ibs and its relation to food

Dear Dr. KMB,well I opened this tread cause I thought YOU (being a Dr.) had the answer. I have had this $hit for 40 years and it hard to tell what foods do and don't help me. Accept sugars make it worse.As for excercise I use to be an excercise freak for years. In past few years I gave up and only thing I do now is a little streching excercises and walking my dog each AM. But it made no difference, I still have my problem. Mostly C and gas but D sometimes. Wish I had a better answer. ------------------ Don't make ME come down there!!. GOD

Dr. Are you D or C? Everyone of us seems to be different as far as what we can handle and what we can't, but I have noticed that those of us with the same form can usually give some usefull ideas to one another.I hope we can help you. Welcome to the board.------------------Chris from Colorful Colorado!!!

Food sensitivities can be variable, as we are all a little different in our body's chemical make-up/heredity as well as any underlying medical problem that may be adding to the cause of our IBS. Generally speaking avoiding acidic foods-those containing citric acid, spicey hot and fatty foods, caffeine and alcohol may make indigestion better. Some have to stay away from dairy as well. For constipation, adding gradual amounts of fiber in your diet; like oat bran or finely ground flax meal can be very helpful along with drinking lots of filtered water. Herbal teas are great to follow the fiber with too. Avoiding cheese, and white flour and refined sugar products is a good idea in constipation as well. If you have a bloating problem, try eliminating that soda pop. Vigorous exercise might not be a good idea, but you do need some exercise. Just do it at a slower more relaxed pace and stop when your body tells you to. Floor exercises, stretches, isometrics/strengthening, and walking exercize is good. Take breaks in between with slow and deep abdominal breathing. Lie on your back with your legs flexed, then on all fours do the pelvic rock, then rest your elbows (bent and extended to the side) on the carpeted floor with your head resting on your hands folded one over the other, then finish off by resting on your left side in the fetal posistion to get rid of excess gas. Welcome to this BB Dr. Kalpana/Bhatt. May we call you a shorter version of your name/nickname? ------------------[This message has been edited by moldie (edited 08-06-99).]

Dr. B,As someone else pointed out, it's different for everyone. For me, it's carbohydrates, particularly refined foods (hint: if it's white because of the refinement process - it's not for me!). Also on my list of no-no's: beans (the worst!), chocolate (my favorite, but second worst ), and caffeine (can't live without it!).Debbie