Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self Help and Support Group

Jeffrey D. Roberts, MSEd, B.Sc.
President and Founder
IBS Self Help and Support Group
The IBS Self Help and Support Group, formed its charter in 1987 in support of guided self-management for those who suffer from IBS, those who are looking for support for someone who has IBS, medical professionals who want to learn more about IBS and to be responsible patient advocates on local, regional and federal levels. The IBS Self Help and Support Group is an award-winning site which works to educate those who are living with IBS and to increase awareness about this and other functional gastrointestinal disorders. The IBS Self Help and Support Group website was launched in May 1995, as the first website about Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and currently has the largest collection of postings about IBS - in excess of 700,000, making it the largest community created specifically for IBS sufferers. The site averages over 2.25 million pageviews per month with over 30,000 registered members. More medical professionals refer their patients to the IBS Self Help and Support Group website than any other IBS website on the internet.

In 2005, The Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet selected the IBS Self Help and Support Group website as an Editor's Select Site. Dorland Healthcare Information rated the IBS Self Help and Support Group website with "BEST Healthcare Website" for 2007.

The IBS Self Help and Support Group website is a wholly owned subsidiary of MediBoard Inc., a privately held, for-profit company. Funding for IBSGroup.org is obtained primarily from the sale of advertising space. In addition, some funding is provided in the form of unrestricted educational grants. Revenues from sponsorship and affiliation go directly to funding the activities of IBSGroup.org. Sponsorship and affiliation do not dictate content. There is no implied endorsement of any sponsored product advertised on/through the IBSGroup.org website.

The IBS Self Help and Support Group cannot provide direct medical advice. If you have a digestive disorder then you should consult a healthcare professional. Our web site is here to share information about Irritable Bowel Syndrome events, programs and research. We are not able to offer medical, pharmaceutical or nutritional advice. Our highest priority is to raise awareness and to provide support for this illness.

We subscribe to the HON code principles of the Health On the Net Foundation.

Members of:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome Association
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patient Action Group
• American Self-Help Clearinghouse
• Self-Help Resource Centre

Contact Us:

• Link Request: Links@ibsgroup.org
• Forums, Blogs, Chat Rooms or Penpals Assistance: IBSbb@ibsgroup.org
• Media or Industry Relations: IR@ibsgroup.org
• Research Clinical Studies: Studies@ibsgroup.org
• Business Development or Sponsorship: iVillage Online Team

For all other information, comments or interest about the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Self Help and Support Group website, please send email to ibs@ibsgroup.org or write to:

United States:	Canada + International:
IBS Self Help and Support Group 1440 Whalley Avenue, #145 New Haven, CT 06515 USA	IBS Self Help and Support Group P.O. Box 94074 Toronto, ON M4N 3R1 Canada 416-932-3311

Please note that all messages are read. Due to the overwhelming number of messages that we receive it might take sometime to answer your mail or email.


Press Releases:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self Help and Support Group invited by Revolution Health to be a partner for its first Online Health Fair (06/18/07)
• The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self Help and Support Group Announces New Book IBS Chat: Real Life Stories and Solutions (04/02/07)
• Zelnorm Action Group and IBS Self Help Group Speak on Behalf of the Chronic Constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Sufferer (06/17/04)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome Association, accompanied by Wellness Foods Inc, to attend 8th Annual Women's Health Matters Forum and Expo in Toronto on January 16-17, 2004 (01/08/04)
• Canadian Patient Groups Proclaim April as First Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month (03/31/03)
• Patient groups applaud the availability of new therapy for women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (07/31/02)
  Association du Syndrome de l'Intestin Irritable - Des groupes de patients se réjouissent de l'arrivée d'un nouveau traitement pour les femmes atteintes du syndrome du colon irritable (07/31/02)
• Zelnorm Action Group and IBS Self Help Group comment about FDA's Approval of Zelnorm (07/24/02)
• Lotronex Action Group and IBS Self Help Group comment about FDA's Approval to allow Restricted Access to Lotronex (06/07/02)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self Help Group adds Topic of the Month forum moderated by Mind-Body Digestive Center (07/16/01)
• Lotronex Action Group petition demands that Lotronex be made available (03/26/01)
• IBS Self Help Group reacts to withdrawal of Lotronex by Glaxo Wellcome (12/04/00)
• DrugVoice Study Reveals Multiple Opportunities to Improve Satisfaction Among IBS Sufferers (11/14/00)
• IBS Self Help Group invited to speak at Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symposium (10/05/00)
• IBS Self Help Group Witnessing Explosive Growth for its Irritable Bowel Syndrome Website and Bulletin Board (09/12/00)
• IBS Self Help Group continues to grow IBS Bulletin Board by adding Parkview Publishing's IBS and Fibromyalgia Bulletin Board (08/10/00)

