IBS Alternative Treatment with Suzanne Perazzini

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In this episode of The Functional Medicine Radio Show, Dr. Carri’s special guest Suzanne Perazzini explains IBS Alternative Treatment options.

Suzanne Perazzini is a certified nutritional therapist, a qualified teacher, award-winning author (including three low FODMAP books) and has been a teacher and a coach her whole life.

After having her life transformed by the low FODMAP diet and a bunch of changes she made to her lifestyle, she now dedicates her days to coaching others on how to implement the low FODMAP diet and eliminate their IBS symptoms once and for all.

Her greatest moments have been turning a 3-year-old Indian girl from a child curled up in the corner in pain to a happy child playing out in the yard with her friends, and helping an 83-year-old woman, who had suffered horribly all her life, discover that there is peace on earth after all. She lives in New Zealand with her husband in a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Main Questions Asked about IBS Alternative Treatment Options:

How common is IBS and how do they test for it?
What has your journey been like as a lifelong IBS sufferer?
What does FODMAP stand for?
What are some resources for learning which foods are high and low FODMAP?
How do people lead a normal social life that have IBS on the low FODMAP diet?
Do your patients have to be on the low FODMAP diet forever?

Key Points Made by Suzanne about IBS Alternative Treatment Options:

IBS is fairly prevalent with somewhere around 25% to 30% of people suffering from it worldwide.
The symptoms typically include irregular bowel movements, bloating, pain, cramping, and difficulty after eating.
IBS is normally diagnosed through exclusion, once other tests have ruled out the other potential causes.
The hydrogen breath test used to be a valid way to test your reaction to certain food types but it’s been found to ineffective in testing a reaction to fructose. The low FODMAP diet is more reliable.
Suzanne’s experience with IBS has varied. Early on it didn’t affect her life very much but made her life more difficult as she got older, especially during times of stress.
Once she started the low FODMAP diet, Suzanne discovered the foods that triggered her IBS and eventually began to feel much better. Writing about her experience online started to attract many others who suffered from the condition.
The term FODMAP is an acronym, derived from “Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols”.
It’s not just a list of food to eat and avoid, it’s important to understand what amounts to eat and what the combinations are as well.
Discovering your personal triggers is a part of the process. You start with low FODMAP foods and gradually learn what your tolerance for each food is. It’s difficult to do on your own which is why a good coach is so important. Even one wrong food in an otherwise clean diet can make you feel quite sick.
The foods that you use for your testing are quite important as well.
You have to put strategies in place if you have IBS. If you are going out, do some research beforehand, talk to the chef and ask their advice. Carry a card that describes your food triggers in the local language as you travel.
Don’t ask for gluten free bread, gluten free doesn’t mean low FODMAP compatible. Bring low FODMAP foods and snacks with you.
Start on the elimination diet, then go into the reintroduction phase to learn what your triggers are, then you create a custom diet that’s specific to you that you stay on for life.
The low FODMAP diet is the base for addressing IBS but it’s not the end. You have to look at other gut irritants and learn what you can tolerate while still eating healthy. Your lifestyle becomes a component of the strategy to become symptom free.