Is This the Cure for IBS?
I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in early 2013 after a battery of blood and stool tests, a colonoscopy, and a second opinion. I have documented all the medications and trials I have done to try to fix the imbalance that I felt was emanating from my gut, more specifically I thought the imbalance was in my small intestine based on literature and studies I had read about small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
What I tried over the years:
Sep 2013
Prescription: Rifaximin, 200 mg, 3X/day
Outcome: Finished the antibiotics and there was no difference in my bloating, bowel symptoms, and overall well being
2013 - 2016
Prescription: Low FODMAP diet, Prilosec as needed for GERD
Outcome: Struggled with my bloating, bowel symptoms, and well being A LOT. I was in denial and did not want to stop eating what I enjoyed (e.g. avocados, pastries/wheat, stone fruits), which was against the diet.
2016
Prescription: Low FODMAP diet
Outcome: When followed strictly, my bowel issues were mostly managed
Sep 2016
Prescription: Probiotics, at least 20 billion CFUs per pill
Outcome: No change
Nov 2016
Prescription: Bentyl, 10 mg, 3X/day (gut antispasmodic)
Outcome: Bentyl improved bloating, but I still had loose stool. If I watched my diet and stuck to a low FODMAP diet, my stool was OK.
Dec 2016
Had a major back injury from CrossFit which threw off my course to find a treatment for IBS
Nov 2017
Prescription (not for IBS, but for a bacterial infection in Vietnam): Flagyl (metronidazole) + probiotics
Outcome: I felt 100% better and was able to eat anything I wanted to again. I felt physically stronger and was much happier. This lasted for ~2.5 months, and then my IBS returned
Mar 2018
Prescription: Rifaximin, again (different doctor and he nor I recalled I had already taken this)
Outcome: No change
Mar 2018
Prescription: Elavil, 10 mg, 1X/day (antidepressant)
Outcome: No change in bloating or diarrhea. My doctor told me to increase my dose to 20 mg, and I remember trying this for a few days but stopped as I didn't see improvement
Apr 2018
Prescription: Rifaximin (randomized arm pre-treatment), then oral fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for IBS as part of a clinical trial
Outcome: My bloating, stool, and well being was actually worse at the 1 month check point. After 3 months, my IBS felt as it always had prior to FMT
Jun 2018
Prescription: Stimulation of the vagus nerve (by gargling water until I almost choke) to try to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system to restore the homeostasis in the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Tried several times/day for ~5 days
Outcome: No change. If anyone's interested in the science behind this, read this or this.
2017 - 2019
Prescription: Strict low FODMAP diet
Outcome: IBS symptoms are manageable and I'm not running to the toilet 1 hour after I eat
Jul 2019
Prescription: Eight constitutional acupuncture + diet modification based on constitution
Outcome: IBS symptoms are mostly gone thus far after 4 days post-acupuncture
This takes me to today. A coworker recommended I try this treatment methodology that originates from Chinese and Korean acupuncture - called constitutional medicine. There aren't a lot of resources online about it, but ecmed.org seems to be the source website. Clinics and doctors who have been trained to determine one's "constitution" are few and far in between, and few have their own websites. I'm currently seeing Dr. Seoung Jee in San Ramon.
Everyone is born with a certain balance of their internal organs. Some organs are stronger/weaker than others due to their relative size. Constitutional medicine doctors are able to determine the order of weak -> strong of our organs (based on size of the organ), and then based on the order, that determines your constitution. I was diagnosed as hepatonia, which comes with a recommended diet to strengthen the weaker organs. Before I left Dr. Jee's office, he also performed constitutional acupuncture to restore balance of my organs.
That's as best I can explain it. Admittedly I am skeptical because I'm a westerner, my degree was in bioengineering, and my career is in biopharmaceuticals. But, I've exhausted all other means of treatment so why not try it?
