Prunes were the topic of discussion in a recent debate over their effectiveness in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome constipation. The debate started over a bit of research done by the University of Iowa’s Department of Gastroenterology which suggested that prunes were possibly a more effective treatment option than psyllium husks for those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome constipation.

However not all were satisfied with methods or the results of this research. Prof Peter Gibson and dietitian Emma Halmos of Monash University in Melbourne wrote a retort to the journal “Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics”, which is the same journal the original study appeared in. The retort suggested that the prune’s laxative effects were probably due to their large quantity of sorbitol, which itself is used as a laxative when given in high enough of a dosage. Sorbitol is essentially an indigestible sugar & is part of the “fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols” family aka (FODMAPs) of which Prof Peter Gibson and dietitian Emma Halmos have written extensively on. They suggested that too much sorbitol may actually be detrimental to those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, possibly making their symptoms worse by contributing to bloating due gas production from the fermentation of the indigestible sorbitol.

The study original authors wrote back suggesting that sorbitol was not the reason for the positive benefits people received from taking the prunes. They felt that the prune’s fiber, polyphenols & other contents played a larger part than the sorbitol. The response also closed with somewhat of a jab at their detractors by suggesting that they were being overzealous in their desire to make a connection between FODMAPs & Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

My personal feelings are that it could go either way. I know that a lot of people with & without Irritable Bowel Syndrome have issues with sorbitol & other indigestible sugars. Some also have issues with fibrous fruits & vegetables. There are some who can’t handle psyllium husk or prunes, especially those who seemingly have alternating Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. As usual it really depends on the individual & that’s probably the best thing a doctor can gain from this at the moment until more research is done. Treatment should be on an individual level & if something is not working for your patient or making it worse, listen & don’t be afraid to try something different.

Source: Irish Medical Times

Related posts:

1. News: Rifaximin For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome Causes Emotion & Pain Sensitivity To Increase
3. Ironwood’s Irritable Bowel Syndrome Constipation Drug Seeking European Approval

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)

Some symptoms too look out for are:

“…abdominal bloating, increased abdominal size and urinary urgency.”

as well as:

“…feeling full after a small meal, unexplained weight loss, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, fatigue and abnormal uterine bleeding.”

Factors that could put you at risk are:

…[a] personal history of breast cancer, family history of breast, uterine, ovarian or colorectal cancer, certain breast cancer genes and use of fertility drugs, especially without achieving pregnancy.

Check out the full article on GoErie.com.

Related posts:

1. Dogs May Be More Accurate At Detecting Colon Cancer Than Some Tests
2. Study on Antibiotics is Related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Not IBS
3. Genetically Altered Probiotic May Help Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Align Probiotics Review

Buy Align from Amazon.com

Recently Proctor & Gamble’s marketing department got in touch with me to take a look at their flagship probiotic, Align. While I haven’t actually started taking Align yet, I’d like to share some of my first thoughts on the product.

I’ve seen Align advertised before & it has received good reviews on places like Amazon.com. I am a little skeptical on mass marketed products that have slick packaging. In some cases the word probiotic is used to attract people to a product that has little digestive benefit. In one case I got some terrible breakfast bars that supposedly had “probiotics” in them, but they were barely a step above sweetened laminated cardboard. I don’t think this is a goal of Align since they are strictly focusing on a probiotic supplement where the cardboard is only in the packaging, not the actual product.

Packaging

As I said above the packaging looks very nice. I received some sample sized versions which have a little fold out flap with information about Align & it even has a nifty 7-day calendar to track your progress. The capsules themselves come in a flat blister pack for 7-days. You can tear each capsule away from the sheet before opening it. Each capsule has a day of the week listed on it. I am not quite sure if this is how the retail 28-day supply is packaged, but I’d imagine it is similar. Additionally Align promotes the use of the AlignGI.com website, which has an online digestive tracker. All these ways to track your progress, I feel are helpful. One of the hard parts about taking probiotics is taking them consistently and at a regular time. Anything that makes it easier to remember to take your probiotic or to really be able to track your progress, I see as a good thing.

