1. “Low Fat” or “Fat Free” foods are probably not good for you.

There are a ton of products on the market that advertise as being “low fat” or “fat free”. There are some products out there that naturally fall into these categories, such as rice cakes or fruit. Those foods are fine, what you want to look out for are things that would normally have fat, but have been engineered to have reduced fat or no fat. Things like cookies, breakfast bars, brownies, etc. These items have probably had a ton of processed & artificial ingredients added to them so as to replace the texture of the missing fat.

Also it’s very important to realize that “Low Fat” or “Fat Free” foods can still make you fat. Fat is more easily stored in the body and will probably hit your thighs quicker than other sources of calories, but protein & carbohydrates contain calories which will convert to fat as well. So if you’re eating something that is “fat free”, but has 300 calories per serving, you’re really not doing yourself many favors.

2. Not all yogurt is healthy.

Yogurt is often advertised as a healthy alternative to other more fattening products. You’ll often see yogurt commercials advertising flavors like key lime pie, cheesecake or chocolate mouse. The truth about these products is that they are loaded with sugar, artificial flavors & colors, preservatives, gums & stabilizers up the wazoo. While some may claim they have “live and active cultures” rarely will they ever tell you how much.

If you want a healthy yogurt, look on the ingredients list and make sure there is no fake stuff in it. Look for flavors that are easy to incorporate naturally like fruit flavors, vanilla or honey.

3. Juice is no better for you than soda.

So you’re in a rush & looking at the vending machine for something refreshing. You want something healthy so you go for the fruit juice instead of the soda. You’re making a healthy choice right? Wrong! The truth is juice has very little going for it in the health department. The problem only becomes greater when you realize that a lot of juice has been adulterated from it’s pure form. Read the label, you’ll be shocked to see added sugars, artificial colors & flavors & even weird sounding stabilizers. Then take a look at the calorie content and compare it per serving to soda. You’ll be surprised that in some cases certain juice drinks exceed the caloric content of popular soda drinks.

Also important to realize is that most juice drinks have been concentrated & pasteurized destroying a lot of the original nutrients. These nutrients are added back in later, but only certain vitamins like A, D & C are added & usually a paltry amount. You would probably get twenty times greater the vitamin level by taking a quality multivitamin everyday.

4. Sugar is really no better for you than high fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup has gotten a bad wrap over the last couple of years as it creeps into more & more products. While scientific studies have been split about the health impacts, many feel it’s a leading contributor to things like obesity & diabetes. I personally avoid HFCS products as much as I can, perhaps due to the possible health effects of HFCS, but I’d also avoid most of those same products if they had cane sugar instead.

Weather you get your calories from sugar or HFCS it doesn’t really matter a whole lot. If your sweetener intake is too high, it will be bad for your health. As of late many products have advertised that they are made with pure cane sugar or that they no longer have HFCS in them. Unfortunately due to the sweetness level of cane sugar compared to HFCS, usually those who had HFCS in their product previously use more cane sugar to match the original sweetness level. This can result in a product that actually has more calories & in the long run is probably less healthy for you.

Conclusion: Just because a product doesn’t have HFCS in it anymore, doesn’t mean it’s any healthier.

5. 100% daily recommended values are not enough

Maybe you’ve seen products advertise that they contain “100% of your daily Vitamin C” or your kids breakfast cereal is fortified with vitamins & minerals. Most of the time when something is “fortified” with vitamins & minerals it’s usually a fraction of the daily recommended values(DRVs) set up by the Food & Drug Administration.

I think it’s great we at least have minimums, but most people should be getting many many times greater dosage than the daily minimums. You should probably be receiving nutrients about five-fold the minimum dosage. Especially important are Vitamin D (mood, skin, digestion), Vitamin C (energy, immunity) & Vitamin B12 (energy, nervous system).

Just because a product has 100% of something doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you. Getting your vitamins from a high quality supplement or fresh fruits/vegetables is the best way to go rather than those that have been added into processed food.

