Ayurveda for IBS in San Ramon

Cramping that comes and goes, a bowel that swings between loose and hard, and a gut that reacts to stress or to foods you used to tolerate: people with IBS often arrive tired of guessing. Preeti Gupta at Minute Wonder Ayurveda in San Ramon looks at the wider pattern around the diagnosis, while your physician keeps the diagnosis itself.

Preeti does not diagnose pathological conditions from a Western perspective, so her work sits alongside the care of your physician and never replaces it.

What Ayurveda looks at

Ayurveda does not use the label IBS. It asks which dosha is leading, how steady agni is, and what sets your gut off. Preeti looks at:

• Triggers you notice: particular foods, skipped meals, travel, poor sleep or a stressful week.

• Whether your pattern runs dry and irregular, hot and urgent, or heavy and slow, the three patterns in the digestion check.

• Daily rhythm and how calm your meals are, since a gut under strain often reacts to speed and worry.

What a First Visit covers

A First Visit is 90 minutes ($250). Preeti reviews your daily routine, diet, digestion, exercise and sleep, using a health history, pulse analysis and tongue diagnosis. For IBS, expect time on:

• Your physician's diagnosis, any tests you have had, and every medicine and supplement you take.

• A food and symptom diary with times, going back as far as you can.

• One or two changes to begin with, so that you can tell what makes a difference.

You leave with a written diet, herbal and lifestyle plan. Follow-ups are $125 for 60 minutes. See pricing.

What you can start this week

Two mild options from her recipe pages:

• Takra, digestive buttermilk. Her page describes takra, spiced buttermilk, as traditionally used to support digestion. Avoid it with lactose intolerance or a dairy allergy.

• Mung bean dal. A soft, well-cooked bowl with ghee and cumin. Her page says mung beans are easy to digest this way.

See your physician first if

• Blood in the stool, black stools, fever, or diarrhea that wakes you at night.

• Unplanned weight loss or anemia.

• A family history of bowel disease or bowel cancer, or symptoms that began after 50. Tell your physician.

Common questions about IBS

Does Preeti diagnose IBS?

No. IBS is diagnosed by a physician, usually after other conditions are ruled out. Preeti works with the diagnosis you have and looks at food, rhythm and stress around it.

Can I keep taking my IBS medication?

Yes. Keep taking what your physician prescribed and tell Preeti about all of it. She plans diet and herbs around your medicines and does not change them.

How long before I notice a difference?

It varies. Many clients report feeling a difference within the first few weeks of following their plan, and lasting change usually comes over months. A symptom diary shows progress that is easy to miss day to day.

Ayurveda is a traditional system of wellness and is not a substitute for medical care. Content here is educational. Please consult your physician about any medical condition. Preeti Gupta is not licensed by the State of California as a healing arts practitioner; Ayurvedic services are complementary to the care of licensed providers.