E-Newsletter

In each edition of our e-newsletter, we have a Q&A section with one of the panel of leading specialists in the field of health, nutrition and wellbeing.  You are free to write in to us with any questions you might like to be answered by one our experts – we can’t promise that every single question will be dealt with, but we will endeavour to respond to as many as we can!

 

In the first edition, Dr Hilary Jones, practising GP and Medical Broadcaster helps:

 

QUESTION from edition 2

Yes there is. And I would very much like you to consider it. I'd like you to explore the strong possibility that your problems could well be caused by the effects of food intolerance, in which case they are fully reversible. I'll explain.

 

I know it is frustrating when doctors disagree and give you conflicting advice. But personally I believe antidepressants could make your symptoms worse, not better. You certainly don't sound depressed - being fulfilled in your career and happy with your family and life in general is incompatible with true clinical depression - and medication can have far-reaching side effects including those which make your fatigue worse and upset your digestive system further. So your own instincts are right - you don't need antidepressants.

 

What then is causing these troublesome and puzzling symptoms which are holding you back? There are a number of possibilities and ideally a quick check-up from a caring and sympathetic doctor would rule out any obvious ones such as hormonal imbalance, colitis or peptic ulcers. Once these have been excluded you should think carefully about your diet and any subtle physical reaction to it. Many people who are otherwise fit and healthy and who eat a sensible, well-balanced diet have some kind of food intolerance which gives them a range of non-specific and usually mild symptoms which come and go. Unlike an obvious food "allergy" where an obvious reaction kicks in within minutes of eating the culprit food - a food intolerance can lead to symptoms many days after food consumption so knowing WHICH food causes the problem is impossible. Typical symptoms include fatigue, headaches, lack of energy, muscle weakness, irritability, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhoea and tummy cramps.

 

If these sound familiar to you, you need to identify the source of your food intolerance - it could be to wheat, dairy or a whole range of other products. I'd recommend you take a YorkTest foodScan to clearly identify the foods triggering your problems. It is a highly scientific, reputable and highly regarded test which could make a huge difference to the way you feel and your enjoyment of life on a day to day basis. It would be nice for your family to have their real wife and mum back too wouldn't it?

 

Upto 45% of the UK's population have some kind of food intolerance so it is highly likely you could be one of them. All the people I have already recommended for a foodScan test have reported pleasing and often brilliant results. I believe this should be your very next step.

 

 

 

 

"Personally as a GP with 25 years experience, I'm always a little wary of 'probable' diagnoses.  It's important that more serious conditions are excluded before a diagnosis of IBS is assumed and that is especially true the older you become.  But even young people can develop colitis, Coeliac Disease and even cancer (albeit rarely) which can mimic these symptoms, so a proper examination and tests are valuable first.  Having said all that, your GP is 'probably' right.
 
Now whilst it's true that IBS has no 'cure' as such, there are plenty of steps you can take to minimise your symptoms and the inconvenience they cause without having to resort to pharmaceutical medications.  These can have side effects and are not very beneficial anyway.
 
Lifestyle changes can really help.  Since IBS is largely brought about by overactivity of that part of the nervous system stimulated by stress and anxiety, anything which helps you relax is useful.  Breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, acupuncture and physical activity can all enhance efficient digestion.  Hypnotherapy is even more powerful and IBS specialists in Manchester have achieved spectacular success using it.
 
Perhaps the most important lifestyle change you can make overall however is to evaluate any food intolerances you may have and to avoid and specific foodstuffs that can be identified as triggering your symptoms.  The vital thing is not to guess what these foodstuffs might be because as often as not IBS sufferers incriminate completely wrongly the culprit foods.  YORKTEST Laboratories are unique in offering a reliable, scientifically proven and professionally endorsed food intolerance test which can accurately guide you in your future choice of menus.  In an ideal world I would encourage every IBS sufferer to have foodSCAN food intolerance tests follow it up with their nutritional consultation service.
 
Pills, potions and medicines can mask the symptoms of bloating, pain, wind and alternating constipation and diarrhoea to some extent, but all they are doing is treating the consequences rather than the cause itself.
 
Lifestyle changes, together with careful avoidance of specific food based on food intolerance testing is the key to your future good health and wellbeing."