Hi Friends! It’s the last weekend of IBS Awareness Month and I want to thank each and everyone of you that put yourself out there by donating $ to research, sharing your story or posting your pictures to Instagram. We had over 155 public pictures posted on Instagram using the hashtag #IBelieveinyourStory. Yay! 🙂
The #IBelieveinyourStory campaign was a grassroots effort that required a team effort…and we had many of you on the #IBelieveinyourStory team!
In addition to the support from individuals with IBS or SIBO, the #IBelieveinyourStory campaign also had tremendous support from businesses such as FODY foods, Case de Sante, and 88 Acres. I am thankful for these amazing and generous businesses who donated to IBS and SIBO research.
I know I sound like a broken record…but without research, IBS & SIBO therapies will simply stay the same and although there have been major advancements …we need better. There still remain many folks with unrelenting IBS & SIBO symptoms.
So…for one final push, I encourage you to donate to IBS & SIBO research.
Today’s highlighted researcher is Dr. Mark Pimentel, a gastroenterologist from Cedars Sinai. Dr. Pimentel is a maverick in researching small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). His lab has helped gain a better understanding of the underlying causes of SIBO and alternative treatments. You can learn more about Dr. Pimentel’s research here. I have been very fortunate to speak at events with Dr. Pimentel and I can tell you first hand, that in addition to being very innovative and smart, he TRULY cares about IBS and SIBO patients. In fact, if you are on Twitter, I suggest you follow him @MarkPimentelMD, as you will get a great sense of the work he does and likely appreciate his level of compassion for IBS/SIBO patients. Dr. Pimentel shared this quote with me for IBS Awareness Month:
“For those of us on the front lines seeing the suffering of patients with IBS and SIBO, what is clear is that this state of health is under appreciated, disrespected and underfunded. Despite that gloomy view, there are major breakthroughs in IBS that warrant attention and in some respects put us ahead of other GI (gastrointestinal) diseases in terms of understanding IBS. For one, the connection between the gut microbiome and IBS surpasses any other disease. Secondly, a clear trigger for IBS is food poisoning. These facts are key to the future of treatment in IBS and give us the ability to anticipate treatments. This should leave patients with great optimism. However, all the great ways we know would work cannot be achieved without funding for the research to prove these. During IBS awareness month, patients need to know that there are scientists out there with some answers and that funding those answers is the key to future successful treatment.”
So…what can you do?
You can support research in Dr. Mark Pimentel’s lab. So far, during IBS Awareness month, Cedars Sinai has received 85 gifts from all sources to the GI Motility Program Fund in support of Dr. Pimentel’s IBS/SIBO research. The total dollar amount is $7,998.00. Of that amount, a portion of those gifts were made through my website, a total of 27 gifts totaling $1,491.00. (Thanks Everyone!)
Cedars Sinai has a matching donor, so these amounts will be doubled! This also means if you donate to Cedars Sinai, the amount you donate will be doubled too!!
On this last day of IBS Awareness Month, I hope you can be part of the solution. Please consider making a donation to Pimentel’s Laboratory at Cedars Sinai today! Click here to donate.