IBS - Mangeable or NOT?

Wish you the same.

Hi viewers, welcome to our Food, Medicine, and Lies: Tales of Transformation section. And as you all know, this channel is all about bringing the truth in medicine in front of you. We all know we have Google, Dr. Google, and WhatsApp University, right? But is everything which is mentioned there correct? Does everything impact us the way a real life story does? Is what this channel wants to bring forth in front of you. So today I have a very amazing person, Captain Praveen Roy. I met her for the first time in her school where it was very difficult to reach her. I had gone there to take a session for teachers, which is my passion, and because my mom retired as a teacher, so, you know, my give-back community is teachers. So I'd gone there, I saw her, she was extremely busy, and in the end I found something about her, and then we got to work together. I think she will share more about our meeting, but I also want to tell you In addition to being the principal of NCERT school, you know, CBSE school, senior secondary school, she's also a YouTuber and she runs an e-school where you can get all the information about how you can plan your career for your kids and for yourself and be successful in life. So welcome, Captain Praveen.

Thank you, Dr. Preeti. Thank you for having me over here.

Yeah, and I am very, very happy to have you because it was an amazing experience to work with you because you are so disciplined that, you know, working with you becomes easy and satisfying both.

Thank you.

Please share with viewers how we met and, you know, and then I will put more questions because I have a list of them with me.

Sure. So as you've already mentioned, ma'am, I think it was 4 or 5 years ago that Dr. Preeti had come over to my school through a common friend, and her sole aim was to come and talk to the teachers and inspire them to get into the good food habits. And that is where I struck a chord with her. And after her session, I went and met— and I walked up to her and I talked to to her about my ill health. I was very, very sick because of IBS, and I was almost into depression. Wow.

So, Captain Praveen, when were you diagnosed with IBS, and what were the symptoms you were experiencing that time?

Uh, Dr. Preeti, uh, you know, it is, uh, very common when we have problems, we don't spare any stone unturned. So I had gone to the best of the hospitals in NCR went to the best of the gastroenterologists, for whom you have to pay loads of money and you have to seek an appointment 15 days in advance. Uh, allopathy I'm talking about. I don't want to name hospitals because of obvious reasons. I went to the best of the homeopathy hospital and sort of everything had failed. My symptoms were I used to have a very tough cycle of constipation. And then the gastric issues were so much that after a chain of a cycle of constipation, I would land into severe loose motions. And it, it disturbed me so much that almost every month I was on strong antibiotics, and I was almost taking, uh, spoons full of Digeene and soft water and Hachmula and what not, you know, and nothing was working. So I had honestly reached a point where I started wishing that I should not be living anymore. It was so bad, it had started interfering with my life, and I started losing that zest to live. I'm being very honest with you. And that is the point when you came and you had given a demonstration of an apple, that how you have to look at it and then you have to relish it and eat it slowly. So I was sort of— I thought, okay, let me meet this lady also and let me listen to her also, what she had to offer. So that is how our journey started. And so I've talked about my symptoms and I think I've answered what you asked.

Yes. So, so Captain Praveen, at this point of time, you know, you said you had visited many hospitals. So what was the duration? It was few months in which you had visited?

No, I think it was like, uh, one year with allopathy and almost a year with homeopathy. And allopathy, whatever I kept telling doctor— if I told him that I get constipation, he gave me symptomatic medicines. If I told him I had loose motions, he gave me symptomatic medicine. One day I just happened to tell him, he put me on antidepressant and he did not even tell me. So after, uh, 8 or 9 months of treatment with him, when I switched over to homeopathy, the homeopath doctor told me, I said, he said, then I realized that I was taking some antidepressant medicines also, which the doctor never disclosed to me. So it was almost a journey of 2 years.

Yeah, I'm so disheartened to hear this, especially if an educated person like you did not know. Yeah, and you were on anti-anxiety drugs. Then imagine for a person who is not so educated, and you know, you are into education space.

Yes, right.

