Introduction
Approximately 24% of women and 19% of men in the UK suffer with IBS.

For the majority of us our bowel habits are a well kept secret. Even in these days of open communication it is not considered socially acceptable to discuss our successes or disappointments in the little room which is rarely referred to as the toilet. Our lack of ease with the subject even prevents many of us from calling the lavatory by its real name. Instead we talk about `the loo', `the John', `the Bathroom' or even `the Ladies powder room', and suffer our bowel disorders in silence. Just as many of us are totally in the dark about the number of times the average couple make love each week, so too are we under educated about what constitutes a normal bowel habit. And for even the most curious of us, the question mark usually remains over this subject, unless we run in to difficulties which require medical intervention.

Instant Self-Help
If you'd like some instant relief without having to read a whole book send for our Self Help Instructions which provide in-depth instructions on how to overcome your symptoms plus outline what your doctor has to offer and suggested menus to help alleviate symptoms. There is no longer a need for the vast majority of people to suffer with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome - use the scientifically based NHAS programme now.

Click here to order our IBS Self Help Instructions at a cost of £5.00

It is normal to break wind from our tail end at times, and yet when it happens in public it is a source of much embarrassment. Many feel comfortable about telling jokes about bowel habits and there are numerous joke books written specifically to be read whilst on `the throne'. However, what is not widely appreciated is that those victims of bowel disorders not only suffer with physical symptoms, their mental well-being and self-esteem also take a knock.

Many of us recognise that emotion and stress affects our gut function. Who hasn't experienced `butterflies' or diarrhoea before an exam, a wedding or other major event in life? Those of us whose bowels settle down to a reliable and trouble free routine once the big day has passed, have little ongoing attention on our bowels. However, individuals who continue to suffer with diarrhoea, constipation, wind, pain and bloating in the long term, often find that their bowel problems become all consuming.

We know from our clinical experience over the last 17 years that bowel symptoms can undoubtedly affect our mood, our energy levels, our general well-being and the way we perceive ourselves. Being unable to control our own bowels leaves millions of people feeling like isolated physical failures. In truth almost one quarter of the adult female population are suffering with irritable bowels, and nearly one fifth of men, most of whom automatically consider that everyone else is symptom free. But those considerations are far from the actual situation.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a label often given to an individual when the medical profession are baffled. The cause of IBS has confounded physicians for almost two centuries, and despite a great deal of research, no convincing explanation for it can be given. The usual sequence of medical events is that thorough investigation of bowel symptoms takes place, and when no sinister medical cause can be found, the condition is hereinafter referred to as IBS. The treatments on offer are woefully inadequate and usually consist of either taking drugs to mask the symptoms, or eating large quantities of whole-wheat and bran, which for many IBS sufferers only serve to increase their suffering, or simply being told to learn to live with it.

The notion that IBS is related to, or even caused by our psychological state is as old as the concept of IBS itself. Many studies have found that symptoms of anxiety, depression and distress are more likely to occur in patients with IBS than in people with other illnesses. However, when you consider the effect that having major gut problems is likely to have on an individual, this is hardly surprising, and although it may be an interesting theory, does not open the door to a solution.

At the Natural Health Advisory Service (NHAS) we have been helping people with their symptoms of IBS for over 17 years. We discovered our success in relieving IBS symptoms initially by accident, while treating women with hormonally related problems. Approximately half the patients we advise are suffering from IBS, or related conditions, and we manage to help the vast majority over their symptoms in the space of three or four months.

For a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome to be made a patient must have no underlying sinister symptoms, but be suffering with either constipation or diarrhoea or both, and abdominal pain and/or bloating and wind.

What are the Symptoms?

IBS Explained
The term Irritable Bowel Syndrome was coined in 1944 by Dr Alvarez, who suggested that physicians discard the term mucous or spastic colitis, and used the term IBS instead. He proposed that the name for the condition should include the word `bowel' rather than `colon', because there are reasons for believing that in some cases the small bowel and even the stomach share in the irritability. This accounts for the change in diagnosis by doctors to the term IBS, instead of spastic colon and the like, but it does not mean that they are any nearer to a workable and effective treatment to overcome symptoms in the long term.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is extremely common. In fact, it is so common that surveys reveal that about half of the people attending hospital out-patient departments with digestive problems are suffering from IBS. A number of specialists have suspected that the people they were seeing in out-patients were, in fact, only the tip of the IBS iceberg. In other words they thought that IBS might be a very common disorder in the population as a whole and that only a small fraction of those who suffer actually complain to their doctor.
Our book, "No More IBS" is based on our successful programme. It will allow you to conduct a controlled experiment on yourself, in order to isolate those factors in your diet that aggravate your symptoms, and thus to overcome them. Finding the right kind of diet for your body is important for your long-term health, as well as helping you to overcome the symptoms you have been suffering with recently. While it may be plain sailing for some, others will find that it is a tricky business, which is why this must be a strictly controlled experiment.

For booking information click here.

To view some of our case histories click here.

 

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