I know this won't work for everyone but, if it only helps one, it's worthwhile. I was diagnosed with IBS some years ago and suffered from diarrhoea, bloating, gas, occasional constipation. The doctor couldn't offer much advice as I wasn't overweight, did some exercise, didn't smoke, drank only a little, and didn't have much stress in my life (I sound like a paragon of virtue, which I'm obviously not!).

Finally a friend's daughter was diagnosed as being coeliac and had to give up everything with gluten in it, so I thought, why not try? A blood test for coeliac disease proved negative but I thought that, even if I wasn't allergic to gluten, I could still be intolerant to it. It took a couple of weeks for the symptoms to go away (after excluding wheat, rye, barley, oats and ALL the processed products that contain these) but I haven't looked back.

Of course, I erred occasionally, giving in to temptation and eating something like a bread roll, but the symptoms promptly returned so I'm as strict as hell now. However, I do find I can eat foods like beans and onions, which I had to avoid before. I have Irish blood and I've heard that we Celtic types are more prone but I don't know of any proper studies on the subject. Fortunately the supermarkets here are well stocked with gluten-free goods so it's not a problem finding the right stuff to eat and I make my own bread (in a machine).

I would strongly recommend anyone to try the the dietary exclusion approach. I hope this helps someone out there.

By: pablonius