Contents

As for what’s in Align, it goes 100% with the B. Infantis 35624 strain of bacteria for it’s probiotics. There are a lot of products that mix it up and go for a bunch of different strains. I am not too worried about only one strain of bacteria being in there, it may even be beneficial to focus on producing a single high quality strain than to put in a mix of different, but lower quality strains. B. Infantis 35624 has been shown in studies to improve Irritable Bowel symptoms.

Align contains 1 Billion Colony Forming Units(CFUs) of B. Infantis 35624, this is considerably lower than other probiotics on the market. Again I don’t mind this so much as I think CFUs are overrated. Really it’s about quality. If you have 20 billion CFUs but they all die before hitting your gut or are contaminated with other things, it’s not going to do you any good. Also a lot of people have problems tolerating high doses of probiotics. Going low & slow may be the best approach.

Another positive is that it would appear Align uses a vegetable based capsule(not geletin), so vegetarians probably shouldn’t have any problems taking this. There is no lactose, gluten or soy in Align either. There is “Milk Protein” listed as an ingredient, but trace amounts are found in other probiotics as well.

Criticisms

One thing that does bug me is the use of Titanium Dioxide & FD&C Blue #1. Perhaps this was something that came out of focus groups or something. I would have preferred no artificial coloring in the product at all. I am sure there’s only a tiny bit in there, but if I am only going to see the capsule for a few seconds before popping it in my mouth, I shouldn’t care if it’s “white” or “off-white”.

Cost & Money-Back Guarantee

Align is some what pricey, especially when you are dealing with only getting 1 billion CFUs per capsule. However, if it does turn out to be higher quality & works for you, then I am sure it’ll be worth the money.

Align is offering a Money-Back Guarantee, which is actually pretty sweet. Try it for one month, if it doesn’t work, take them up on the refund.

Where To Buy

• Buy Align from Amazon.com
• Find a local store.

Disclosure:  I was supplied by Proctor & Gamble with samples of Align. The positive or negative outcome of this review is not based on receiving these samples.

Related posts:

1. Align Probiotic For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Update
2. Review: Custom Probiotics CP-1 50 Billion CFU Adult Formula
3. Review: Nature’s Way Primadophilus for Children

So I am sure we’ve all probably had times were we’re filling gassy or bloated. When dealing with IBS these times are probably more often than we’d wish. Now, normally I’d suggest a natural product, but in some cases a less than natural product is needed. This is were Gas-X Thin Strips step in. Why do I like Gas-X Thin Strips? A) It works. B) The packaging and form factor are very discreet.

Thin strip style products have been around for awhile, I first saw them showing up in the early 2000s for things like mints. At the time my co-worker handed me something that looked like a piece of colored tape and said “try it”… I pondered for a bit as I wasn’t sure if I was being handed some sort of psychotropic drug or an actual piece of tape. Luckily it turned out to be a a minty breath freshener. I don’t think my co-worker was trying to tell me something as we didn’t sit near each other, he was just showing me this cool new product(at least this is what I tell myself). So now instead of minty freshness we have minty gas relief thanks to Gas-X Thin Strips.

Gas-X contains Simethicone which is basically an anti-foaming agent, it helps the bubbles that form in your digestive tract form into large bubbles which makes it easier to pass gas. So while it’s advertised as an anti-gas drug, it actually makes it easier to fart. This is probably of benefit for people with IBS, I’d rather fart than feel bloated. Being bloated makes you feel tired & flabby. One of the benefits I’ve found with Gas-X is that it seems to also help motility so if I am feeling constipated as well, it usually helps get things moving again.

The main reason I tried Gas-X Thin Strips in the first place, was because it was in thin strip form. These things are very handy & very discreet. You can fit a bunch of them in your wallet, which is just not possible when dealing with pills. The only thing non-discreet about them is that it says “Gas-X Gas-X Gas-X Gas-X Gas-X” all over the outside of the package. It’s not that big of a deal though as you can easily tear it open and gobble it down with no one the wiser.

