What has my face got to do with your IBS?

My skin rash and IBS both caused by food intolerance

My skin has never been perfect. But around 3 years ago, I started to frequently wake up with a hideous rash. Ugghhhh.

I was able to do a reasonable job concealing it with make-up, but it’s fair to say it affected my mood. More than a bit. And so began the long, laborious process of putting this problem right.

So here’s what I did, in no particular order:

  1. Changed my skincare products. Many times. (Expensive mistake)
  2. Attended the GP.
  3. Attended a dermatologist.
  4. Tried many prescription creams.
  5. Took anti-histamines.
  6. Made my own ‘all natural’ skincare products (Liz Earle has nothing to worry about).
  7. Bought supplements – from omega 3, flaxseed oil, turmeric, silica, probiotics… (Expensive mistake)

NOTHING. HAPPENED. (Except I got increasingly annoyed and cash poor). I got so busy adding things on to my skin and into my body that I never once considered taking anything OUT…..of my diet. (Yes, I am actually a qualified dietitian). I only considered this after exhausting all other options. In my defence, I’d never had any food tolerance problems before. So long story short, dairy products turned out to be the culprit. I have no idea why a food group I had eaten for years suddenly caused a problem. But this much I learnt – until the trigger was removed, nothing else was going to help.

Your IBS

I meet many people who have tried numerous prescribed and over-the-counter products to help manage their IBS symptoms, and are frustrated that they are not helping.

But like my skin, if it’s something you’re eating that is causing your bowel symptoms, the only thing that is going to deal with the problem is to find the food culprit(s) and remove them from your diet.

And unlike how I dealt with my skin, finding the food culprits that are causing your IBS symptoms is carried out in a highly structured way (see IBS page). It’s not exactly a quick process, but I will endeavour to make the process as smooth as possible, so you get symptom relief as quickly as possible. And we can talk about products, if necessary, after that – no expensive mistakes.