Sunday, May 31, 2009

From "Dr. Knows Best" to Health 4.0

The human brain provides inspiration for artif...Image via Wikipedia
Mirrored from Aurametrix Blog
What is Health 4.0? To answer this question, let’s take a look at the evolution of World Wide Web.
1st Generation Web, a.k.a internet before the bursting of the dot-com bubble, was a dial-up, 50K bandwidth, built around fixed content, with static pages and framesets providing one-way web of information.
Web 2.0 is usually associated with interactive information sharing, user generated content and the rebound of the Internet after dot com crash. It's "an average 1 megabit of bandwidth Web 3.0 will be 10 megabits of bandwidth all the time, which will be the full video Web, and that will feel like Web 3.0” says Netflix’ Reed Hastings . Everybody has a slightly different vision of generations 2.0, 3.0 and beyond.What are they? In a nutshell:
Web 1.0 “read-only”
Web 2.0 “read-write” (blogs, RSS feeds, tagging)
Web 3.0 “read-write-execute” (small apps with data in the cloud- as envisioned by google; a true communal media – citing yahoo; )
Web 4.0 when all of the above come together to form the learning self-aware Web, the era of artificial intelligence
According to by Tim O'Reilly', in the Web Squared everything and everyone in the world casts an "information shadow," an aura of data which, when captured and processed intelligently, offers extraordinary opportunity and mind bending implications. Web 3.0 will be some sort of virtual reality. If 1990-2004 was the match being struck; 2005-2009 was the fuse; and 2010 will be the explosion.
Web 1.0
Web 2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> Napster
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation --> search engine optimization
page views --> cost per click
screen scraping --> web services
publishing --> participation
content management systems --> wikis
directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness --> syndication

We are now at the fork of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0, focusing on usability for humans and on internet architectures for machines. Some call web 3.0 a 3D game-environment web or a semantic web. Semantic Web was envisioned byTim Berners-Lee as a universal medium for data, information, and knowledge exchange easily understood by computers. Semantic technologies are already out there, for example, TrueKnowledge, Zemanta, newssift, wolframalpha, nextbio
Web 3.0 is a truly personalized web, a customized information delivery system tuned to your every want and need, whenever and wherever you are.
Analogous to the Generations of the Web, everybody is talking about Entrepreuneur 2.0, Women 2.0, DNA Sequencing Technologies 3.0… Business models for health care evolved from solution shops to facilitated networks, transforming the organization of health care delivery.
So, what is Health 4.0? According to this blog:
Health 1.0 = content
Health 2.0 = content + community
Health 3.0 = content + community + consumer-centric commerce
Health 4.0 = content + community + working commerce models + coherence
If that’s all it takes, Aurametrix is already building Health 4.0 technologies.
Health 2.0 is participatory medicine, says Web 2.0 evangelist Mark Scrimshire: Health 2.0 = (Me + MD)Us , where our relationship with medical doctors is enhanced by the community - all of us. Wikipedia definition of Health 2.0 (adopted from Hughes B, Joshi I, and Wareham J paper "Health 2.0 and Medicine 2.0: Tensions and Controversies in the Field" published in Journal of Medical Internet Research) is the use of a specific set of Web tools (such as blogs, tagging, search, wikis, etc) by actors in health care including doctors, patients, and scientists, using principles of open source and generation of content by users, and the power of networks in order to personalize health care, collaborate, and promote health education.
CHW Health blog gives the following definitions:
Health 1.0 Disenfranchised patients, a ”Dr. Knows Best” approach.
Health 2.0 The empowered consumer
Health 3.0. Personal responsibility becomes part of the social contract we all have with one another. Not only will consumers be given the tools and information they need to make better choices — they’ll be expected to do so. And there will be consequences for not doing so.
But consumer owned health care isn’t quite here yet, even though number of US Health 2.0 consumers is at 60 million. 10 million adults use their cell phones and PDA/smartphones to look up health and medical information, and “a growing number of patients are rating prescription drugs and treatments on sites like iGuard.org, DailyStrength.org, PatientsLikeMe, and WebMD.” Check out the top health web apps, Health 2.0 apps, the trends to watch in health 2.0, the latest industry stats and Health 2.0 updates by ReadWriteWeb.
We see Health 3.0 as truly personalized and highly coordinated health management services, customized diagnostics and expert advice... Just wait and see. You'll like it!
So, Long Live Health 2.0! Welcome Health 3.0! And let’s start thinking about generation 4.
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Building dynamic Web 3.0 databases

This world is too complex to be described by rigid tables. The 40-year old relational technology may be here to stay, but not to rule.

