NEW YEAR - Shift to a 'Healthy Lifestyle'

The first thing is to eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of fiber, unless your complaint is excess gas. Eat smaller meals and drink sufficient liquids. Reduce caffeine, eliminate tobacco, and alcohol. And stay away from foods and medications that seem to upset your stomach.
Stress is a leading cause of many of these disorders, and reducing it can help you find relief not only from these gastrointestinal symptoms, but in many other ways as well.

Try to relax. If you can’t do it on your own, try tapes, books, or videos, or seek help from a therapist trained in stress reduction and relaxation therapies.

Exercise is a good tonic for the gut as well as for the mind. A regular exercise program under your doctor’s supervision may be just the trick for turning that sensitive gut around. Don’t eat foods that seem to be unripe or spoiled.

When traveling, drink only bottled water and skip the street vendors. You’ll cut down on your chances of getting traveler’s diarrhea. The GI tract doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Problems in other parts of the body, including the mind, can have a profound impact on the gut.

Live as healthy a lifestyle as possible, in body and mind alike. Though you may still need to consult a doctor from time to time, following the approaches outlined in this report can help make such visits less frequent.

The following are practical strategies to help you live with a functional gastrointestinal disorder. To apply these strategies to your specific condition, see the sections describing individual gastrointestinal disorders in this report.

1. Use a diary to help identify factors that bring on symptoms.
2. Consider dietary changes that may improve your symptoms.
3. Learn stress management or relaxation techniques.(Not attended our workshops? Attend it)
4. Begin a regular exercise program.
5. Consult with your physician about the use of drug therapy for your condition.