[theluminosity]

So, I was reading this one article all about IBS in an old issue (from last year) from in Good Housekeeping and was reading it and saw that peppermint oil, according to the article, has shown a significant difference in pain for those who have primarily diarrhea IBS.I've been trying my best to research other alternatives because I'm a junior in high school, going to college in two years, and I do lots of horse shows in the summer which cause flare ups all the time (it never fails. xD).I'm 17 years old and was diagnosed with IBS August '09. I currently take Hyomax SL (or Levsin as it's also called) when I have flare ups, but they don't seem to really help that much. For that I take 1 pill every 6-8 hours, only when I am having a flare up. I also get extreme stomach pains when I have a flare up. Typically it only takes one trip to the bathroom and it calms down a bit, but often times (when I'm at a horse show or even at school), it sometimes takes more than once.I've looked into other things as well such as probiotics (Align and Floraspor), but the reviews from what I see are very few and far between that are good.I also currently have been going to a psychologist since August '09 to learn how to deal with stress, which I believe has helped a bit.I'm not looking for the quick and easy solution (because I know there isn't one). I'm just looking for something to help me out and make the pain and whatnot less so I can go out and enjoy doing horse shows and other things I do instead of being in bed, curled up in a ball hoping the pain will stop soon.I've read many reviews on the peppermint oil and many seem to say it has shown a difference.Has anybody here tried it? Did it help at all?

 

[Kathleen M.]

At least a few of the probiotics have done reasonably well in clinical trials so may be worth a shot. But some don't work (and some brands don't actually have much if any of the right bacteria in them) but Align, Culturelle, and VSL#3 are brands that have been tried in clinical trials and do seem to help some people (nothing works for everyone) and they do seem to be able to deliver a product that has enough viable bacteria.I use peppermint oil for pain. I just buy peppermint Altoids (they are cheap and all over the place around here) and the original peppermint ones seem to have enough peppermint oil that 2-3 can relieve the pain reasonably well.Some people find the enteric capsules can be too minty when the mint comes out in the stool, but I haven't noticed that with the Altoids.Peppermint can also increase heartburn for some people so you may need to watch if you are prone to that.

 

[theluminosity]

Ah, alrighty. I'm still researching all kinds of things. I just can't go on like I am for horse shows, school and other events. I'll have to ask my friend to ask her mom how she did with Align. She has the same IBS as I do and she's been taking Align since last September I believe. She even gave us a $10 coupon for it. xDThanks Kathleen!