A few new data storage technologies are currently getting attention, in particular graph databases such as AllegroGraph and Neo4j that allow to “structure on the fly” by using a multi-relational graph data model.

Check this slide share presentation: Graph Databases and the Future of Large-Scale Knowledge Management, by Marko Rodriguez from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

See also this short video on key technology dimensions and a longer talk by
Franz' Jans Aasman demonstrating some capabilities of his AllegroGraph RDF graph database:
NYCSW GeoSpatial, Temporal Reasoning with AllegroGraph from Morton Swimmer on Vimeo.

More on Neo4j:
Neo4j -- graph databases presentation
View more Microsoft Word documents from emileifrem.

Aurametrix is an early phase company working on Web3.0 & Health 4.0 technologies
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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Molecular Nutrition and Dietetics

The new Spanish Cuisine Molecular Gastronomy 9Image by Marco Veringa via Flickr


Diet and food components are prime factors that affect our genes, proteins and metabolism, defining our health or disease. We are starting to understand the molecular basis of the interaction of foods with our molecules and cells. Nutrition and dietetic science are going genomic, protein and metabolic connections are getting better understood, preparing the basis for next generation dietitians and nutrition practitioners.

How to become one?

E-How lists a few steps starting from takingbiology, chemistry, mathematics, home economics and health courses in high school.

American Dietetic Association, visually explains the pathways from High School to Registered Dietitian (RD) or Dietetic Technician Registered (DTR)

To become a registered dietitian you would need to:

* Enroll in a Coordinated Program. This may be a bachelor or master's degree program that combines classroom and supervised practical experience and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. Graduates are then eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians to become credentialed as RDs, registered dietitians.
Or:
* Enroll in a Didactic Program in Dietetics academic program. This is a program, granting at
least a bachelor's degree, that is accredited or approved by CADE. After you receive your degree, you will then need to apply for and complete supervised practical experience in a CADE-accredited Dietetic Internship Program. You will then be eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians to become credentialed as a RD, registered dietitian.

There are three steps to becoming a professionally qualified dietitian in Canada - education, supervised practical experience and registration with the dietetic regulatory body (College or Association) in the province where you intend to practice

The first step is a Bachelor's degree with major credits in Foods and Nutrition from a university offering a Dietitians of Canada accredited dietetic education program or an academically equivalent program. Step 2 is successful completion of a program of supervised practical experience and step 3 is registration with the regulatory body.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies for entry level education programs in dietetics
and entry-level dietitians:
1. COMMUNICATIONS
2. PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
3. SOCIAL SCIENCES
4. RESEARCH
5. FOOD (food tech, biotech, ...)
6. NUTRITION
7. MANAGEMENT
8. HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS

Nutrigenomics, Nutriproteomics and Nutrimetabolomics links

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance

The history of Celiac sprue disease started with the description of Arataeus the Cappadocian, 250 A.D. He referred to his patients as "koiliakos," aka "suffering in the bowels." Francis Adams translated these observations from Greek to Englishin 1856, calling the patients "celiacs."

In 1888, Dr. Samuel Gee first presented a set of clinical accounts of both children and adults with Celiac Disease. September 13th is designated National Celiac Disease Awareness Day in honor of Gee’s birthday.
Dr. Willem Karel Dicke, a Dutch pediatrician, recognized in 1952 that the disease is caused by the ingestion of wheat proteins.
Heubner described celiac disease in Germany. At the beginning of the 20th century the disease was called Gee-Heubner-Herter's
Celiac disease is also called Gee-Herter disease; Gee-Thaysen disease; gluten enteropathy; gluten intolerance; Gluten-sensitive enteropathy; Huebner-Herter disease; idiopathic steatorrhea; nontropical sprue.
Samuel Gee
Dr. Samuel Gee

See the official 2009 definition

Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years. Researchers found that young people today are 4.5 times more likely to have celiac disease than young people were in the 1950s, while those whose birth years matched the Warren AFB participants were four times more likely to have celiac disease.

