Today I have an exciting surprise for you – an interview with a practicing New York gastroenterologist, Dr Miechelle O’Brien M.D, Ph.D, who has a special interest in functional gastrointestinal disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is such an informative talk from someone who uses the low Fodmap diet in her treatment of her clients with IBS. She even shares the exactly process that she leads her clients through on their journey to a life predominantly free of IBS symptoms. And if that is not enough, Miechelle recently started a food company to make low Fodmap foods for her patients with IBS when they occasionally need something quick to eat without having to cook or bake. As I mentioned last week, Miechelle was kind enough to send me a box of her snack bars and I can assure you they are not only delicious but more importantly that I had no gut issues whatsoever after eating them.
Anyway, let’s dive straight into the interview so you can hear from this delightful lady herself.
You can find Miechelle’s website here: https://trueselffoods.com with her snack bars on this page: https://shop.trueselffoods.com.
Thank you for posting this! I am learning about the microbiome too. I think eventually we will be able to pinpoint at the cellular level what foods our bodies will react to best and metabolize most efficiently.
I, too, am enjoying improved mental and emotional health…not just because of the reduced bathroom uncertainty but because the brain is working better and I am sleeping better. Treating the bad bacteria and inflammation will take time along with more diet changes but I am already seeing so many improvements. Can’t wait to see how things will look in another 6 months. So glad there is hope for IBS. Functional medicine and diet has done much more for me than traditional medicine approaches. Thanks for the interview.
The study of the microbiome is fascinating but so young right now. Maybe in 20 years we will see some advances that can help those of us with IBS. However, if you have inflammation, then you have IBD and not IBS. Those with IBS don’t have any inflammation. That’s why we pass all tests.
Everyone with IBS should be tested for SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) because there is a huge correlation. Keeping track of our FODMAP intake has greatly reduced our symptoms. Thank you for sharing this information!
The problem is that there is no real test for SIBO since the hydrogen breath test is notoriously inaccurate. The best thing is to try the low Fodmap diet and if it works then you don’t have SIBO. If it doesn’t then SIBO is one of several possibilities.
I love that she said that as her clients started to have improvements, that despite her initial hesitation about low fodmap diet, that she realised that she was essentially duty bound to educate herself as much as possible about it. If only all medical types were as a open to change and new ideas, instead of stuck in the old ways or what they were taught at university or in the text book.
She is a remarkable doctor and puts her patients’ needs first. We need people like her in the medical profession.