Related posts:

1. Cures & Treaments For Chronic Bacterial Vaginosis, Yeast Infections or Vaginal Itching
2. Diet Replenishes Bacterial Flora In Those With Crohn’s Disease

Yeah right! Needless to say once I saw that part of the comment I sent it to the spam filter. Before doing so I did capture the e-mail & researched where else this spammer was posting. I found similar comments on other blogs proclaiming similar positive outcomes due to this person’s spellcasting. Anything from illnesses to casting “love spells”, this person can do it all. Some comments or websites proclaimed that other spellcasters were scams, but that they were actually the real deal, just pay by credit card *wink wink*. The sad part is that some of the sites had users commenting about how they were scammed out of hundreds or thousands of dollars pursuing these things. In some cases the saying “a fool and his money are soon parted” is probably a worthy description of people who fall for these scams, however, using sickness or illness to prey on people is the lowest of lows in my book.

I think I’ve made my point of view on spells pretty clear already, but I’ll just clarify my feelings a little more here. I do not believe spells have any physiological healing power, that being said, it is possible that there could be a psychological component at play. The placebo effect itself could almost be looked at as being spell like. “I am giving you something to make you feel better”, but in reality you are not receiving anything special at all, it is just the bodies reaction to the concept. So perhaps you could get a placebo effect from a spell, but that certainly isn’t a vote of confidence for spells.

If you really want to investigate something like this then it would be best to try and focus your search locally. Try to find a local Wicca or witchcraft group and see if they can write a spell for you. Do not spend much money on this, seriously. Take this as though someone is giving you a prayer or wishing you good health. Personally I’d avoid it unless someone you knew offered it for free out of compassion or concern. I had a few spells written for me from a practicing Wiccan, mainly for fun, but basically I took it as a nice gesture from this person but wasn’t anything that changed my mind as far as the supernatural. As I expected the spells themselves didn’t do anything.

So in short, don’t let someone play you because of your illness. Like most things in life there usually isn’t a quick fix, yet there are many scammers who will promise you one.

Related posts:

1. Mustard, Broccoli & Other Veggies Key To Intestinal Health

The main difference between the two is that Irritable Bowels Syndrome is a functional disorder, meaning there is little to no physical evidence of the disorder besides it’s symptoms. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases are not functional disorders and are diagnosable based off of physical evidence. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is usually much less severe than Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Additionally “Inflammatory Bowel Disease” is not the actual name of a disease, but a classification for bowel diseases of an inflammatory nature. The two main Inflammatory Bowel Diseases are Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn’s Disease. They are not the same thing, though they have similar symptoms & treatments.

I made this handy chart below so people can get a better idea of the differences.

Related posts:

1. Genetically Altered Probiotic May Help Inflammatory Bowel Disease
2. E. Coli’s Relationship With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
3. Study Shows Overactive Inflammatory Response For Those With Crohn’s Disease

If you are not able to make it into a public setting to exercise you should try different exercises at home. I purchased an exercise bike to ride at home while I listen to various podcasts(This American Life, Snap Judgement). Recently my girlfriend has gotten into Zumba. Though she doesn’t have IBS, those DVDs are something you could do at home and it might be more entertaining than riding an exercise bike. :)

Related posts:

1. Stomach Banding Weight Loss Surgeries Have Mixed Results
2. Gastric Pacemaker ‘abiliti’ May Help With Weight Loss
3. Exercising for Digestive Health

So far the cheapest place for Iberogast is still Amazon.com as they list multiple vendors and you can choose the cheapest one. Also note that many of them operate out of Canada, so there may be a longer delay when shipping.

Related posts:

1. Review: Iberogast for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Step 1. Symptoms & Diganosis

It’s important to know what you have.

Symptoms of a yeast infection:

• Burning
• Itching
• Irritation
• Soreness
• Odd discharge
  

Symptoms of bacterial vaginosis:

• Burning
• Itching
• Irritation
• Soreness
• Odd colored discharge(yellow, grey, green)
• “Foul” odor(examples: fishy, rotten meat or eggs, dirty gym socks).

There are also people who only have chronic itching & irritation only on the exterior of the vagina. This could still be a sign of a yeast, fungal infection or bacterial infection & it would be wise to follow the treatments steps below.

Many times the differences between a yeast infection & bacterial infection is a strong odor, but there are always exceptions to the rule. For accurate diagnosis it is probably best to seek a doctors opinion.

