Hello
I’ve just started phase 1 of rebooting my biome, in the hope it will make a difference to my IBS. I’m a week in and my symptoms today are worse – I’m bloated, almost feels swollen, and in pain. Has anyone else experienced this as an initial detox?

‘Detoxing’ is not a recognised medical phenomenon, it comes from the alternative health community. The human body eliminates ‘toxins’ or waste products daily via the liver, kidneys and gut, if it did not we would die. It is more likely that you have increased your intake of dietary prebiotics too much in too short a period of time. The increased bulk of the stool itself and/ the or gassy waste products can cause bloating or otherwise irritate the bowel.

Dr Mosley recommends to “keep a detailed daily food and symptom diary for at least a week before you start, to help identify any pattern in relation to diet … Ideally keep the diary going throughout the programme until you identify any culprits” (p.187). He further notes that “we don’t recommend removing too many foods at one time, so it might be helpful to do remove and repair in several stages …” (p.188).