Was I ever really lactose intolerant or was it just IBS?

by Jeff from IBS Formula

When I was In middle school, my older brother thought he was lactose intolerant. Usual suspects like yogurt, lasagna, pizza, ice cream, and cereal with milk used to upset his stomach. Just like him, these things always seemed to be the culprit of my horrible digestive problems as well.  This was the 1980s and a product called Lact-Aid was newly available.  Back then it came in a liquid form in a sort of eye dropper style tube.

It contained an enzyme called lactase. Most people's digestive tract's naturally create and release lactase which breaks the complex sugar lactose into the more simple sugars galactose and glucose, which then are absorbed and enter the blood stream as energy.  If one's body doesn't produce enough lactase naturally, that person is said to be lactose intolerant. When someone with this condition eats cow's milk based foods, the indigestible lactase wreaks havoc on their system and usually produces excess gas and urgent diarrhea. 

By adding a few drops of Lact-Aid to anything he ate containing a dairy base, my brother could now digest and enjoy his favorites without suffering the consequences. After hearing his success stories, I started using Lact-Aid myself. I used it for years, all the way through college but unfortunately saw very limited results at best. Frustrated, I eventually cut out all dairy products from my diet but still was plagued with horrible chronic diarrhea and gas just the same.

Looking back, I now know that I was just suffering from really bad IBS symptoms the whole time. Gastroenterologists visits, probiotics, and low FODMAP restrictive dieting did nothing to cure my IBS. After researching and combining the ingredients that are now in my IBS Formula, I was able to experience an almost complete reprieve from any irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.