Controlling IBS the Drug-Free Way: A 10-Step Plan for Symptom Relief

by Jeffrey M. Lackner

One in five adult Americans suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Millions seek relief through dietary changes or medications that often prove unsatisfactory and may be accompanied by side effects. It turns out that relief doesn’t necessarily come from a bottle of pills or through diet changes—it can be achieved by learning behavioral self-management strategies that get to the source of the problem.

For over 10 years, Dr. Jeffrey M. Lackner has been helping patients gain control of their symptoms. His research—backed by grants from the National Institutes of Health—shows that these skills can help, whether their IBS involves diarrhea, constipation, or both.



Now Dr. Lackner’s Controlling IBS the Drug-Free Way offers IBS sufferers the same tools that have helped many patients control their bowel problems. Research shows that the techniques featured in this book can improve IBS patients’ condition and help them reclaim lives lost to this common gastrointestinal problem. The book offers a step-by-step approach that anyone with IBS can easily follow to reduce symptoms without drugs or professional help. User-friendly worksheets, interactive exercises, self-assessment checklists, and diaries for tracking symptoms and trigger foods are included to help readers master each skill. Also included are up-to-date overviews of medications and dietary strategies that readers can use to maximize symptom control.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Luciano Elementi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, helpful from the very beginning, and authoritative reference.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recently cited in an article on women and gastrointestinal distress in More magazine (October 09 issue, I think).

IBS is pretty much a catch-all generic term for people who suffer chronic gastro-intestinal issues without a specific known cause. A lot of (well, surprisingly more than I knew) people deal with these issues, especially stress related. The theory is (thanks to some extrodinary people who've allowed themselves to be tested in ways most of us won't let our doctors even suggest) IBS patients have a higher sensitivity level to pain and a more sensitive/touchy enteric nervous system (a seperate nervous system that controls your digestive system - your gut has it's own "brain," so to speak).

The book does not specifically claim to be a cure, but it does claim that it hugely reduces symptoms of IBS and helps people who are struggling with it get their lives back together. As with any book that promises great changes, it's hard not to be skeptical.

Even so, it is still chock full'o good information, skeptic or not, and definitely worth a library read if you have an interest here.

The opening of the book goes over causes - genetics, psychological trauma, stress, hormones, fight or flight, etc.

The middle of the book is a 10 step program for recognizing symptoms and managing stress/anxiety. It goes over keeping track of symptoms, relaxation techniques, etc.

The end of the book covers medications, dietary info, and other related odds and ends.

My impression is that this is a catch all book that pretty much covers the spectrum of what an IBS sufferer experiences, why it may be happening to them, and how to try to manage those things. Even if the book does not significantly help the IBS issues in someone's life, it may help with stress management, and give a few medication options to that person. Thumbs up, here.

[Percival Buncab · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a sufferer, myself, I've already read four books on IBS (from patients, researchers, and doctors). Though all of 'em are great resources about knowing and managing IBS, this book is quite unique. While others focus on dietary and medicinal approaches--even alternative medicine, this book focuses on the "brain-gut" reaction--which frankly, when I read the table of contents, I got a bit skeptical; because as many sufferers would also agree: it's not stress that causes IBS, it's IBS that causes stress. But when you actually read the book, you'll realize that there's truth in what the author is discussing.

The book is written by a psychologist who has spent a decade studying IBS in a university who spent two decades researching about IBS.

Though I won't say this book is the best IBS resource, at least it's the most practical and up-to-date.

Spoiler alert: After deacades of research, there's still no cure for this literally "shitty" disorder--the cause has not even been known! So, yeah, still, the only "best" thing we can do is to cope-up--quite frankly, for the rest of our lives. But take heart, fellow-sufferers, we'll continue to fight!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative on the diease that my daughter and I have. Easy for me to understand on what it is and how to control it in a natural way