Overall Gas-X & Immodium(though haven’t been using this in quite awhile) are my trusty over the counter standbys which I use from time to time. There are probably other similar products that use Simethicone & they would probably work in a similar fashion. Gas-X is just the one I’ve been using. You get 18 strips per box, which is a pretty good value. I am still on my first box and it’s been a few months since I bought it. You can probably find it at your local pharmacy or department store – OR you can support this site and buy it from the Amazon.com link below :)!

Purchase Gas-X Thin Strips Peppermint from Amazon.com.

Related posts:

1. Review: Iberogast for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
2. Align Probiotic For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Update
3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome & The Great Prune Debate

Buy Iberogast from Amazon.com

Today I’ll be reviewing Iberogast, a natural herbal pro-kinetic motility agent from the company Medical Futures.

So first off, what is a motility?

Digestive Motility

Basically somewhere in your system these movements are going too fast or too slow. These symptoms could be a chronic issue such as when dealing with IBS or gastroparesis or acute symptoms brought on by eating too much or food poisoning.

There’s a little diagram to the right to help illustrate motility. Hopefully your digestive tract isn’t really green, orange & red. ;)

What is Iberogast?

Iberogast, which is also known as STW 5,  is a mixture of different herbs that have been shown in clinical studies to aid in the motility of the gut. It was developed in 1961, so it’s been in use for decades. Since it’s herbal and natural, side effects or problems from it should be rare/non-existent.

What’s in Iberogast?

Here’s a list of the main herbs in Iberogast. Probably not what you’d find in your kitchen:

• Iberis amara
• Angelica
• Caraway Fruit
• Peppermint Leaves
• Chamomile
• St. Mary’s Thistle
• Lemon Balm Leaves
• Celandine
• Liquorice Root

How do you take Iberogast?

Iberogast

Iberogast comes in a 100 milliliter bottle. The bottle contains a special cap on top of the bottle to help aid with dispensing it via little droplets. Dosage suggestions are 8 drops for children 3 months – 3 years, 10 drops for children 3 to 6 years, 15 drops for children 6 to 12 years & 20 drops for anyone 12 years or older. For an adult this gives you about 100 doses per bottle or if you’re taking it 3 times a day with each meal, you essentially have a 1 month supply.

The label recommends Iberogast be mixed with warm water, but also states it can be mixed with your favorite drink. It’s suggested that you to take Iberogast with each meal.

Taking Iberogast

Medical Futures has a statement on their website that Iberogast should not be used by women who are pregnant or nursing due to lack of clinical studies on women who are pregnant or nursing. However, they follow that statement up with the fact that it’s been used for years and probably doesn’t pose a significant risk.

The flavor is similar to the taste of raw vanilla extract or perhaps licorice. Iberogast does contain some alcohol, which you can somewhat taste. The flavor would probably be less noticeable in a cola based soft drink like Pepsi or Coca-Cola.

Does it work?

I would have to say, yes it has helped me out from time to time. It has not cured my IBS, but I do feel less bloated & perhaps I have less constipation. It’s certainly worth trying, especially if you’re trying to stay on a more natural route for healing. I have not had any negative side effects or issues that I would blame on Iberogast.

Where To Buy Iberogast:

• Buy Iberogast from Amazon.com

Related posts:

1. Cost of Iberogast Is On The Rise
2. Review: Gas-X Thin Strips for gas & bloating with Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)
3. Align Probiotic For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Update

GoodBelly Strawberry Fruit Juice Drink

GoodBelly Probiotic Fruit Drink

I found out about GoodBelly juice drinks from my local public radio station. Between shows they’d have an advertisement for the “non-dairy probiotic fruit juice based drink”. Intrigued I went off in search of this stuff. The first visit to the GoodBelly website suggested that my local Fred Meyers carried it, but when I went there it was not to be. I then tried a local Safeway(may also be known as Vons), which did indeed carry it, but it took some looking as it was near the yogurt and not on the juice aisle.

So what exactly is in GoodBelly? Obviously it’s a fruit drink with probiotics, but getting in a bit deeper it appears they grow their own strains of B. Lactis & L. Planatarum299v from oat flour & barely malt which I imagine the little bacterias munch down on. While their test show that the product doesn’t contain detectable amounts of gluten, it is not considered a gluten free food. This is important if you suffer from Celiac Disease. So basically you whirl some juice concentrate, fruit puree & probiotics together & you have GoodBelly.