IBS Self Help and Support Group in the Media:

• Reuters "Novartis further curbs Zelnorm use in U.S." (04/02/08)
• The Wall Street Journal "Your Drug Gets Pulled -- What Now?" (04/05/07)
• Women's Health Matters "Jeffrey Roberts chosen as guest expert in November for Women's Health Matters site" (11/24/06)
• Ganeden Biotech "First Probiotic Clinically Proven to Benefit Both IBS and Crohn's Disease Patients Achieves High Conversion Rates Among Samplers of the Product " (01/19/06)
• Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet "IBS Self Help and Support Group website selected as an Editor's Select Site" (2005)
• Newhouse News Service "For Sufferers of GI Disorders, Holidays Are Anything But a Gas" (12/21/05)
• Canadian Living Magazine "When Eating hurts: Irritable bowel syndrome makes eating an agony and daily life a misery for millions of Canadians." (02/04)
• Today's Dietitian "IBS: Suffering in Silence" (02/03)
• Washington Post "Still Irritable, Still Waiting: After Return to Market, Lotronex Can Be Hard to Get" (02/10/03)
• Star-Ledger "FDA approves Novartis' bowel treatment" (07/25/02)
• Associated Press "FDA Approves Controversial Bowel Drug" (07/24/02)
• UPI "FDA approves new irritable bowel treatment " (07/24/02)
• Boston Globe "FDA walks fine line on drug approvals" (06/26/02)
• News Day "Controversial Drug Lotronex to Make Comeback" (06/23/02)
• UPI "Groups argue over FDA'S IBS drug decision" (06/11/02)
• USA Today "FDA allows bowel drug Lotronex back on market" (06/09/02)
• Washington Post "FDA Reapproves Bowel Drug After Pulling It for Safety" (06/08/02)
• Reuters "Pulled Bowel Drug Back on Market with Limits" (06/07/02)
• CBC Online "Bowel drug makes a return to U.S. market" (06/07/02)
• CBS Evening News "Lotronex (video)" (06/07/02)
• Health Scout "Controversial Bowel Drug Makes Limited Comeback" (06/07/02)
• Associated Press "FDA Allows Bowel Drug Back on Market" (06/07/02)
• American Medical Association "Recalled drug could see unprecedented return to market" (06/03/02)
• News and Observer "Letter to the Editor about Lotronex" (05/14/02)
• Health Scout "Taming that Irritable Bowel" (05/04/02)
• National Public Radio "Lotronex: All Things Considered (audio)" (04/24/02)
• NY Times "U.S. Agency May Allow the Selling of Diarrhea Drug Linked to Deaths" (04/23/02)
• Reuters "A Comeback for Bowel Drug?" (04/22/02)
• FDA Reports "GSK Lotronex Risk Could Be Explored Through Patient Use Survey, IBS Group Suggests" (04/19/02)
• USA Today "Shelved drug in demand FDA to hear testimony on bowel syndrome" (04/18/02)
• Washington Post "FDA to Weigh New Controls On Problematic Drugs" (04/15/02)
• FDA Consumer Magazine "Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Poorly Understood Disorder" (July-August 2001)
• IBS Self Help Group "40 Million Americans Suffering From IBS Forced to Wait Even Longer for Relief: FDA Denial Leave Patients Desperate for New Therapies (video)" (06/20/01) (Right click - "Save Target As")
• Dallas Morning News "Diagnosis Discomfort by Sherry Jacobsen" (02/05/01)
• Maclean's "A disorder comes out of the closet" (02/05/01)
• U.S. News & World Report "Letter to Editor about Lotronex" (1/15/01)
• The Globe and Mail "Body Works Interactive: Charles Atlas and colonic cleansing" (7/30/97)
• The Globe and Mail "Body Works Interactive: Ways to raise intestinal fortitude" (6/19/96)
• The Globe and Mail "Body Works Interactive: What to do when your bowel gets irritable?" (6/5/96)