| Tea? | 9/21/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Heather I have tried quite a few vitamins and herbs over the years-none seemed very effective. I ... A: Teas have volatile oils that will be absorbed into your system very quickly. Capsules and pills have ... | ||
| Is it IBS and GERD or just constipation from vitamin D? | 9/16/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I recently moved moved so my doctor does not know me that well but thinks that I have GERD Reflux ... A: so your doctor shouldn't be confused between the two, unless he suspects you have both, which is ... | ||
| Constipation Not Going Away | 9/11/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: Last week, I went to the clinic to get diagnosed for food poisoning where I was experiencing ... A: This is the drug effects. You had diarrhea then you took meds to check bowel motion. then it caused ... | ||
| Lactose intolerance | 9/4/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: Lactose intolerance is basically a milk allergy or something right? Is it possible to be allergic ... A: Lactose the disacharides, one form of carbohydrate needs one enzyme for digest called lactase that ... | ||
| Stomach problems | 8/31/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: I didn't know where else to ask this but here goes. My name is Alison, I'm 14 and for the past 7 ... A: It could be gastritis combined with acidity and flatulence. The pain is worse at evening to night ... | ||
| i.b.s. | 8/25/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: i am 37 years old and have been haveing stomach problems for years mow. then it got worse and became ... A: Waking up from pain is not unheard of with IBS, but it is a red flag for other problems, as it's ... | ||
| Irritable Bowel Syndrome | 8/18/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I have had IBS for many years, I am 64 yrs old. I believe that it is more seasonal in my case. ... A: Definitely a good idea. Metamucil is not a soluble fiber - it contains psyllium, which has both ... | ||
| Irritable Bowel Syndrome | 8/17/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I have had IBS for many years, I am 64 yrs old. I believe that it is more seasonal in my case. ... A: In the meantime it can't hurt to increase your soluble fiber, especially if you take a soluble fiber ... | ||
| IBS | 8/14/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: I have had bouts of IBS before, and have always gotten better by with just periodically changin my ... A: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that causes upset intestines for a long period of time. ... | ||
| abdominal issues | 8/12/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Ok, I'm a 38 y/o male. Otherwise healthy. For yeas I have had mild abdominal discomfort that comes ... A: I cannot diagnose you. Definitely do follow up with your doc. Your symptoms don't really match ... | ||
| fluoride | 8/9/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: Dr. I have a feeling the fluoride in my municipal water combined with my two cups of tea a day habit ... A: There are many possible causes of IBS. Gastrointestinal discomfort can be an early warning sign of ... | ||
| IBS for 6 years | 8/6/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: I'm A female, age 44, possibly suffering from IBS for 6 years. I have undergone endoscopy, wheat ... A: There are many possible causes of IBS. For example, there may be a problem with muscles in the ... | ||
| EXCERSISE & IBS | 8/4/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I have been dealing with IBS for 21 years and have been to countless doctors.All of the GI ... A: Sometimes strenuous aerobic exercise can as well. Check here for IBS symptoms, diagnostic ... | ||
| Fennel Tea | 8/2/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: How do you make fennel tea from fennel seeds, do you grind the seeds or boil in water? A: in a cup of freshly boiled water. If the seeds are loose, put them in a tea strainer and brew the ... | ||
| Probiotics | 8/2/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: I have some stomach issues and many medications kill my stomach, such as antibiotics and steroids. I ... A: It is not advisable to take probiotic with steroid. Probiotics are live microorganisms similar to ... | ||
| Semi solid stools | 7/31/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: Good Morning Doc, I am facing issue of semi solid stools since last few days. I need to go to ... A: This problems generally occurs in rainy season due to polluted water. in rainy season there are lots ... | ||
| Salt and fat intolerance | 7/25/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: If I eat fat (even the "good" kind) or salt (sea salt or regular, with or without iodine) more than ... A: IBS stand for irritable bowel syndrome. I am going to explain in detail. In a normal healthy portion ... | ||
| Bowel issues | 7/24/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Im very new to this. Im an otherwise healthy 39 year old male. ALthough I may have had vague ... A: some does not. There's no reason that Prilosec would help IBS, for instance. The symptoms and ... | ||
| Symptoms | 7/23/2011 | Dr.Rangadhar Satapathy.MD(Hom) |
| Q: I am currently 17 and have IBS and I was told as you got older the symptoms of IBS come less often. ... A: It is not true You have IBS that has been diagnosed by any doctor or just you are telling. IBS or ... | ||
| all experts | 7/21/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I have a hiatial hernia, GERD, IBS, gastritis and a few other things. I also had endometriosis. What ... A: exactly, you are prohibited from doing physically due to the hernia, GERD, or gastritis. There are ... | ||
