I don't have any particular gastic issues (as far as I know :-) ) however on the occassions when I get acid, I find remembering to eat live yogurt daily helps a lot. I think in my case, getting over-tired / run-down / a cold etc upsets the natural flora in my stomach which then causes over-production of acid.

Fee

Ice-cream for IBS? I *knew* there was a good reason for me scarfing a tubful at a time! When mine used to be far more of a problem than it is now (plenty of rest, a short course of anti-spasmodic drugs and learning that a good temper tantrum was just what the doctor ordered settled mine nicely), I used to find that the mere thought of booze would make me as green as grass. Then I discovered dark sweet sherry..... yep, I know, yuk, right? However, it used to ease the cramping and soothe the pain as if someone had poured some kind of magical elixir over it. Go figure?!

Fee

Cyndi,

     I agree regarding dealing with issues properly for a longer time cure. I have to tell you though.... IBS is a weird condition, sometimes all 'symptom' and no pain, other times no symptoms but the most appalling agony you can imagine and then some. On those occassions, you'd try pouring treacle over your head and running naked down the street juggling oranges if you thought it'd kill the pain!

Fee

Cyndi - 2005-08-11 3:52 PM Tourist, I'm smiling and I say this without any disrespect to your previous problems with IBS, really I mean it. But, you cannot say it was working, because it wasn't. You were covering up your symptoms, pacifying them..that's not true healing. So, since the topic was about Ayurveda, I had to say this, otherwise you guys will be eating ice cream the rest of your lives thinking that you corrected your problem and I would hate to find you later on down the road with serious health problems, seriously. For what its worth, I truly LOVE and ADORE Dairy Queen's soft ice cream cone, dipped in chocolate on a hot summer day. You ain't lived till you have eaten a "Dilly Bar". But, only once in a blue moon can I have this...otherwise, it will irritate the crap out of me, cause dampness and along with being too cold, making me constipated and bloated, and worse, a stuffy nose. Yesterday I was borderlining it by drinking a vanilla milk shake from Arby's...a small one,

Creases is an interesting way to put it. I found that one distinguising thing about IBS over other gastic issues is that the one thing I could never do during a pain attack was to curl up into a ball. I had to lie flat on my back and try to breath as shallowly as possible. I guess it makes sense that that would be the case when you have cramp in upteen feet of small intestine, but it still felt odd not to be able to go fetal.

One thing I'm really glad about is that I don't get those sort of attacks any more just the occassional issue, often around that time of the month *touching wood*. The planning of any journey around the location of every public loo in town and the cold sweats and agony type attacks just ate up so much energy.

I finally got the best help from my company doctor at the time I was diagnosed. He gave me great advice regarding how to get my own doctor at the time to understand just how crippling IBS can be and that I wasn't constantly at his surgery just to complain about some form of recurring mild upset. Typically though, said company doctor was drop dead gorgeous and looked like he hadn't had a day's illness in his life. I sure don't embarrass easily anymore, not after that first consultation or the endless frustration in shops over getting access to the staff loo :-(!

Fee

I kept a food diary when I was first diagnosed. In my case there wasn't a dietary component (my GP had suspected gluten intolerance apparently). As someone who tends to put her own desires behind those of friends and family, I learnt that bottling things up made me ill. A good rant now and again has done me marvels, even if the kitchen wall has it's fingers in its ears

I also keep ginger in the house as that is wonderful for settling an upset stomach.

Fee

I agree. sometimes people just don't hear ya till you scream!