Customer Reviews

Freedom from Digestive Distress: Medicine-Free Relief from Heartburn, Gas, Bloating, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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It is great to find a book by a practicing gastroenterologist who promotes a medicine-free healing plan! Gitnick's book reminds us all of the importance of a complete healing program, including exercise, stress reduction, positive attitude, eating those foods which don't bother us, and seeking support from others. The author discusses scenarios when it may be necessary to combine medicine with these success factors and how they can work together to promote healing. This book contains many case studies and patient anecdotes, and is written in a positive, uplifting way. The book may draw criticism in that is does not dictate specific solutions or provide explicit answers; instead, it gives the reader information and tools (like a suggested food journal) which the reader can use to answer their own questions.

I found the book very helpful. I don't think there are easy answers to digestive problems because there are so many factors affecting each person at once. The author shows you how to keep a food journal (which my doctor has been telling me to do for years) which not only has columns for what you ate or drank, but also what else you were doing, who was with you, where you were and how you were feeling, because your digestive problems can be a combination of what you eat, how stressed out you are, how rushed you are, etc. I found a lot of useful information in the book, but it still comes down to the fact that you have to make the effort to find your personal digestive problems and solutions.

His recommendations are probably helpful for digestive distress. But he constantly emphasizes a low-fat diet, without addressing how this adversely affects the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and the long-term impact of not having enough of these vitamins. He doesn't address good fats (omega-3) vs. the bad ones (omega-6 and others). He demonizes fats, because they delay emptying of the stomach, but doesn't consider their role in providing a feeling of satiety so we don't get hungry so soon.

He uses the term "gas" and never differentiates between gas coming from the mouth (belching, originating in the stomach) and gas coming from the other end (flatulence, originating in the small intestine or colon).

He lists the many foods that relax the lower esophageal sphincter, which if not tightly closed allows the upward flow of stomach contents into the esophagus. But in the case of GERD and heartburn there must also be something in the stomach that creates enough pressure to propel the contents upward past the sphincter. He only considers excess stomach acid as the problem; in cases where avoiding acid foods doesn't do the trick, he suggests using an acid inhibitor, which in turn slows or prevents absorption of some minerals. But may doctors say the problem is too little stomach acid, especially in older people, which causes food to putrefy in the stomach and this is what creates the gas needed to propel the contents upward.

He offers suggestions for customizing the USDA's food pyramid based on your particular food sensitivities. The problem is that the USDA`s pyramid is nothing more than pandering to various food lobbying groups, not the biological needs of all humans. Would such a pyramid in Japan or China be so oriented toward grains instead of rice? There is really no need in humans for dairy products derived from milk intended to fatten calves.

He's not a fan of alternative approaches because they are not regulated by the FDA, and contents are not consistent. I see that as a plus, because FDA-approved drugs kill over 106,000 people in the US every year, even when properly administered exactly as the doctor prescribed. (JAMA, July 26, 2000. [...])

He offers good tips to motivate people to exercise and manage the stresses that contribute to digestive problems.

You can buy a used copy from amazon for one cent, plus $3.99 shipping, or simply go to your local library and read it for free.

Well intentioned but regrettably lacking in any real practical advise for those of us who suffer from this very dibilatating syndrome, "Freedom from Digestive Distress : Medicine-Free Relief from Heartburn, Gas, Bloating, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome" was a disappointing read. There is virtually no information on dealing with the embarrassing and often painful situations that are a part of our daily lives. I was looking for answers and got very few: What is the best approach for avoiding problems in a crowded movie theatre after a Mexican dinner? How does one excuse oneself from a staff meeting without arousing suspicions? What is the best way to avoid blame for unpleasant odors in an elevator or a car? How do I explain to my children that "Mommy's gas is involuntary"? How will they learn that passing wind at the dinner table is NOT a joke? These questions are left unanswered, and the reader is left feeling bloated.