April marks the 17th annual Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month, meant to publicize a condition so prevalent that, though rarely discussed, is the leading cause of worker absenteeism after the common cold. However, patient self-help avenues such as HelpForIBS.com offer a wealth of information, support, and immediate tangible help for Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. Self-help management of IBS has proven so successful that physicians and dietitians are embracing these approaches. IBS Awareness Month spreads the news that IBS patients are finally being given the help they need - not just a diagnosis.

Seattle, WA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/19/2013 -- Imagine the sudden onset of abdominal pain so severe it leaves you unconscious on the floor. Envision suffering from diarrhea or constipation so unpredictable and debilitating you plan your life around bathroom access. Now imagine being told by doctors that your diagnosis has no cure.

Fifty million Americans with Irritable Bowel Syndrome know exactly how this feels, but odds are they don't know how much help is available. This April marks the 17th annual IBS Awareness Month, publicizing a condition so prevalent that, though rarely talked about, is the leading cause of worker absenteeism after the common cold. IBS is a physical brain-gut dysfunction characterized by recurring abdominal pain in association with constipation, diarrhea, or both. More than 20% of Americans suffer from IBS, which affects more women than men. The cause of IBS remains unknown.

For too long, IBS sufferers were dismissed by physicians, ignored by researchers, and left to suffer in silence. In recent years this situation has changed dramatically, with a rising awareness of the profound differences lifestyle modifications can make. As part of IBS Awareness Month, the patient self-help organization HelpForIBS.com now celebrates over a decade of providing information, support, and immediate tangible help for Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers.

"If you have IBS, you are not alone," says HelpForIBS.com founder and best-selling author of Eating for IBS, Heather Van Vorous. "Living with IBS doesn't mean living in misery. There are numerous strategies people can use to prevent all IBS symptoms, and a happy healthy lifestyle is absolutely possible. Though IBS is often portrayed as the punch line to a joke, it's no laughing matter. People with IBS need to hear that their suffering is completely unnecessary."

Though IBS patients report using nearly 300 different types of prescription and over-the-counter medications in attempts to find relief, many are now discovering (and research studies are supporting) that non-drug approaches to the disorder are far more effective and safer. Specifically, patients find success with:

- the groundbreaking IBS dietary guidelines and recipes from the book Eating for IBS, a best-seller for over a decade that has set the American IBS diet standards

- organic medical foods such as Heather's Tummy Care products, which are keyed to specific IBS symptoms, including: prebiotic acacia senegal soluble fiber for diarrhea or constipation; enteric coated peppermint & fennel oil capsules for pain and bloating, recommended by Dr. Oz; and high volatile oil medicinal strength fennel and peppermint teas for bloating, gas, and pain.

- gut-directed hypnotherapy, an approach IBS researchers have actually called a "cure"

- emotional support via IBS communities such as the HelpForIBS.com message boards and Facebook group

Self-help management for IBS has proven so successful that physicians and dietitians are embracing these approaches, and referring patients to resources such as HelpForIBS.com.

IBS Awareness Month spreads the news that IBS patients are now getting the help they need, not just a diagnosis. There's no end to IBS on the horizon, but there are many healthy ways to successfully manage - and even prevent - all Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms.

About HelpForIBS.com
HelpForIBS.com ( http://www.helpforibs.com/ ) is the largest IBS community on the internet, with over 5 million visits per year and a membership of over 250,000 subscribers. HelpForIBS.com is dedicated to serving people with IBS, by offering education, support, and products that allow people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome to successfully manage their symptoms through simple, safe lifestyle modifications. HelpForIBS.com was founded by Heather Van Vorous, the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care, and an IBS sufferer since age 9. Heather's groundbreaking work in the IBS dietary field has led to her inclusion in Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, has been licensed by Novartis pharmaceuticals, and has been publicized worldwide by physicians, dietitians, IBS organizations, and patients.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/are-your-bowels-irritable-its-ibs-awareness-month-239591.htm

Irritable Bowel Syndrome patient-expert Heather Van Vorous pioneered comprehensive dietary guidelines for managing IBS over a decade ago. Today, her ground-breaking book Eating for IBS celebrates more than 10 years as a best seller on special diet lists and over 250,000 copies sold worldwide.

Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/01/2013 -- If you're new to the dietary management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, learning what you can and can't eat without triggering painful symptoms used to be an even more painful process.

Then the book Eating for IBS confirmed what every IBS sufferer instinctively knew: diet plays a direct role in gut function, and the abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating from Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be directly controlled through diet. The Eating for IBS diet makes the difference between living a normal, happy, outgoing life versus spending every day stuck in the bathroom enduring pain, bowel dysfunction, and misery.

Contrary to what many IBS patients and even doctors still believe, eating for IBS does not mean deprivation, never going to restaurants, boring food, or a limited and therefore unhealthy diet. It does mean learning to eat safely by realizing how different foods physically affect the GI tract, and how foods can help or hurt both diarrhea AND constipation, as well as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and nausea. Foods can either prevent or trigger IBS symptoms.

For example:

- There are two kinds of fiber...one soothes the colon and regulates gut function but the other can cause severe IBS attacks

- Dairy is a common trigger...even in people who are not lactose intolerant

- Peppermint and fennel can prevent pain, spasms, and bloating better than some drugs

- Bland foods are not automatically safe foods

- How you eat for IBS is just as important as what you eat for IBS

With Eating for IBS, Heather Van Vorous, who has suffered from IBS since childhood and gradually learned to control her symptoms through dietary modifications, offered sympathetic information tailored specifically to the needs of IBS sufferers. She provided a comprehensive overview of IBS, explicit eating and cooking strategies, travel and restaurant advice, daily menus, supermarket ideas, and 175 delicious IBS-friendly recipes.

How delicious could those recipes be? Eating for IBS was a finalist for the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Health and Special Diet Award - also known as the "Julia Child" award, and it led to the Seattle television show "Heather Cooks!"

IBS sufferers have been thrilled to discover they can enjoy traditional homestyle cooking, ethnic foods, rich desserts, snacks, and party foods - and don't have to cook unusual or special meals for themselves while their families follow a "normal" diet. Eating for IBS forever revolutionized the way people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome eat - and live.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects up to 20% of the population and symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, bloating and gas can either be triggered or prevented through diet. Eating for IBS was the first book to give patients the accurate, comprehensive IBS dietary information they need, and its success and popularity ten years on is a testament to the success so many IBS sufferers have found with it. .

Eating for IBS is available on Amazon.com here
http://www.amazon.com/Eating-IBS-Delicious-Nutritious-Low-Residue/dp/1569246009/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1356730292&sr=8-4&keywords=ibs

About Heather Van Vorous
Author Heather Van Vorous is the founder of HelpForIBS.com, the largest IBS community on the internet, with over 5 million visits per year and a membership of over 260,000 subscribers. HelpForIBS.com is dedicated to serving people with IBS, by offering education, support, and products that allow people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome to successfully manage their symptoms through simple and safe lifestyle modifications. Heather's groundbreaking work in the IBS dietary field led to the founding of the Heather's Tummy Care line of organic medical foods for IBS, and her inclusion in Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare. Her IBS diet information and recipes have been licensed by Novartis pharmaceuticals, and her work has been publicized worldwide by physicians, dietitians, IBS organizations, and patients.

Contact:
Heather Van Vorous
CEO, Heather's Tummy Care
Help @ HelpForIBS.com
+1-206-264-8069

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/ibs/irritable-bowel-syndrome/release-192568.htm