I've had avocados, wheat, mushrooms, onions, beets, and apples (all things with high FODMAP), and have not had bowel issues in the last few days. I'm also trying to monitor my energy levels as I remember that being better when I was healthy. I will continue to test the belly and will provide an update soon!
What I tried over the years:
Sep 2013
Prescription: Rifaximin, 200 mg, 3X/day
Outcome: Finished the antibiotics and there was no difference in my bloating, bowel symptoms, and overall well being
2013 - 2016
Prescription: Low FODMAP diet, Prilosec as needed for GERD
Outcome: Struggled with my bloating, bowel symptoms, and well being A LOT. I was in denial and did not want to stop eating what I enjoyed (e.g. avocados, pastries/wheat, stone fruits), which was against the diet.
2016
Prescription: Low FODMAP diet
Outcome: When followed strictly, my bowel issues were mostly managed
Sep 2016
Prescription: Probiotics, at least 20 billion CFUs per pill
Outcome: No change
Nov 2016
Prescription: Bentyl, 10 mg, 3X/day (gut antispasmodic)
Outcome: Bentyl improved bloating, but I still had loose stool. If I watched my diet and stuck to a low FODMAP diet, my stool was OK.
Dec 2016
Had a major back injury from CrossFit which threw off my course to find a treatment for IBS
Nov 2017
Prescription (not for IBS, but for a bacterial infection in Vietnam): Flagyl (metronidazole) + probiotics
Outcome: I felt 100% better and was able to eat anything I wanted to again. I felt physically stronger and was much happier. This lasted for ~2.5 months, and then my IBS returned
Mar 2018
Prescription: Rifaximin, again (different doctor and he nor I recalled I had already taken this)
Outcome: No change
Mar 2018
Prescription: Elavil, 10 mg, 1X/day (antidepressant)
Outcome: No change in bloating or diarrhea. My doctor told me to increase my dose to 20 mg, and I remember trying this for a few days but stopped as I didn't see improvement
Apr 2018
Prescription: Rifaximin (randomized arm pre-treatment), then oral fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for IBS as part of a clinical trial
Outcome: My bloating, stool, and well being was actually worse at the 1 month check point. After 3 months, my IBS felt as it always had prior to FMT
Jun 2018
Prescription: Stimulation of the vagus nerve (by gargling water until I almost choke) to try to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system to restore the homeostasis in the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Tried several times/day for ~5 days
Outcome: No change. If anyone's interested in the science behind this, read this or this.
2017 - 2019
Prescription: Strict low FODMAP diet
Outcome: IBS symptoms are manageable and I'm not running to the toilet 1 hour after I eat
Jul 2019
Prescription: Eight constitutional acupuncture + diet modification based on constitution
Outcome: IBS symptoms are mostly gone thus far after 4 days post-acupuncture
This takes me to today. A coworker recommended I try this treatment methodology that originates from Chinese and Korean acupuncture - called constitutional medicine. There aren't a lot of resources online about it, but ecmed.org seems to be the source website. Clinics and doctors who have been trained to determine one's "constitution" are few and far in between, and few have their own websites. I'm currently seeing Dr. Seoung Jee in San Ramon.
Everyone is born with a certain balance of their internal organs. Some organs are stronger/weaker than others due to their relative size. Constitutional medicine doctors are able to determine the order of weak -> strong of our organs (based on size of the organ), and then based on the order, that determines your constitution. I was diagnosed as hepatonia, which comes with a recommended diet to strengthen the weaker organs. Before I left Dr. Jee's office, he also performed constitutional acupuncture to restore balance of my organs.
That's as best I can explain it. Admittedly I am skeptical because I'm a westerner, my degree was in bioengineering, and my career is in biopharmaceuticals. But, I've exhausted all other means of treatment so why not try it?
I've had avocados, wheat, mushrooms, onions, beets, and apples (all things with high FODMAP), and have not had bowel issues in the last few days. I'm also trying to monitor my energy levels as I remember that being better when I was healthy. I will continue to test the belly and will provide an update soon!
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