Step 2. Treatment

Bacterial Vaginosis Treatment

You need to treat whatever acute infection is present before you can move on to more permanent solutions of prevention. Usually with bacterial vaginosis antibiotics are given to the patient, which are taken(usually orally) for 7 – 10 days. If you do not want to take antibiotics or do not have immediate access to a doctor you can try a douche mixture of 1 tablespoon(or 15ml)  hydrogen peroxide to 1 quart(or 1 liter) of distilled water. Repeat this for 7 – 10 days. Normally douches are not recommended & it is definitely not recommended you use this as a regular treatment. The bacteria that reside in the vagina normally produce hydrogen peroxide themselves. Douching the vagina will clear out both good & bad bacteria, this method is used to rid yourself of bad bacteria that have overrun the good bacteria. If you do not have a douche handy, you can try Cara Douche Syringe Bulb, it’s got pretty good reviews on Amazon.com.

Yeast Infection Treatmeant

Most stores will offer a variety of yeast infection treatments. You’re welcome to try any of them you like. Many have reported more success with longer duration treatments, for example using Monistat 7 instead of Monistat 3. In some cases yeast can be extremely resilient and may not be knocked out entirely by many of the products on the store shelves. In this situation you might want to try Gyne-Lotrimin 7, which has clotrimazole, a very potent anti-fungal medication(yeast is part of the fungus family). Gyne-Lotrimin 7 is an off the shelf product but is not carried in many stores.

For those experiencing external vaginal itching it still would not hurt to try treatment with Gyne-Lotrimin 7 just to rule out a mild, but resilient yeast infection.

If all else fails you will want to talk to your doctor to see if there is anything more potent or to verify you have a yeast infection.

Step 3. Prevention

If all has gone well you should be rid of your current infection be it bacterial or yeast based. If you are not you may have a yeast infection instead of a bacterial infection, or vice versa, or you may not have either and should seek medical guidance to ensure you are not dealing with something entirely different.

Prevention breaks down into two steps, supplementation & habits.

Step 3a. Preventative Supplements

Vaginal Probiotics (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

Your vagina has an eco-system all it’s own. It’s actually somewhat similar to the digestive tract as it relies on healthy bacteria called probiotics to maintain the healthy eco-system. The most common strain of probiotic found in the vagina is L. Acidophilus. L. Acidophilus creates hydrogen peroxide in the vagina, which kills off bad bacteria. It does so in small, controlled amounts so as to not kill off the good bacteria as well. When you take antibiotics or use a douche usually it will wipe out all the good bacteria as well as all the bad bacteria. This can set you up for chronic recurring problems because your vagina will essentially be defenseless to foreign bacteria or yeast. Even if you haven’t taken antibiotics recently & you do not douche you can suffer imbalances which may cause the loss of healthy bacterial flora.

So the question is, how do you restore healthy flora back to the vagina? Many times you will hear from friends or even doctors to “eat more yogurt” or “take probiotics”. This actually doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If you are taking these probiotics orally you are very unlikely to see vaginal benefits. The digestive tract is not in anyway connected to the vagina. The digestive tract will not absorb probiotics into the blood stream and transport them to vagina. The only plausible scenario I have heard that allows probiotics from the digestive tract to cross to the vagina is through anal-vaginal crossover. Essentially relying on fecal residue either on the skin or on underwear to find it’s way into the vagina. This is not a reliable or quick way to restore healthy vaginal flora and many many women have found out that eating a bunch of yogurt or taking an oral probiotic has done nothing to improve their condition.

The solution here is introducing probiotics directly to the vagina itself, bypassing the digestive tract altogether. The only problem is that there hasn’t been a lot of research in developing a vaginal probiotic suppository, at least in the USA. If you live in Canada or Austrialia you might want to look for the products EcoVag or GynOphilus. You might be able to find these through overseas pharmacies if you’re in the USA, but it will be costly for transportation.I am not quite sold on EcoVag or GynOphilus mainly due to their cost.

It’s important to realize that probiotics are rated by CFUs(Colony Forming Units), the more CFUs the higher the likelihood the bacteria will set up shop. However, too much bacteria could lead to irritation & be counterproductive. There are many probiotic products on the market that tout they have billions of CFUs in them. Billions of CFUs are fine for the digestive tract as it’s extremely long, many many times longer than a vagina. The vagina needs only a fraction of the bacteria that’s required for the digestive tract. EvoVag & GynOphilus have 25 million CFUs which is an appropriate amount, but again the cost is something to consider. You can easily spend $20 – $30 for 10 doses, which is pretty pathetic when all you’re getting 250 million CFUs worth of probiotics.

