Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lprice001]

I rarely drink because alcohol does irritate it. I don't really eat a lot of pepper paste either. (For some reason it comes across as most people assume that is what everyone is doing--heavily drinking and laying into spicy foods and pepper paste.) I have learned over the years what foods trigger it, but food is different over here, so making adjustments is rather tricky.
Thanks for the web site. Glad to know they ship over here.

[lprice001]

Calicoe, you are right in that IBS is often used as a misdiagnosis for many things. My uncle had something akin to IBS, and well, he died of bowel cancer. Hmm....

[blakely]

interesting take nevertheless

[calicoe]

Yeah, I feel really bad for the OP's friend, and anyone else suffering from that kind of pain, because I've been there.

But, I really don't feel like getting into ego wars, and I can't honestly recommend things that are like a band-aid (doc's prescription or over-the-counter drugs, and/or natural remedies like peppermint oil, aloe vera juice).

The only thing I can tell you is that I suffered from this too, and when I removed wheat, casein and other glutens, I became a healthy person again, free of pain. Of course, chillies irritate many people, not just IBS, and for me it is the food combinatiions that can also feel nuclear here (the chillie, alcohol, and hidden wheat in gochuchang when I first arrived literally felt like a thermo-nuclear explosion in my stomach).

Now, I cook almost all of my own food, and I steer clear of most Korean food because it almost all contains hidden wheat and additives: soy sauce (fermented with wheat), gochuchang (wheat additives), rice cakes and other "rice" products dusted with wheat flour, chillie past - an irritant, etc.

Anyway, I don't want to fight, because that adds more stress and that's bad for health. I just wish everyone a healthy and pain-free gut and GI tract, because that is where the majority of diseases start.

Here are some links that are both IBS and CD related, with other interesting information on the importance of tight intercellular junctions of the small intestine. I've already bought EPA and gamma linolenic acid, glucosamine, a gluten-free supplement with zinc and magnesium (which are essential for a healthy bowel), eat plenty of bananas for potassium and fiber, and will definitely be buying fennel and nutmeg this weekend.

http://glutenfreeworks.com/gluten-disorders/gluten-sensitivity/

http://glutenfreeworks.com/blog/category/celiac-disease/celiac-disease-symptoms/irritable-bowel-syndrome-celiac-disease-symptoms-celiac-disease/

http://www.aviva.ca/article.asp?articleid=85

[blakely]

hey calicoe thanks for the post, let me know out of the said above which one you would recommend buying first and foremost, thanks sorry i just have no clue about any of this stuff

[calicoe]

I really can't "recommend" because I'm not a health professional, but I can only tell you what has worked for me by listening to MY body, and ironically, NOT the health professionals, lol.

As I said, removing wheat and casein have been the holy grail, and later I found that chillies also activate a reaction as well. My symptoms are not just the GI tract, but an auto-immune response that affects every organ in my body.

Your friend needs to listen to her body, and figure out what is triggering it, and remove it immediately. In the meantime, she should consider some common associations for IBS, as I posted. There are also some herbs that can help her get the spasms under control, and then she will have to remove the triggers, whatever they may be. And as I posted previously, there are supplements that are essential to maintaining healthy bowel health. They all work together, so I can't recommend just one.

It has been expensive, but nothing is more worth it than good health.

If your friend wants, he or she can PM me.

[b0101]

My mom was diagnosed with IBS in America the dr. wanted to put her on a bunch on pills to somehow help or correct the problem. She decided to go to a natural health wellness consultant as she's not big on medication. The consultant suggested cutting out gluten (as others have mentioned). My mom felt so much better after doing that and the IBS disappeared.

It's a bit more difficult in Korea, just because many Western stores carry gluten-free products and here they're more difficult to find or you just have to avoid certain foods. But I would suggest cutting out gluten as a first step and see if that improves things. Can't hurt....but may help.

Good luck.

[SCAshley]

Just my 2 cents...my HMO doctor thought I had IBS and was going to start me on some meds for that, but then I went to a homeopathic nutritionist who suggested I cut out gluten and sugar. Slowly but surely I'm feeling a lot better. I think a fiber supplement (personally I use psyllium hull powder) has been key for me-it's important to help clean out your liver/bowel on a regular basis. I'm getting ready to head over to Korea in about a week and am bringing a supply of my supplements with me, as well as some rice/potatoe/etc flours to bake with. Does anyone know if these type of flours can be found in local stores? I can post the other supplements I take later if anyone is interested, I would just need to go take inventory-there's quite a few!

