Irritated Bowel Syndrome

My girlfriend has just been diagnosed with irritated bowel syndrome, symptoms
of bloating, constipation and occasional diarrhea. She is now tracking diet
to see if there is any correlation. Diet is gnerally good and no major
changes in her life (other than me). Any suggestions

Comment 1

1. Unless she has a food allergy, IBS is probably "mental." When I was
more stressed, the episodes would be frequent. Worse--it would grow on itself, in that you would "expect" to have to go after eating certain foods, which given the nervous situation, became just about any foods!

2. For me, the "cure" was trying to relax, and working through those
urges. I'm sure that your body wants to be regular.

3. Whatever you do, stay away from drugs. Concetrate on things other
than how your stomach feels.

Comment 2

Try procyanodins. My preferred brand is Pycnogenol. I have had Crohn's for 6 years and I can tell you that it is NOT all in your head (at least it's not all in mine). Within 48 hrs of taking Pyc, my stools became regular most of the time.

Comment 3

Long story short, my symptoms were very similiar. Recently, I've experimented
with my diet and have eliminated all carbohydrates and sugars from my diet.
It's not always easy but my symptoms have improved tremendously. I recently
began reading "The Yeast Connection" which has a very enlightening point of
view.

Also, I've been receiving acupucture and herbs. They might be helping in
conjunction with my diet change but I think the diet component is key.