The best alternative I have found is Nature’s Bounty Acidophilus. It has 100 million CFUs, which is more than EcoVag’s 25 million CFUs, but not enough to be overwhelming. The size is similar to EcoVag& the cost is much much lower than EcoVag. I am talking orders of magnitudes lower. You can get approximately 400 Nature’s Bounty Acidophilus pills for the price of 10 EcoVag pills. You don’t have to buy this brand if you don’t want to. You can track down a different brand of Lactobacilus Acidophilus or Lactobacilus Gaseri. Just make sure it doesn’t have more than 100 million CFUs in it or any sugars, sugar alcohols or Fructooligosaccharides(FOS).

To use the probiotic pills directly, you will want to insert one capsule, deeply into the vagina, every other night for two weeks. You can then drop back down inserting a capsule once or twice per week. During your period you can stop using the capsule. You can probably keep this regimen going for as long as you’d like. It is possible you may need to continue this regimen long term to maintain vaginal health.

If you have a lot of itching or burning while taking probiotics vaginally, stop taking them. There may be mild itching or burning after insertion, but this should go away & not linger.

Oral Probiotics (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

As I mentioned above oral probiotics are not very effective at preventing bacterial vaginosis or yest infections.  It is still probably a good idea to take one though. Oral probiotics aid the immune system & may improve your digestion. Additionally, if there is anal-vaginal bacterial cross-over, having a lot of good bacteria involved is better than not having any at all.

You could actually take the Nature’s Bounty Acidophilus orally, but you probably would need to take quite a few pills daily. I would recommended at least 5. You might look into taking a higher potency probiotic such as Align or Renew Life Ultimate Vaginal Support.

You can also eat yogurt, but you will want to avoid yogurts that are high in sugar or corn syrup, have artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, stabilizers or other weird gunk. Yogurts to avoid are things like Yoplait or Light & Fit, which are essentially “dessert yogurts” & are not going to be keys to healthy anything. Your best bet is to look for an organic yogurt that is lightly sweetened with honey or cane sugar. You could also go about replacing sour cream in your diet with plain yogurt as they have similar flavor profiles.

AZO Natural Yeast Symptom Prevention & Relief (optional)

AZO is an herbal supplement that many women recommend for helping to prevent, as well as relieving, yeast infection symptoms. It’s also inexpensive and worth trying. Good reviews on Amazon.com as well.

Cranberry Extract (optional)

Cranberry extract is mainly helpful for preventing urinary tract infections. It is not directly related to the treatment of yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis, but lowering the chances of urinary tract infections will also lend to a healthier vagina. Reducing areas where bad bacteria can propagate and cause problems is always a good thing. AZO makes a cranberry extract, which also has good reviews.

Multi-Vitamin (optional)

If you are not already taking a multi-vitamin, then now would be a good time to start. There are many multivitamins on the market. You could try Rainbow Light’s Women’s One or whatever is available at your local store. I’d suggest getting one online that has good reviews. Taking vitamins will help boost your immune system, which may help fight off or prevent infection.

Step 3b. Preventative Habits

Preventative habits are things you can do to help prevent future reinfection.

Hygiene Habits

• Do not continually use a douche.
• Do not use vaginal wipes or products like Vagisil, as these only mask the problem.
• Wipe front to back after bowel movements & urination. Being sure to avoid the vagina.
• Avoid scented tampons, pads or pantyliners. Look for hypoallergenic products.
• Switch to sanitary pads instead of tampons, at least during or after treatment.
• Avoid overly washing the vagina.
• Avoid deodorant soaps around the vagina. Look for castile soaps which are made from natural oils.

Clothing Habits

• Avoid tight restrictive clothing, especially around the crotch area.
• Wear cotton panties, avoiding synthetic fiber based panties.
• Change panties daily.
• During treatment it may be a good idea to invest in some cheap cotton panties which can be washed in hot water with bleach. Be sure to rinse well & dry well. This should ensure bacteria / yeast are killed. Warm laundry water is lukewarm & laundry soap is usually not anti-bacterial.
• Use an unscented/allergy sensitive laundry soap.