Celebrities with Celiac Disease:

John F. Kennedy
Joe C
Rich Gannon's
daughter Danielle
Elizabeth Hasselback
Keith Obermann
Katherine, Duchess of Kent

and
others

Check out SlideShare Presentation about this condition:
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Read Beyond Food Labels but Don't Always Trust

Food label literacy is very important for healthier lifestyles. The FDA-required Nutrition Facts is a list of calories, fat, carbohydrates, sodium and other nutrients available in one serving. It also includes a jumble of percentages, ingredients and a lot of other data confusing most consumers.
US Nutritional Fact LabelImage via Wikipedia


Read beyond the large print. While a package of Nutri-Grain Bars says, 'naturally flavored,' it also says 'artificially flavored.' 7-Up says they only use 'all-natural' flavor, when they actually use filtered water and sweeten it with high-fructose corn syrup.
Organic All Vegetable Shortening makes nutrient content claims such as "cholesterol free," "less saturated fat than butter," and "good source of … monounsaturated fat," but does not meet the legal requirements to make these claims. Organic, natural and low-fat products aren't always the healthiest choices either.
Look at the serving size and keep in mind recommended daily values for your health group. The average adult consumes 2,775 calories per day, according to the most recent USDA statistics, which is nearly 40% above the recommended amount.
Keep in mind that some of calculated calories are up to 20% higher than actual number. "Lower in calories" selections at many restaurants are not really a diet type, some of side dishes have even more calories than in the entree.

While it is very important to read all information given on the packages and be able to interpret the labels, sometimes it is more important to trust your instincts. The F.D.A. looks into ingredients to calculate calories missing food components added during preparation, allows manufacturers to print claims such as 'zero grams trans fat' on their packages, when their products contain less than half a gram of trans fat per serving. zero grams of fat, salt and sugar eventually add up.

See also:

Blog EntryRead Beyond Food Labels and Don't Always Trust what you Read
Lisa Lillien explains why you can’t always trust food labels


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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Telemedicine, Part II


Read Part I

Telehealth Monitoring Wristwatches


The first reported person to actually wear a watch on the wrist was the French mathematician and philosopher, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). With a piece of string, he attached his pocket watch to his wrist. In the late 1800s, the wrist watch was officially invented by the Swiss watch maker, Patek Phillippe. The first wristwatch for men was designed by Louis Cartier in the early 1900s. Ranging in price from less than $30 to $400 and more, a variety of real heart rate monitors are available in the market. Suunto, for example, can calculate metrics like oxygen consumption, respiratory rate and training effect. On the lower end, the Omron HR-100C is easy to use and doesn't have a lot of fancy functions to confuse novices, measuring heart rate with a chest strap and transmitting data to the wrist-mounted display. If you want more features than the basics, reviewers recommend the Polar F11 heart rate monitor. The Garmin 305 (image on the right) has an integrated GPS antenna, so unlike most heart rate monitors, it can tell how far and how fast you're going.iPhoneBloodPressure

An iPhone Blood Pressure WebApp by Bit&Becker will monitor your blood pressure over several periods of time. It will also show your Max/Min and Average Systolic, Diastolic Bloodpressure, as well as your Pulse. You can export your data in CSV (Excel) Format. Current version of Blood pressure monitoring devices has now support for extreme high and low blood pressure values. And no more google ads, to keep your blood pressure low.

Animas Corporation, which is now a Johnson & Johnson company, is no longer
longer selling the current model GlucoWatch G2 Biographer System, shown on the right. Cygnus Inc. (Redwood City, California) is already working on second and third generation products that will overcome some of limitations of this watch which include skin irritation and calibration, meaning additional finger-stick tests redone about 20% of the time.

TeleMedIS System combining the TeleMed HC Platform developed by Karolinska and Telehealth Monitoring Wristwatch (TMW) developed by Tadiran LifeCare, connected over the Wireless Network (provided by TeliaSonera Sweden), is able to measure user vital signs by using integrated biosensors. This includes 1-lead ECG, Blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2), Pulse (heart rate)

Victorian researchers have developed a wristwatch that continuously monitors the health status of people with Parkinson’s disease to help doctors manage their treatment, Victorian Minister for Innovation Gavin Jennings said in May 19th press release. The wristwatch, which is still at the prototype stage, was introduced onto the world market by Mr Jennings at BIO2009 in Atlanta, USA.


