More Than A Public Inconvenience
Nicky wrote to us recently. ‘On radio Sheffield this morning – a new consultation about closing 5 of the remaining public toilets in Sheffield to save money. Will the IBS Network … Continue reading
IBS. Blame my mother-in-law!
At The IBS Network, we get letters; lots and lots of letters. Janice’s letter arrived this this morning and struck a chord! Hello I’m Janice. I’ve suffered from Irritable bowel … Continue reading
All Change for IBS
Shirley had written to me for advice about the dreadful abdominal cramps that were associated with her constipation. The following day she wrote again. ‘Thank you for your response regarding … Continue reading
The bugs that make you fat, irritate your bowel.
Obesity is not just a matter of thermodynamics; energy in minus energy out equals energy stored, both sides of the equation may be modified by bacteria. As George Bray, leading … Continue reading
Food Allergy and Food Intolerance; are they closer than we think?
It all seems very clear. Food allergy is an immunological reaction to a specific food protein, while food intolerance is the sensitivity of the gut to a range of foods … Continue reading
Health: luck or a matter of choice?
When I was a medical student in the nineteen sixties, the diseases we studied were the old ones, the infections: syphilis, tuberculosis, smallpox, poliomyelitis, diphtheria. We never see those now; … Continue reading
Keeping it all in the Family
Yes, it’s true, IBS does run in the family. You have more chance of having IBS if a parent or a sibling has it. And twins, especially identical twins have … Continue reading
The Green-eyed Goddess
Food is among our most fundamental driving forces, alongside sex, companionship, shelter and drink. It can determine our mood, can dominate our thinking and regulate our behaviour. But it is … Continue reading
A Very Complex Illness
There was a time when physicians used to group all illnesses that did not have definitive structural features or an obvious physical cause under the same all –embracing title. For … Continue reading
Probiotics; are they worth considering for IBS?
Our microbiota (the microflora found on our bodies) is thought by some to be the forgotten organ and in our large bowel we have over 100 trillion microbes, around 70% … Continue reading
The Sensitive Gut 