Sexual Habits

• Avoid sexual activities during treatment.
• Avoid risky sexual behavior such as anal sex or multiple sexual partners shortly after treatment.
• Even after treatment if you engage in risky sexual behavior you may be more susceptible to recurrent infection.
• Ensure your sexual partner(s) are clean and not suffering from yeast, fungal or bacterial infections themselves.
• Avoid lubricants that contain Glycerin as bacteria & yeast can feed off of it. Try Astroglide Glycerin & Paraben Free or Pjur Silicone Lubricant.
• Bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections & urinary tract infections are usually not caused by sexual activity unless one engages in risky behavior. You do not need to be sexually active to obtain an infection. Bacteria & fungi are all around us, there is no need to assume someone is involved in risky behavior because of an infection.

Health Habits

• Reduce sugar intake. Sugar can be absorbed by the blood and sugars do show up in the vagina. Avoid sugary sodas, juices or coffee drinks. Bacteria & yeast love sugar just as much as we do.
• Exercise regularly. Exercise will burn off sugar as energy, ensure proper blood flow to all parts of your body & is good for overall health.
• Be sure to shower & dry immediately after exercising.
• Avoid public pools, hot tubs & exercise equipment while doing treatment.

Conclusions

If you still do not have relief after going through these treatments, then you may have an issue that needs to be looked at by a dermatologist to see if you might be suffering from a skin disorder such as Vaginal Lichen Planus.

Hopefully this information has been useful to you and if you have anything to add, please do leave a comment below.

Related posts:

1. What Is The Best Probiotic Supplement For Gastroparesis?
2. Giardia Infection Linked to Irritable Bowel & Chronic Fatigue

I had someone ask if they would be able to get unemployment insurance if they quit their job due to the symptoms of their Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is somewhat tricky & suffering from a chronic illness far from guarantees that you will receive unemployment benefits if you quit or are fired.When filing for unemployment, most government agencies that oversee giving out these funds are going to investigate why your last job ended & if you were at fault for the loss of that job. Resigning or being fired from a job is a red flag that will almost always cause your case to be reviewed. Usually resigning is the worst of the two options, as that means you voluntarily left the job rather than your employer making the choice by firing you from your position.

Let’s look at it from the perspective of someone reviewing your case. Is this person going to just take your word? They probably will not. When there is a medical condition preventing you from doing something, usually those in authority want someone else who is of authority to confirm it. In this case the person reviewing your case will want a doctor to confirm what you are saying. Given that Irritable Bowel Syndrome isn’t very well understood or treated effectively by many doctors, a lot them are not willing to help someone document the impacts a chronic illness has on their ability to perform their job. Many doctors have “paperwork-phobia” as far as documenting a person’s illness for use towards altering their work habits, unemployment or disability. You will more than likely get a response such as “eat better, take these prescriptions & you’ll be fine”.  It’s worth it to keep trying though.

Here is how I would suggest you handle this situation. Document every trip you take to the doctor. Try to have your doctor confirm something about your condition, even a note that says “so and so has been seeing me for the last 3 months due to chronic diarrhea”. If they’re also willing to note that it would make your job difficult, all the better, but that’s not required. You basically want a paper trail showing you have an illness & are seeking treatment.

Next you need to notify your job of your health issues and request any changes that need to be made or any tasks you will be unable to perform. It would be best to send this via e-mail and print out a copy for yourself. Your employer may agree or not agree with your request, it doesn’t matter a whole lot either way. The main goal of the request is to notify them of your ailments and to create a paper trail of your efforts to retain your job.

If the main task of your job is so involved that you are not able to perform it at all, ask for a transfer to a different position(at a similar wage) that will allow you to continue to work, even if none are available at the time. Ultimately the goal here is to show that you exhausted all of your options to remain employed.

Keep notes on any instances where they ask you to do things that you have already detailed you can no longer do. You can either try your best at it or refuse to do it. This may create confrontation but ultimately you have to do what’s best for you and so long as you gave them advanced warning on your situation, they should not be ones to complain. Make sure you document the dates each request was made, who told you to do what task, their position & why you’re not able to perform that task.