How does it taste? Pretty good actually! I tried the Bluberry Acai & the Strawberry flavors.  There’s a slightly sour aftertaste to it, but it doesn’t taste bad. It is comparable to other juices you’d find on the market, just not as sweet(which is a good thing). I could not find the quart containers, so I had to use the little “Good Belly Plus shots”, which are about 2.7oz(80ml) each. There are usually some fruit seeds hanging out at the bottom of the container no matter how well you shake the darn things up.

Was it effective? The little shots contain 20 billion colony forming units(CFUs), to me, this seems like too much. While their website does state “You can never get too much of a good thing”, I would have to disagree; especially for people just starting with probiotics. Much better to taper up with a small amount of probiotics to let your system adjust. Overall I experienced the same thing I’ve dealt with with other probiotics – constipation  & bloating.There is such as thing as the “Herx Effect”, where you have to tough out these symptoms for days/weeks before you start feeling the benefits. However, I’ve tried toughing it out with other products and in the end I have to stop taking them because these symptoms do not subside. Thus, my search for the perfect probiotic continues. Importantly, do not take my experience for your own. Try the product, see how it works for you! We all have different bodies & mine is extremely picky. Bottom Line:  It did not cure my IBS, but who knows about yours?

Cost? Cost is a concern, it was about $3.50 for 4 little shots. You’re suppose to drink one per day. This could get pricey, especially when considering you can get a bottle for a months worth of probiotics in some cases for $10. You’re looking at $26.10 per month if you’re going to be drinking a GoodBelly a day. Keep in mind though that some of the higher quality probiotics are just as much and don’t offer as many CFUs, nor are they as tasty. GoodBelly does offer a $1.00 off coupon on their website. This lil’ coupon could save you quite a bit! It looks like you can only use it once per visit, but you could just do it with your weekly shopping & be good to go. The website has had it up there for months, hopefully they don’t take it down anytime soon.

Final thoughts? A worthy choice for those who may not like taking a pill or those who are adverse to trying healthy things. It’s worth a shot! :)

If you don’t have access to GoodBelly locally you can order some GoodBelly ToGo packets from Amazon.com.

Related posts:

1. Review – GoodBelly BigShot Probiotic Drink
2. Review – GoodBelly Splash Probiotic Drink
3. Align Probiotic For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Update

Was browsing over @ IBSGroup.org & found a blog post by user ‘absoluterob’ about Vitamin D deficiency. It is an interesting post on how Vitamin D can help reduce inflammation. Vitamin D is known as ”the sunshine vitamin” since most people produce it naturally by being out in the sun. I don’t get a whole lot of sunlight during my day & a lot of people in the northern hemisphere probably don’t get a lot either. Besides helping with inflammation it also helps with mood. Seasonal Affective Disorder which is basically seasonal depression is suspected to be caused partially by a lack of sunlight/Vitamin D production. So overall it would seem like supplementing Vitamin D would be a wise idea.

I myself have a cabinet full of the alphabet vitamins(A, B, C, D & E). I’ve dabbled a bit with different supplements, but haven’t really been on a regular supplement regimen except for a Vitamin B complex, which I take religiously as I credit it for helping me when I was dealing with Gastroparesis. I did find some Vitamin D left over and took some today. Can’t say anything amazing happened immediately, but like most things, it takes time. A lot of vitamins seem to have a funky compounding agent that can cause me to get constipated, so I need to be careful with what I take. There do appear to be some soft gel pills available for Vitamin D, this may help reduce the risk of constipation or stomach upset. The suggested intake for Vitamin D ranges from 1000mcg – 5000mcg. Dosages vary by product. After looking over some different Vitamin D products, I’d suggest Now Foods Vitamin D3 2000IU. You may also want to check out a their Vitamin D2 supplement as well. If you have a favorite brand please let me know.

Related posts:

1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients May Have Vitamin D Deficiencies
2. Crohn’s Disease Flares May Be Preventable With Vitamin D3
3. Review: Iberogast for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)