AboutHeather Van Vorous 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 president 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 I regularly exhibit at the international Digestive Disease Week conference to reach gastroenterologists and internists. I'm also 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.
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
Question I'm 18 and have had IBS since I was 15. The symptoms such as pain and weakness and the many stomach problems that come along with it all come and go. Some months it'll be okay and tolerable and some months it's horrible. I don't like going to the doctor because he put me on a laxative and a stress reliever medicine. This didn't work out well. The laxative hurt my stomach and stress reliever's can be addictive. I quit taking those and going to my doctor about a year after that. So i've been battling IBS by myself for about 3 years. Is there a vitamin (something natural) I can take that can reduce or soothe my symptoms of IBS? Thanks!
Answer Hi Ryan - I'm so sorry for what you're going through.
There are lots of natural alternatives to laxatives and anxiety meds that can work better for IBS overall.
Start here http://www.helpforibs.com/supplements/ and follow all the links to learn about soluble fiber supplements (much better than laxatives, and much safer) and herbs such as peppermint that can help with pain. Peppermint capsules are particularly effective.
There are a LOT of really effective things to help IBS, you just have to learn about them. That's half the battle. There are good book excerpts (very extensive ones) to read here http://www.helpforibs.com/books/1stibs/books_1ibs_home.asp