Either immediately or after some time your employer may try to pressuring you to resign. Initially rebuff these requests and ask why it was suggested. If they respond back that your performance is dropping, apologize & explain you’re doing the best you can given the circumstances of your condition. Keep copies of all communications. Ultimately it will be more favorable for you to have them terminate you, than for you to ‘voluntarily’ quit even if you were highly pressured into quitting. The best course of action would be to hold out until you are terminated, but if the situation becomes hostile or too stressful, you may have to manually resign. Just make sure you document why the situation was too hostile or stressful for you to continue.

Following these steps will give you a healthy amount of documentation to build your case for obtaining unemployment. Keep in mind that you must show that you are actually still employable as well. So you also need to think of jobs that you are able to do otherwise you might be told to file for disability, which is no piece of cake & will not help you in your immediate situation.

Related posts:

1. Review: Iberogast for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
2. Digestive Enzymes & Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)
3. Living With Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Video

Diet:

Avoid high fat foods or foods that contain fiber. Check out GiCare.com’s guidelines & Crystal Saltrelli’s slides on eating with GP.

I would also suggest the possibility of upping B-vitamins, this is just my hunch, but B-vitamins(specifically B12) are known to help repair damaged nerves. Many think GP is related to damage to the vagus nerve. B12 injections are given to diabetics who are suffering from neuropathy which can cause gastroparesis as well. I can’t think of any harm in trying B12. It may also boost your energy levels as well.

Pro-kinetic medications:

Pro-kinetics are basically medications/drugs that make your digestive system move. Gastroparesis causes the stomach to stop churning like it should. Pro-kinetics stimulate the digestive tract back into some sort of action.

Iberogast is an herbal mixture that was developed in Germany back in the 1960′s.So it’s been used for 40+ years and has a great track record of safety and efficacy. How well it works depend on the severity of illness. You can buy Iberogast at Amazon.com, it’s usually around $30.

Read my Iberogast review. The review is aimed at people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but Iberogast works for all sorts of digestive problems.

Metoclopramide which goes by the brand name Reglan is the only actively used pro-kinetic drug in the USA. Unfortunately  it has side-effects, the greatest of which is possible tardive dyskinesia which causes Parkinson’s Disease like tremors. This is due to it’s ability to pass into the brain, causing changes there.

Domperidome which has a brand name Mottilium is a safer alternative to Reglan. It is not available normally in the USA, you will need to convince a doctor to write a prescription to a custom pharmacy to produce it.  Many doctors are not willing to do this though. You can easily find it in Canada & the UK. There are overseas pharmacies that will sell it to you, but there are obviously risks involved with importing from a possibly shady pharmacy.

Tegeserod which was known as Zelnorm also had pro-kinetic properties and was an alternative to Reglan, but it was taken off the market due to heart attack risk.

There have been studies done with Viagra that showed improvement in mice with GP & there is work being done with the hormone Ghrelin, which causes you to be hungry and plays an important role in digestion. Neither are being used as treatments for GP right now though.

Medical Procedures

Pyloric Sphincter Botox Treatment

The pyloric sphincter is at the bottom of the stomach, it controls when the contents of the stomach are injected into the small intestine. Gastroparesis patients usually have very inactive pyloric sphincters. One way to get around the slow or inactive pyloric sphincter is to make it relax & remain open. This is done with botox injections, basically paralyzing the sphincter muscle so it remains open. This is not a permanent solution, but in many cases it can last for months and may provide an improvement in symptoms as the stomach will be allowed to drain food into the small intestine.

Enterra Neurostimulator

The Enterra is an electrical device that stimulates the nerves that run near the stomach. It does not actually make the stomach contract. Some people have called it a pacemaker, but it is not quite the same thing. The goal of the device is to stimulate the nervous system so that it stops sending nausea signals to the brain. You can call Medtronics(makers of Enterra) @ (800) 510-6735 to find a doctor that is nearest to you. I believe all GP patients with moderate or severe GP will want to look into this option. It is a major surgery though, but their is a possibility for a large improvement as far as quality of life goes. Enterra does not work for everyone though. :(

J-Tube:
A J-Tube is a feeding tube that bypasses the stomach. This is used for people who have severe GP and cannot tolerate eating anything at all. This can help people maintain or gain weight & stablize.

Related posts:

1. What Is The Best Probiotic Supplement For Gastroparesis?

How can you detect if a company is trying to scam you with their colon cleansing product?