[calicoe]

Yes, you can find potato and even pumpkin flour here. I haven't seen any 100% buckwheat, but it is most likely here, but harder to find. But, you need to buy your flour in a food co-op or specialty store because many of the ordinary flours are mixed with wheat.

Be prepared to basically cook almost everything for yourself, because gluten is in EVERYTHING here.

Things I miss:

an oven (you can either rent an apartment with an oven, or maybe buy a small convection oven off of G-Market or somewhere else; I am considering this option; I REALLY miss gluten-free cookies and cakes (hence, the oven thing).

proper supplements - definitely bring those

gluten-free soy sauce and other sauces - at least you can bring it with you for sushi, or if you get to know your particular local restaurant, they can make things with your sauce.

PASTA - gosh, I miss good gluten-free pasta But, I use the wide, Vietnamese rice noodles for now.

Ice cream - if you are dairy-intolerant like me, maybe bring an ice cream maker lol. I'm not joking - they are discontinuing and phasing out the "So Delicious" soy ice cream line here. They said it "didn't work for Korea." Well, if you serve cow's milk with frappes in a soy ice cream cafe ....

And, drop us a note when you arrive. If more gluten-free people here start getting together and asking for things at Costco or the large department stores, they will start to understand that there is a demand and may start stocking it.

[kardisa]

I wonder if this is what's been causing me to have periodic yet excruciating abdominal pain. It only happens after I eat, but I haven't been able to identify whether or not it's a particular food source. It's definitely not a problem I had before I came to Korea though.

[GB]

Not sure if people want to take medication but if you suffer from symptoms and also diarrhea, then go to the pharmacy and ask for SMECTA. It is an anti-diarrhea medicine and works well for me.

[SCAshley]

Activated charcoal capsules (if you can find 'em) work wonders for upset stomach/dysentery-absorbs all the nastiness...

[enchoo]

Hey one of the main remedies is BULK FIBER. Do you get the feeling of a full stomach eventhough you did not eat anything? I know exactly what this feels like. "*beep*"

The problem is that BULK FIBER like metamucil or Konsyl is quite expensive in KOREAN pharmacies between 15-20,000. You might need connections with the PX/BX/ or maybe COSTCO. Please PM me if you need more details about dealing with this dilemma at nycsciteach at yahoo

I was diagnosed this from my PCP in NYC and he says you will need to stay on BULK FIBER for the rest of your life to promote regularity of BM. Just have to suck it up and try different BULK FIBER regimens.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Psyllium and flax work wonders. I never had any issues before moving here, but the typical Korean diet lacks fiber. Up the veggie intake, and give up the white rice. I only use black barley (and sometimes brown rice, though not often), buy whole grain bread from a special bakery, and eat a lot of fresh produce.

I don't have grain or dairy allergies, however. I try to use goat milk instead of cow milk, though. The body tends to digest the former better.

Not eating chili pepper is an obvious step. If it burns going in, it'll burn coming out.

[crossmr]

I've had IBS for 16-17 years. However, I find it's actually better in Korea. I take significantly less stomach medicine here than I did back home.
There is medicine out there if you need it though.
You can get various stomach remedies. Get a prescription for arestal for when it just goes nuts on you (anti diarrhea). Get one of the various anti-gas in a bottle medicines.
There is an antacid called Almagel and an anti-nausea medicine called Vomilong

The one thing Korea does lack seems to be a general catch all stomach medicine like Pepto Bismol. If you ever do a visa run to japan though there is one you can pick up there, it's a chewable tablet.
The only english on the package is on the back and it says "Medicine for intestinal disorders" on the front is a drawing of a pair of white gloved hands touching a bare stomach.

The biggest problem with IBS is that treatment effectiveness varies greatly from person to person. Fiber might work for one person and not really do anything for someone else. Anti-anxiety drugs might help one person and not help a ton more (I read something that suggested they only help like 8% of people)

all you can do is keep trying things and keep lots of symptom treaters on-hand for the inevitable flare-up.