The aliens within.
When the submersible Alvin explored the deep ocean trenches around the Galápagos Islands in 1973, it discovered a whole new ecosystem centred around the geothermal vents; fumaroles or chimneys which … Continue reading
Health anxiety and morbid thoughts; the trap of IBS.
‘What life is it if you are constantly afraid of dying?’ I asked Tom. He had been coming to see me for years, always with a new set of symptoms: … Continue reading
Dietary fibre; is it time to reconsider?
There was a time, and not so long ago, when lack of dietary fibre was considered to be cause of most ailments of modern civilisation. Dennis Burkitt (remember him?) had, … Continue reading
Bloating, abnormal abdominal physiology or just a lot of gas.
At one time, doctors believed bloating was due to swallowing too much air. At another, it was caused by lordosis, an abnormal posture produced by arching the spine and pushing … Continue reading
What a way to spend Christmas.
It was Christmas Eve. I just assumed I’d eaten too much. It was a mistake to cook that Mexican feast. My brother and his partner enjoyed it and so with … Continue reading
My son’s IBS is ruining his life.
Penny wrote to me recently My son, Andrew, who is nearly 17 has had bouts of diarrhoea and tummy pains since he was about 9 or 10. These were nothing … Continue reading
Not in your genes.
Oliver James was smaller than I thought he would be. Thin and balding with straggly dark hair and beady eyes behind large dark framed glasses, he was dressed in grey … Continue reading
Can work tie your guts in knots?
A hundred years ago, most people would work in the office or the factory from about half past eight in the morning to half past five in the evening with … Continue reading
Is your doctor or your dietitian keeping you in IBS?
He shuffled in, sat down heavily and fixed me with a watery stare. ‘You know them pills you gave me last time, doc?’ He sucked in his breath noisily and … Continue reading
It’s not just FODMAPs. Meat is fermented too.
One ‘breakthrough’ always opens our thinking up to others. We now know that rapid fermentation of poorly absorbed low molecular weight sugars (FODMAPs) found in onions, beans, sprouts and some … Continue reading
The Sensitive Gut 