The Psychobiotic Revolution: an inspiration for discovery.
Whenever a new book claims a new health revolution, I must admit I am a little sceptical. Nevertheless, the notion that the bugs in our intestines can influence our gut … Continue reading
Faecal Microbial Transplant for IBS: is the future orange, brown or colourless?
Who would have thought it? How could anybody seriously suggest treating IBS with an inoculum of somebody else’s faeces? As a society, we are so aversive to the whole idea … Continue reading
Bugs, trauma and brain architecture: an association awaiting an explanation.
Ever since its characterisation some ten or more years ago, scientists have speculated that specific changes in the colonic microbiome could account for IBS, but until recently there have been … Continue reading
What’s next for IBS?
On Saturday afternoon at the King’s Hall, Ilkley, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of The Life Scientific on Radio 4, took us on a voyage into the future. ‘What scientific innovations … Continue reading
IBS: Does the answer lie in the soil?
When caterpillars chomp on a tasty oak leaf, the oak senses the damage and produces bitter tannins that not only discourage the caterpillars but also attract parasitic wasps to lay … Continue reading
Auto-intoxication revisited: could our diet be promoting the bacteria that slow down the colon?
Constipation isn’t just about the difficulty in passing faeces; it can also make you feel unwell. People with constipation often complain of headache, bad breath, furred tongue, anorexia, flatulence, irritability … Continue reading
Candidiasis: is it now time to reappraise the yeast connection?
Someyears ago, before the microbiome revolution, I wrote an article on Candidiasis and IBS for The IBS Network. It described the current state of the art and concluded that ‘there … Continue reading
The large bowel is great! It’s soo-oh smart. Not a tweet, but a trump!
My fellow Americans, I want to tell you that the large bowel is such a ‘smart tube’ – it’s really, really smart. Just a few feet long – so small, … Continue reading
From High Fibre to Nutritional and Microbial Diversity: Back to the Future
Some time in the early nineteen eighties, I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Dennis Burkitt on the fibre hypothesis. Burkitt had worked for many years as a … Continue reading
Low FODMAP diet; symptom relief at the expense of the microbiome?
While scanning the journals recently, I came across a review by Peter Gibson making the case for the low FODMAP diet as a first line treatment for IBS. He … Continue reading
The Sensitive Gut 