Dreamate Sleep Inducer is a non-invasive sleeping aid wristband. This watch-sized device on a strap uses acupressure techniques to “retune the biological clock and train your body to relax and sleep by massaging key acupoints on your inner wrist". The Taiwanese gadget provides a double-frequency micro-massage (via a vibration motor) to specific pulse points—termed the “Sleeping Golden Triangle” points in traditional Chinese medicine. The company says it helps in relieving stress, inducing sleep and is especially beneficial for people suffering from jet lag.

Health equipment manufacturers such as Omron Healthcare Co Ltd, Nipro Corp, and Matsushita Electric Works Ltd, all of Japan, have been announcing terminals to measure physical activity. These "life recorders" are specifically designed to make it possible to accurately measure the amount of physical activity, pulse, skin temperature and motion. They also measure external factors such as atmospheric pressure.

If you wear the GoWear fit armband during the course of your day, then log onto your personalized GoWear fit online activity manager, you’ll get information about the calories you’ve burned, plus a calorie consumption calculator and tips for how to best reach your fitness and lifestyle goals. GoWear fit also measures sleep duration and efficiency – so that you can begin to understand the influence your bedtime has on your overall health
The Watch without a FaceAnd if you do not want the world to know what exactly you are measuring, consider design suggested by Hironao Tsuboi for an LED watch. It looks like just a metal band. Push a button, and you get the time or what you'd like to get. Don't push the button: no numbers, no curves, no pie charts. Very simple.



See also Devices To Keep you Healthy

Aurametrix is working on tools to help you evaluate your personal health risks and benefits and make the right choices.
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Monday, May 18, 2009

Transforming Healthcare: The Innovator's Prescription

I enjoyed reading "The Innovator’s Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Healthcare" book by Clayton M. Christensen, Jerome H. Grossman and Jason Hwang, McGraw-Hill books, 2009.

I too think that Healthcare business model should be changed. The reform should focus on this to improve the quality of care and create a different culture among health care professionals.

The authors call for speeding up the process of building new health care models by allowing the market to work its magic: from ‘simplifying technologies’ to new networks and ‘value networks’.

Check out Clayton Christensen's SlideShare Presentation.

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Skin and Food Allergy

Mirrored from Aurametrix blog

Skin rash does not imply a specific disease or condition and can be due to many different causes. One of them is food allergy.
The most common triggers of a skin reaction are milk, eggs, peanut, wheat, gluten, soy, fish, shellfish, nuts and sesame seeds. I mentioned it in my blog When Food is the Enemy.
These pictures are from articles on Food Allergy (left) and Celiac Disease (right). As you see, it's hard to tell what the reason is without knowing the complete history and diet habits. Dermatitis herpetiformis is an intensely itchy, blistering skin rash that affects 15% to 25% of people with celiac disease If you suspect celiac, replace your wheat, barley and rye cereal with grits, rice, buckwheat or other gluten-free cereal. Check if your toothpaste, mouthwash and other personal care products have gluten and replace them too.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common symptoms of cow's milk allergy or intolerance. The prevalence of occupational asthma due to handling of see food products ranges from 7% to 36%, and for occupational seafood protein contact dermatitis, from 3% to 11%
Recent clinical experience suggests that there has been an increase in adult patients who report an allergic reaction 3-6 hours after eating red meat.


See also

Friday, May 15, 2009

Healthy Eating Rules



  • Know your diet dangers - your allergies and intolerances and bad eating habits
  • Know what's best for your body - e.g. do carbs make you fatigued?
  • Eat breakfast within one hour of rising
  • Eat 5-6 Smaller Meals Per Day
  • Chew each mouthful 20-25 times
  • Be "conscious" when eating - you could eat more when watching TV or reading
  • Don't eat too much or too little of any particular food
  • Cut on American staples: Red meat, refined grains, potatoes
  • Cut down on sodium - fast food, prepackaged dishes, soups have more salt than

    Fresh vegetables are common in a healthy diet.Image via Wikipedia

    you need
  • Watch calories, bad fats, sugar
  • Get enough fruits and vegetables, all essential nutrients
  • Don't skip meals
  • Eat enough to keep your metabolism going
  • Listen to your body: do not overeat or eat when you do not need to
  • Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime

Other Articles:
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Friday, May 8, 2009

Stress 2009

The health of the nation has declined mostly because of stress caused by job losses, money worries or increased workload. According to recent US and UK studies, more people are losing sleep, take antidepressants and live unhealthy lifestyles.

Mental stress spirals with economy, and costs economy.

