Success stories to inspire your cure for IBS!

When I was looking for a solution to heal my gut there were many failed attempts and little reason for hope. The doctors told me it was incurable, so my attempts were fueled solely by my hope and other people’s healing success stories.

I desperately wanted to believe that healing was possible, despite what the medical profession had to say. I finally became an IBS success story myself and tried to share my story with others who were suffering with digestive woes. I am not the only one who managed to beat my gut issues. In fact this article highlights three others who managed to heal themselves with food.

The approaches are different but the ending is the same. No more IBS. I hope you find these stories inspiring and that I can one day feature your healing tale on my blog!

IBS cure #1: Juice fast & anti-inflammatory diet:

Terri from www.sugarfreeglow.com

Terri used to spend a lot of time in medical waiting rooms seeking relief for painful symptoms from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fybromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Sjogrens. Completely healing all those health issues inspired Terri Ingraham to become a health coach so she could teach others how to do the same.

Terri chronically suffered from bloating, diarrhea, muscles aches, brain fog, pain, sinus issues, headaches, itchy, dry eyes, hives and crippling fatigue. She always felt like she had the flu. The only things doctors could offer her was medications that didn’t help.

Her misery finally spurred her into action. She started researching nutrition and read about leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut is when intestinal lining becomes permeable and food particles can pass through into the blood stream, causing inflammation and an autoimmune response. Not only does it compromise the body’s ability to absorb nutrients but it also causes bloating, gas, cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, and skin rashes.

Leaky gut can be caused by high sensitivity to common food allergens like gluten or dairy, by taking drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pills (NSAIDS), cytotoxic drugs and certain antibiotics. It can also be caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

A food allergy test confirmed Terri’s suspicion about having leaky gut. The results showed she was allergic to 50 foods. She had read that one of the tell tale symptoms of leaky gut is an allergy to a great number of foods.

To heal herself Terri took drastic action. She went a on 30-day vegetable juice fast. She started feeling better a few days into the juice cleanse and her symptoms went away after just one week. After she finished the juice fast she stayed healthy by eating an anti-inflammatory diet that is high in whole foods and fish oil and low in sugar, caffeine, refined flour products and alcohol.

These days, Terri remains symptom-free and feels great. She has the energy to live a busy life as a mom and entrepreneur. She avoids dairy and hasn’t eaten gluten in three years. But she is able to eat many foods she was previously sensitive to without any of her symptoms coming back.

IBS cure #2: Paleo Diet:

Margareth from www.themargarethlove.com

Margareth remembers having IBS since she was in grade school. Growing up in Norway she always ate a diet rich in whole grains, potatoes and baked goods. Her favorite meal was chocolate spread on whole wheat bread. Her father and sister had similar digestive problems, so she accepted her chronic tummy pain, diarrhea and constipation as a normal fact of life. She noticed that when she was nervous, she felt even worse.

Her mother took Margareth to the doctor to test for celiac disease, lactose intolerance, and food allergies but the tests came out negative. That’s when she got the IBS diagnosis.

She noticed that eating unhealthy things like chips, candy and junk food would trigger her symptoms but she didn’t understand why she felt bad even when she didn’t eat these unhealthy foods.

A few years ago, Margareth stumbled upon the low-carb Paleo diet and tried it to lose weight. She shed pounds but she also noticed that her IBS symptoms diminished greatly when she ate this way. She decided to follow the no grain, no potato, no dairy, no sugar, and no bean diet full time and her IBS symptoms went away for the first time in her life.

These days not only is Margareth 40 pounds thinner but she is IBS free. And she shares her Paleo diet recipes with readers on her blog.

IBS cure #3: Elimination diet:

Shawn from www.solvingtheibspuzzle.com

When Shawn first got IBS in his late 20s he didn’t know what was causing his the severe cramping, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea. He also started feeling tired all the time. After years of suffering with these symptoms he went to the doctor and got an IBS diagnosis.

Since the doctor told him that there was nothing physically wrong with him Shawn decided that it must be something that he was eating. He enjoyed eating his junk food and having wine or beer with dinner but he gave it all up as an experiment.

Shawn went on an elimination diet, giving wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, eggs, and corn. He also kicked caffeine, sugar, alcohol and junk food. He was miserable at first as he went through withdrawal but it passed after one week.

In two to three weeks his symptoms subsided and he found he had more energy than he’d had in a long time. As a huge bonus, symptoms that seemed unrelated to his digestive system also went away. His strong body odor, dandruff, brain fog and the flaky crust between his eyes and in his ears also vanished on the elimination diet. He also lost 25 pounds.

The elimination diet revealed that he was extremely sensitive to gluten, dairy and alcohol. When he avoided those foods his symptoms went away. While Shawn sometimes misses eating the foods he used to enjoy, he enjoys feeling good and sharing what he has learned about  IBS even more.

More approaches to healing IBS

There are definitely more approaches than the ones above to healing IBS. In fact, I have read about the promising FODMAPS diet which focuses on fructose intolerance and eliminates certain fruit, veggies and beverages to heal the gut. I don’t have any personal experience with this approach but I have read good things about it online and it is a very popular approach, which means it has helped many people.

However, I have not met anyone who has healed themselves using FODMAPS. If you have had any experience with the FODMAPS diet or know someone who tried it please tell me about it in the comments below.

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