Since 2016, irritable bowel syndrome has been defined by a grouping of primary symptoms and no longer requires invasive testing for diagnosis. Abdominal pain related to bowel movements or relieved by having a bowel movement is the primary symptom of this functional gastrointestinal disorder. Through expanding appreciation of functional gastrointestinal disorders and the increasing understanding of gastrointestinal tract-brain interactions, a growing body of research is discussing the symptom overlap between IBS and histamine intolerance, as well as other issues of histamine metabolism and related neuroimmune regulation in the pathophysiology of IBS. Visceral hypersensitivity, exacerbated by increased histamine levels, may disrupt the intricate signaling between the central nervous system and enteric nervous system. This case report illustrates the use of supplemental diamine oxidase combined with trigger food avoidance to nearly completely abate IBS symptoms in a 46-year-old Japanese American female.
Background:Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage is common among cancer survivors, but comprehensive information on their use is limited. Objective:To provide a detailed description of CAM use in cancer survivors before they participated in a multimodal lifestyle intervention. Methods/Design:A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 104 cancer survivors (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer), and a subgroup of 46 breast cancer participants, aged ≥18 years. Participants completed online questionnaires on CAM utilization before participating in the intervention. Data were summarized using mean ± standard deviation and median [interquartile range (IQR)] for continuous variables, and frequencies for categorical measures. Setting:The United States, Australia, Canada, Kuwait, New Zealand, and South Africa. Primary Outcome Measures:Prevalence of CAM use. Results:Participants were predominantly women (89%), Non-Hispanic White (79%), and US residents (88%). Median age (IQR) was 56 (50-65) years, and 44% had breast cancer. The majority of the participants (94%) used CAM with modality-specific use as follows: mind-body medicine, 85%; biologically-based approaches, 67%; whole medical systems, 48%; manipulative and body-based techniques, 31%; and energy healing practices, 29%. Eighty participants (77%) used both conventional treatments and CAM. Relaxation techniques were the most common mind-body interventions (78%). Dietary supplements were the main biologically-based approaches used (66%). Acupuncture was the predominant whole medical intervention employed (47%). Chiropractic manipulation was the most utilized manipulative and body-based practice (18%), and Reiki, the major energy medicine (27%). On average, participants reported using 3.1 ± 1.6 types of CAM therapies (range: 1-6). Breast cancer participants had comparable characteristics and CAM usage. Conclusion:This study provides a comprehensive description of CAM use in cancer survivors before participating in a multimodal lifestyle intervention. The approaches were complementary rather than an alternative to conventional medicine.