A study by Harvard Public School published in the May 8 issue of Demography analyzed U.S. data on a wide range of occupations: managerial and professional positions; sales, clerical and craft jobs; machine operator jobs; and service positions.The likelihood of reporting fair or poor health increased by 54 percent among those who lost a job through workplace closure (similar across all occupations and positions). The odds of developing a new health condition rose by 83 percent among those who had no preexisting health problems. Job loss due to lay-offs, being fired or voluntary resignation more than doubled the likelihood of reporting fair or poor health among blue collar workers, but it had no effect on the health status of white collar workers.
Losing a job can lead not just to financial hardships but to health problems as well, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Americans worry and struggle as economy worsens

“Where and how we live, work, learn and play have a greater impact on how healthy we are than the health care we receive,” David R. Williams, staff director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America and a Harvard professor, said in a news release.

Economy keeping many up at night. According to the 2009 Sleep in America poll by the National Sleep Foundation, out today, more than a quarter (27%) of Americans are losing sleep over financial worries.Young adults use more sleep aids, women are using more antidepressants & less estrogen.

Job stress can affect a person’s health as bad as smoking or a sedentary lifestyle can.

According to UK Insurance Daily News, the percentage of respondents admitting to being under a significant amount of stress increased from 38% to 40%.

Half of those surveyed agreed that stress is affecting their personal lives and 41% revealed that money worries were at the root of the condition, while 22% blamed an increased workload.

The problems of increased stress are exacerbated by a lack of exercise. According to PruHealth, the number of people reporting that they never exercise has increased from 11% to 14%, with more than a quarter (28%) of adults blaming work commitments.

Unemployment Rate Rises as Pace of Layoffs Slows. But hopefully the worst days are behind. Job stress has severe consequences, for us all and for the economy. Scotland's mental health improvement plan was launched today indicating that an understanding of the importance of protecting a person's own mental health could be key to reducing health problems. How people deal with stress greatly affects their well-being.

Stress can affect nearly every part of your body. So plump up your pillows, get more sleep, exercise and stop worrying.

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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Telemedicine 2.0, part 1


by Aurametrix

The term telemedicine was coined in the 1970s by Thomas Bird. The origins of this technology date back to smoke signals in ancient times. Earliest electroni devices included STARPAHC - a van staffed by two paramedics with a variety of medical instruments including electrocardiograph and x-ray. ATS-1, the first Applied Technology Satellite was in use in 1971-1975 to provide rural health care in Alaska. Minimal television system for remote diagnosis was developed in early 70s. Applications of telemedicine in early 2000s included remote consultation and diagnosis, specialty clinical care (anesthesia, dermatology, dentistry, cardiology, psychiatry, radiology, critical care, oncology, etc), patient education, home monitoring, and continuing education.
The health care cost is rising each year, it's already 16%-17% of the GDP. Wide utilization of wireless communications can reduce the health care cost by billions of dollars on an annual basis. Here are some examples of new developments.
Cisco HealthPresence combines state-of-the-art video, audio, and medical information to create an environment similar to what most people experience when they visit their doctor or health specialist. First Cisco HealthPresence booth was installed in January 2008.

Another California company, CardioNet provides the next-generation ambulatory cardiac monitoring service with beat-to-beat, real time analysis, automatic arrhythmia detection and wireless ECG transmission.

A startup in Redwood city, CA, works on
ingestible technology: microchip-enabled medications that provide patients with valuable information to customize their therapy. Proteus’s implantable ChipSkin™ technology adds tiny active electronics to devices that use electrical energy to deliver therapy inside the body. Similar technologies are being proposed (like a medication reminder watch by a UCLA student and the MedTracker device) or developed.

If you experience unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding, anemia or GERD, you may be tested by capsule endoscopy with PillCam® family of products from Given Imaging. Vitamin-sized capsules with miniature video cameras inside will send pictures of your GI tract to a computer for your doctor to review. For GERD diagnosis, BRAVO pH monitoring system could be most useful.
Swallowable devices such Radio pill tocan monitor players temperature . Researchers are planning larger volunteer testing events this year.

This gadget is displaying your identification card, if you need it, Wireless Smart Badge, but is also a Bluetooth headset device and has the features of other wireless headsets. With up to 40 hours of talk time on a full charge, the Smart Badge by Iqua is easy to carry and use, is stylish and smart. Its standby time is up to 600 hours, it vibrates to alert incoming calls silently during meetings and allows 3-way conference calls.
It also has LED lights displaying Bluetooth connection, call status, and low battery indication. With supporting cell phones, this badge also allows for voice activated dialing. For full features and specification, you may find the Pdf of the product brochure here.

