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Debra Boutin asked:

>I was sure that I had read something in the last few months about
>a book that gave good advice on controlling the symptoms of IBS.  I've
>looked everywhere I can think of and cannot find a reference to it.
>(I've already done a search of previous postings.)  Does anyone have
>any knowledge of such a book?

The book you are probably referring to is by Elaine Gottschall entitled
Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Intestinal Health through Diet.  She says it is
a diet for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, celiac
disease, cystic fibrosis, and chronic diarrhea.  It is published by the
Kirkton Press in Kirkton, Ontario, Canada.  The telephone number is
519-229-6795. The fax is 519-229-6969.

It has been discussed in the alt.support.crohns-colitis newsgroup with some
people reporting success and others not. The author says that one month is
long enough to tell if the diet is helping, but it then takes longer to "cure".

The basics of the diet are (snipped from newsgroup posts):

From: [log in to unmask] (Michelle Gray)

Basically, you only eat monosaccharides which means simple sugars, so that
everything is digested with no leftovers, like fiber. These leftovers are
believed to feed to bacterium and "flora" in your intestines which then can
get out of control (the bad ones) and make further digestion even harder.
Their overabundence causes them to produce extra mucus which covers up the
microvilli which break down complex sugars. So more is undigested, they eat
more, they grow more, a "vicious cycle." My GI said he thinks the theory has
some validity, but no controlled studies have been done, so no proof, and
not everyone who you would think would benefit does. Hence, the experimental
side of it.

What you can eat:
fruit and vegetables, cooked only at first until you can tolerate more;
nuts when you can tolerate them;
some beans (lentils and white navy) when you can tolerate them;
meat;
milk products without lactose, like hard aged cheeses (cheddar, colby,
swiss); homemade yogurt (real easy and good!), a few others;
honey.

No-Nos:
refined sugars;
wheat and other flours -- NONE at all;
most beans;
potatoes;
lactose milk products;
chocolate (of course).

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From: [log in to unmask] (Heidi Rafman)

The Specific Carbohydrate diet:
- the main idea is to only have simple sugars in the body that can easily be
broken down

Allowed:
- fruits, vegetables, honey, meats, most legumes and beans and nuts
- some cheeses, special homemade yoghurt
Not Allowed:
- all grains: wheat, corn, rice, etc.. (ie no bread, pasta, etc of any type
except when made by recipes in the book)
- sugar (no more sweets!)
- most dairy products, including milk
- no processed cheeses or processed meats

It seems like basically everything that is processed or already prepared is
disallowed - I think everything you eat will either have to be natural or
home-made.

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From: [log in to unmask] (Jean Marie Pesola)

The basic rules of the Gottschall diet are to avoid all disaccharides
and polysaccharides (most sugars and starches).  The theory (explained
in the book) is that these long-chain molecules cannot be broken down
in our guts into their smallest units - monosaccharides - which are
absorbed into the blood.  If these are not broken down by our bodies,
bacteria in the gut can eat them and grow out of control.  So, if we
only each monosaccharides, we can absorb them without needing to break
them down and the bacteria starve.
Among the things to avoid are: bread, cereals, pasta, and anything
else made with flour; rice, potatoes, anything with added sugar or
starch (most canned/processed foods); most dairy products (lactose is
a disaccharide).  Your diet is mostly fresh/frozen meat, fish,
vegetables, and fruit.  You can also eat nuts, eggs, and some cheeses.
The book includes recipes such as breads, cakes, and cookies made with
nut flour.
Overall, it is NOT an unhealthy diet.  However, it would be difficult
for vegetarians because tofu and most soy-based products cannot be
eaten, so protein can be harder to come by.  I've been on it for over
a year and am symptom free as long as I don't cheat.  It doesn't work
for everyone, but I cannot think of any reason not to give it a shot.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me.

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Don <[log in to unmask]> New York City