Well the first question is to ask yourself if you really need to “clean your colon”? The truth is that your body does not normally build up waste that then sticks to the walls of your intestines for years and years, that is a lie. There are conditions that can lead to retaining fecal matter and it becoming impacted or turning into fecalomas(hardened fecal matter), this is usually the result of a serious medical condition and needs to solved by a medical professional. In fact taking a high fiber or stimulating laxative, such as a colon cleanse will probably do more harm than good for people in this situation. So ultimately, if you have a normal intestinal tract, it will not horde poo. If your system is slow at moving stool(typical constipation) then there are better methods(soluable/insoluable fiber, yogurts, juices, magnesium, licorice root) than harsh colon cleanses. If your system truly is blocked then you need to seek medical attention immediately.

What is in a colon cleansing program?

What manufacturers do not want you to know is that essentially what you’re getting are basic fibers, minerals & herbs that have laxative qualities. Some even put cheap gums or gelatin like substances(guar gum, xanthan gum,agar or Carrageenan), which can cause distress for people who don’t tolerate these products. Sometimes you will even find things such as earthen clays mixed in. Usually colon cleansing websites fail to disclose their actual ingredients list or make it extremely difficult to find it. This alone should be a warning sign.

How safe are colon cleansing products?

While most colon cleanse products like to tout that they are “all natural”, “safe for anyone”, & “no interactions with other drugs”, this is again a lie. There can be serious health effects caused by going through a colon cleanse. Basic concerns are things like dehydration & loss of nutrients. If there are certain minerals like magnesium added, this can cause problems for people who are susceptible to kidney, liver or heart problems. Taking medication and then flushing your system is a bad idea as you’re essentially flushing your medication through your body along with everything else. In many cases you should make sure you take any prescribed medications hours before or after taking a colon cleansing product. People who already have issues with chronic diarrhea or have other digestive issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease or diverticulitis should be especially wary of taking a product that, in most cases, will only make their symptoms worse. If you have heart, liver, kidney problems or diabetes you could put yourself in grave danger by voluntarily inducing diarrhea like these products do. If you do take a colon cleansing & have a major health condition you MUST get the entire ingredients list and cross reference it with any medication you are taking to ensure they will not conflict. Last thing you want to find out is that some random herb or mineral is blocking your heart medication.

Since most colon cleanse products are listed as being “supplements” they are not regulated or tested buy the FDA. In all likelihood they haven’t been extensively tested before being released to market.

Are these companies trustworthy?

No they are not. Many colon cleansing product companies have been known to fake testimonials, reviews & even create fake gross-out pictures of their product clearing out “years of waste”. The truth is that in many cases these pictures are either completely made-up or are the dramatic result of the product’s ingredients being excreted, not any actual toxic build-up being removed. Many blogs or websites that promote colon cleansing products are affiliates of the company which means they are getting a cut of each sale. When someone is getting 15 – 20% off of each sale, wouldn’t you think that might lead to a bit of bias? Sites that aren’t directly controlled by a company or it’s affiliates might be inundated with spam. If you are on opinion or review sites, check how long the person who left the review has been a member. In many cases you will find that the person only joined to post a positive review of said product, which is very concerning. For some examples, here are some positive and less than positive Amazon.com reviews for the Dr Natura Colonix program , one person even ended up in the hospital for heart arrhythmia.

Are these products worth the price?

No. The ingredients in colon cleanses are cheap. You can get psyllium husk, magnesium or things like licorice root extremely cheap on your own. It’s not uncommon to find things being advertised for $80 when you could by the supplements at retail for around $20 – $25. It’s a HUGE markup. They may claim they are using higher quality ingredients or they have more overhead. However the majority of their overhead is in advertising not in the quality or efficacy of their product.

Overall the goal here is to make you aware that in many cases these companies do not have your best interest in mind and are out to make a quick buck on a cheap product sold at a high mark-up to people who are desperate.
Buyer Beware.

Related posts:

1. Colon Cleansing Offers Little Benefit & Dangerous For Some
2. Top Six Natural Constipation Remedies
3. Genetically Altered Probiotic May Help Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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PART 2:

Related posts:

1. Book “Sophie’s Story” To Give Honest Impression of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
2. Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Interfering With Your Relationships?
3. Review: Iberogast for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)