Hi All, I have a problem that Is going to require a lot of advice especially from Jini and Nicole. Around three years ago I had an operation to remove 20cm of large and 30cm of small bowel due to bad absessess. I was then diagnosed with Crohn's. After a lot of trial and error on different drugs I have finally found one, 6-MP which I have been on for 4 months, ( & I have been on Mesasal for 3 years) that has kept me in remission (thank God!!!) But now that things have settled on the Crohn's side of things I have found I have another problem. I'm relatively cramp free for most part of the day until I have a bowel Motion. Straight after I have a bowel motion I get very crampy and feel the need for hours to go to the tiolet agian. Once I go a few times to the toilet I feel a little better. My Gastro has told me that once I go to the toilet my bowels start to spasm and dont switch off after I finish my B/M as it does with normal people. I have tried to take Slippery Elm, Camomille, Licorice etc after my initial B/M but they have made my spasm's/ Cramps worse. I need to know if there something I can take that will stop or slow down the spasm's and cramps after my B/M. Thanx so much

Hi, crampygut,

Here is an excerpt from Jini's new e-book, Listen to Your IBS, which may be of interest to you:

Enteric-coated peppermint oil has been shown in clinical trials to relax the bowel and prevent spasming and cramping. However, since it is a muscle-relaxant, you must consume it only in pills that are enteric coated (prevents them from dissolving in the stomach), otherwise you risk it relaxing your esophageal valve and causing heartburn. Peppermint oil (Mentha piperita) reduced pain in 75 percent of children
with IBS, according to a 2001 double-blind, placebo-controlled study in the Journal of Pediatrics. In addition, three double-blind trials on adults with IBS, found that enteric-coated peppermint oil reduced the pain associated with intestinal spasms.(5) However, keep in mind that though peppermint oil is a useful treatment for symptoms of spastic colon, it does not address the root cause. For that you need probiotics, emotional healing, and stress management techniques.

Spasming can also be caused by infection (as is also the case with abcesses). So in that case, Jini's Wild Oregano Oil Protocol would be a part of healing the root cause.

As always, read up on things, connect with yourself and go with the things you get a sense or feel of "rightness" about at the pace that feels right for you.

And if you don't already have Listen to Your Gut, believe me, it's well worth the price! There's a wealth of information in it and it's so nice to be able to have it on hand to refer to whenever you need to.....

I hope this helps,
Nicole