Dr. Dahlman is a chiropractor based in Ohio who has formulated a system to help treat thousands of people to cure IBS. While he is not a GI specialist, he at least does have a medical background..
His book, titled Why Doesn’t My Doctor Know This?: Conquering Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s Disease and Colitis
His general protocol is this:
1. Get rid of bad bacteria & yeast that may be causing problems if present (He recommends getting labwork for this)
2. Avoid All Dairy (this is the biggest rule)
3. Take Probiotic Supplements
4. Take Digestive Enzymes
5. Never Drink Beverages With Meals
6. Pinpoint Food Allergies
7. Avoid Gas Causing Foods
We like Dalhman’s approach because rather than chaining you down to a diet for the rest of your life, it gives you things to try that will help you actually address the root causes of your IBS. Most diet plans only cover the basics of eat this and not that and don’t do much to help understand why your digestive system hates you so much.
While it has a very good success rate in his practice, the cost of the supplements can often make this program out of reach for many people. One could easily spend thousands of dollars trying to make this work, and because they are not prescription medications or a standard medical protocol, most insurances will not be able to help cover some of the costs. He uses many patented formulas for medications which are only available through his website and office.
It’s a book we feel that is worth reading in solving the mystery of the puzzle of irritable bowel syndrome, but unfortunately the protocol is one that many simply cannot afford to try, especially if it does not work. While we know it’s likely you will pay any price to find relief, we also understand that most people simply do not have the extra available funds to give it a try.
For this reason, many people will instead decide to formulate their own treatment plan that is similiar to the protocol Dr. Dahlman prescribes. This can often be done by finding less expensive versions of the different supplements such as trying a probiotic supplement and digestive enzymes while using his dietary recommendations.
Another disadvantage to his diet is that he does not give you much help on what to actually eat – he does not offer you meal plans, recipes, or solutions for dealing with common food intolerance issues. While his book outlines everything to do and not to do in simple enough terms, this is often where many people feel lost and give up because it is easy to think there is nothing you can eat.
Bottom Line: Dr. Dahlman has a high success rate and the book is very easy to read and understand. The supplements recommended however can be expensive, and so if cost is an issue you may instead want to give the book a read to get a better understanding of the dietary recommendations and find your own comparable and less expensive supplements.
Thank you for these comments on the book. This is just what I was looking for – someone else’s opinion of this book and his plan, before I decided to buy it. Perhaps the cost of supplements is why this has not taken off and is not well-known. I can’t shake the feeling that although his advice may be solid, he is definitely trying to benefit himself.
You are welcome Jayne! The book is very helpful in understanding things like probiotics and food allergies and the rules they may play in IBS. However, in order to follow his protocol, you will need to either purchase his supplements (which are very expensive and no guarantee to work) or find your own comparable supplement (not always easy to do!)
Anyways, I am glad our review might help you in finding answers to the puzzle – that is why we made this site!
I just wanted to post a brief comment, I did Dr. Dahlman’s protocol and my poor family put together the money to make it possible and it never did one bit of good for me. I hope others do not waste the money on it.