| IBS? | 7/14/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I am not going to ask for a diagnosis, but I was wondering if this sounds typical of IBS...My doctor ... A: My heart goes out to you. What you describe is not at all IBS, in any way. Have you seen an ... | ||
| What is it? | 6/2/2011 | Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI. IBS Physician & Gastroenterologist |
| Q: I am suffering from bowel irregularities since last 4 years. I do not get motions completely in the ... A: Claudio, I'm sorry to hear of your terrible constipation issues. I note you have idiopathic ... | ||
| IBS | 5/31/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I've had IBS for many years> I am currently taking VSL#3 and 30 mg of prevacid, but I still have ... A: an upper GI problem that is independent of IBS (though people with IBS are statistically more prone ... | ||
| everything makes me sick :( | 5/27/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: the past 2 months I've been having watery diarrhea 2~5 times a week. I went to the DR and tried to ... A: so you can start doing some research. Make sure you had tests to rule out inflammatory bowel ... | ||
| Constipation | 5/18/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: Do you by any chance know for how long of a time period one would need to take Miralax to become ... A: I don't know what this would be. I'd ask your pharmacist, and GI doc, and also call whatever ... | ||
| IBS/Acid Reflux and asthma | 5/15/2011 | Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI. IBS Physician & Gastroenterologist |
| Q: I'll spare you the long saga of what I have been through. In summary, 9/08, I had symptoms of not ... A: Acid reflux CAN cause breathing issues. There is good evidence for this that acid refluxing can ... | ||
| IBS D | 5/11/2011 | Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI. IBS Physician & Gastroenterologist |
| Q: i have suffered with this condition for 9-10 years now (im only 22), i have taken 100's of tests ... A: Sorry to hear that your symptoms are so bad. I note you have multisystem symptoms and these may be ... | ||
| Anal piles & fissures | 5/5/2011 | Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI. IBS Physician & Gastroenterologist |
| Q: I have developed severe anal piles & painful fissures after delivery. My baby is 2 months old, ... A: congratulations on your baby and sorry to hear that you are suffering from piles or haemorrhoids. ... | ||
| IBS | 5/3/2011 | Heather Van Vorous |
| Q: I've had IBS for many years> I am currently taking VSL#3 and 30 mg of prevacid, but I still have ... A: as they can help prevent IBS pain and spasms. You can also try peppermint, which is a terrific pain ... | ||
Heather Van Vorous
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can address questions regarding diet, cooking, recipes, and non-pharmaceutical supplements (soluble fiber, herbal, probiotics, etc.) for IBS. I can supply information sources about diagnostic guidelines, symptoms, and the medical pathology of IBS, but I cannot give a diagnosis or analyze test results a patient has obtained. I would prefer not to answer questions about prescription drugs and diagnostic tests. PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME YOUR SYMPTOMS AND THEN ASK ME TO DIAGNOSE YOU!
Experience
I'm the founder and CEO of HelpForIBS.com, an organization dedicated to serving people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My goal is to offer education, support, and help that allows people with IBS to successfully manage their symptoms through lifestyle modifications.
I'm the author of Eating for IBS, the only explicit dietary guide and cookbook for people with bowel disorders. Eating for IBS then led to my second book, The First Year: IBS, a comprehensive view of the disorder and every way to successfully manage it. Together, these works have become the two best-selling, best-reviewed IBS books in America.
My writing has led to an ongoing Canadian clinical research study of the groundbreaking dietary guidelines for Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Eating for IBS; this work also led to my inclusion in the 4th edition of Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare. Today's Dietitian has featured my IBS dietary guidelines, and my work has reached gastroenterologists and internists. I'm the author of "Heather's IBS Newsletter", which is free to subscribers and is published twice monthly. As a result, I've become recognized as the foremost patient-expert on IBS in America. I've personally had IBS since age 9.
I now teach classes on managing IBS through lifestyle modifications, I developed the Heather's Tummy Care line of organic medical foods for the dietary management of IBS, and I'm planning to work with corporate HR departments to offer employee IBS education programs. I host Heather Cooks!, the Seattle television cooking show for good digestive health, which is now available on DVD and also on the HelpForIBS YouTube Channel.
Organizations
Help for IBS on Facebook
Help for IBS on Twitter
Amazon Author Profile
Google Author Profile
LinkedIn Profile
IBS Discussions RSS Feed
Heather Cooks for IBS - Watch the Video!
Publications
Canadian Living Magazine
USA Today
Today's Dietitian
Digestive Health & Nutrition Magazine
Health Magazine
American Airlines In-Flight Magazine
Health.com
DiscoverCare.org
Drkoop.com
Eating for IBS excerpts and recipes licensed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Education/Credentials
M.A. 1996
B.A. 1992
Awards and Honors
Inclusion in Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare
Eating for IBS Finalist for an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award 2001
Eating for IBS #17 on the Library Journal's Cookbook Bestseller list for 2000
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