To be continued.

Aurametrix is working on tools to help you evaluate your personal health risks and benefits and make the right choices.



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IBS Resources

Mirrored from Aurametrix

IBS is a disorder of heterogeneous pathophysiology for which there are no good diagnostic tests nor effective treatments (online study on unmet needs conducted by IFFGD and UNC). Existing tests are performed to exclude diseases such as IBD, colorectal cancer, diseases associated with malabsorption, systemic hormonal disturbances, and enteric infections.
Routine serologic screening for celiac sprue in patients with IBS-D or IBS-M may be useful.
Lactose intolerance can cause IBS-D, intolerances to other food groups such as

Percentage of population with IBS reported in ...Image via Wikipedia

fructose could be also implicated. Problems with serotonin signaling, or the transmission of messages between the nerves, can lead to IBS-C

The guidelines, issued by the American College of Gastroenterology were published in the January2009 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Most IBS treatments relieve symptoms rather than resolve the condition itself.

The new guidelines encompass existing evidence on conventional treatments for IBS as well as new therapies (probiotics, for example) and alternative therapies (acupuncture and more).

Fiber products -- including psyllium, anti-spasmodic medications and peppermint oil -- may be effective in some people. "The evidence is poor, but some patients say they feel better,"

More data is needed on probiotics, live microorganisms (usually bacteria) similar to the "good" organisms found normally in the gut. The dichotomous data suggest that all probiotic
therapies have a trend for being efficacious in IBS, whereas the
continuous data indicate that Lactobacilli have no impact on
symptoms; probiotic combinations improve symptoms; and
there is a trend for Bi fidobacteria to improve IBS symptoms.Researchers and practitioners still need to figure out the species of bacteria used, how many species, and dosages.

Non-absorbable antibiotics -- those targeted to the gut only, such as rifaximin (Xifaxan) -- also seem to help some people, especially those who have "diarrhea-predominant IBS."

Selective C-2 chloride channel activators, notably lubiprostone (Amitiza), are effective for "constipation-predominant IBS."
5HT 3 antagonists such as alosetron (Lotronex) relieve symptoms of diarrhea but can cause constipation and colon ischemia, a restriction of blood flow.
5HT 4 agonists, though effective against constipation, are not available in North America because of a heightened risk of cardiovascular problems.

There is yet to be conclusive evidence on Chinese herbal mixtures, and the mixtures run the risk of causing liver failure and other problems. Differences in the content of compounds and the purity of ingredients complicate evaluation of benefits.

Similarly, the evidence on acupuncture remains inconclusive.

There is no evidence at this point that testing for food allergies or following diets that exclude certain foods alleviates IBS symptoms.

Routine diagnostic testing for IBS is not recommended, although some testing should be performed in certain subgroups of patients.

More about IBS at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases site.


To ease IBS with diarrhea, avoid fried foods, too much fiber, especially insoluble such as apple skins, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, carbonated drinks, the artificial sweetener sorbitol (found in sugarless gum and mints), and fructose (the simple sugar found in honey and many fruits). These can worsen diarrhea symptoms. Drink six to eight glasses of plain water a day - not with meals, but an hour before or an hour after meals. Avoid drinking hot teas.

To ease IBS with constipation, drink water and exclude beverages as suggested above. Eat small frequent meals and be careful with fiber. Soluble is better at reducing severety of symptoms, as was shown in this 2005-2007 clinical trial, but all types of fiber could potentially worsen the syndrome. You may also want to exclude broccoli and other dark green vegetables from your diet. Keep an IBS symptom journal, it would help you and your doctor to find what foods and situations trigger your IBS symptoms.

Not Censored IBS Diet Links:

More Links:


International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) sites:
Chronic Constipation aboutConstipation.org
Acid Reflux Disease (GERD) aboutGERD.org
Motility Disorders aboutGImotility.org
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) aboutIBS.org
IAMIBS.org
Incontinence or Urgency aboutIncontinence.org
Digestive Disorders in Kids
and Teens
aboutKidsGI.org
Digestive Health Research giResearch.org
Participate in IBS survey


Aurametrix is an early phase company working on better tools for a healthier world.


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