When you live with a chronic illness like IBS or Crohn’s, support from a friend can mean the world to you. But sometimes friends don’t always know the right things to say.

That’s why we’ve put together this list of five things not to say to people with IBS or Crohn’s disease (as well as some alternative approaches). It’s meant to be shared with friends, loved ones, and anyone touched by IBS or Crohn’s, for a better handle on approaching illness.

Gums are common additives, with ingredients such as xanthan gum, guar gum and carrageenan acting as thickening, stabilizing and emulsifying agents.

But recently, these gums have been used more extensively in non-diet and diet foods alike. They are especially common in foods marketed to people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity: in short, people who want gluten-free foods.

In my past two blog posts, I talked about my struggle with digestive issues, and detailed how finding the right health care practitioners and dietary supplements led to a complete turnaround in my health.

Since following the recommendations of my holistic doctor and my nutritionist, I am stomach pain-free, and almost just as important, worry-free!

This is the first blog in a three-part series about my struggle with digestive issues, and how an all-natural supplement gave me much-needed relief.

It was my 51^st birthday, and I was vacationing in St. Croix with my husband and another couple. We went out for a lovely dinner – but I had no idea it would also be the start of debilitating stomach issues that would affect my life, on and off, for the next five years.

For a few years in the early 2000s, one of the most popular shows on television was House, a drama about a brilliant, abrasive doctor who solved medical mysteries.

People who live with conditions like IBS know that reaching a diagnosis for digestive issues isn’t something that can be wrapped up in an hour.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a persistent, recurring illness, which means you’ll need to form a long-term relationship with a knowledgeable, empathetic doctor.

Here’s how you and your physician can work together to make the process of reaching a diagnosis for digestive issues less frustrating.