And so it is, it is really heart-touching. So then what happened, Captain Praveen? When we discussed and you said you will give us one try.

Yes, one, uh, you sort of inspired me, so I signed up for your program. You know, the beautiful thing that, um, happened to me is I started learning that there is no solution to IVF in medicine. So that was one lesson that I learned. Another beautiful thing that I learned was that I started maintaining, which you asked me to do, dietary chart on a daily basis. And on your guidance only, I started eliminating— I started recording the reaction of every food that I had, and I started eliminating the list of items that I should not and would not take. Though you had not given me any diagnosis by then, it was just the elimination process that was happening. At the same time, parallelly, I also started making a list of food which would go very well with me. So that was one thing. Then another thing which I remember, that time you had given me some sessions with your counselor also, 3 sessions. So I had a lot of hidden things which I could not talk about my life to anybody. You know, we all have our own small little secrets. So I am very lucky to have a good family, good children, and everything around me is good— job, good management. But then still we have things which are always there at the back of my mind. So when your counselor did speak to me, she, she spent good 2 to 3 hours with me. You know, I started feeling as though I have started getting— I've started feeling lighter and I have started getting a sense of direction. So 6 months, I think it was a 6-month journey with you, and in that journey, the beautiful thing that happened, that my medication reduced to almost very little. Yeah. And then you gave your diagnosis. I think your diagnosis was— there were two things which you suggested to me, that proteins do not go very well with me, sugars do not go very well with me. And another thing which you taught me is how to make simple but nutritious food. I still remember the almond milk you introduced, the, uh, the peanut milk you introduced. I still today I take that. And that helped me. It was nutritious at the same time, you know, it was light on my stomach. So if I was not able to— you eliminated, I remember, paneer and milk and all those things from my diet. But then along with the process of elimination, you also gave me the easy and workable substitutes. So that was a lot of help which came from you. So my medication reduced to almost half. When I started working with you. So these are some things, you know, you also taught me that I am important and I have to look after myself, and it's my duty to take care of myself instead of being the best wife and the best principal and the best mom. So that is how the journey started. Wow.

And you know what, when I tell— was telling you, I think it didn't make me feel that good But today when you are sharing it back with me, I am really feeling good that I got an opportunity to, you know, work with you. Captain Praveen, I also remember something during that journey. Your weight, we were not able to increase your weight, you know. For every 1 kg, it used to take us few days and then you used to go into bout of diarrhea and again we used to come back.

Yes, yes.

Almost first 3 months it went like that and then next 3 months and 6 months you gained about 3-4 kgs.

Yeah, I gained 2 kgs. How my weight changed— I was 65 kgs before the IVF started, and over a period of these 2 years when I was running from pillar to post, one hospital to another, it came down to 47 kgs.

Yes, I remember.

Yes, and today it is like 54 kgs, which is a good— I mean, I still want to put on some weight, but then I am very happy that I, I, I'm living— I, I won't say that I'm perfect, but I'm almost perfect. I'm living quite a normal life now, which is an achievement.

Oh, which is such a promising thing, Captain Praveen. You don't know, you are inspiring so many people today. You know why? IBS today, almost 40% people it seems suffer from IBS today, and it's a very bad suffering.

I can empathize with them.

Exactly. And you know, a lot of people are getting fungal infection, a lot of people are getting mental health issues, a lot of people— menstruation is getting disturbed. But because allopathy doesn't talk about it and has no solution, and people don't want to try diet, they feel, what will diet do?

It's a magic. Diet is a magic. That worked for me, right?

So I also learned it the hard way. You know, I became a diabetic And to reverse my diabetes, I came into this. Wow. And when it became reversed, and then about 40-50 more patients reversed it and came back to me, then I started thinking, yeah, this does work. Otherwise, you know, as an MBBS doctor, you're right, it was so hard for me to believe that diabetes can be reversed because I was taught diabetes— once diabetic, always a diabetic. So I can really appreciate what you're saying, and I'm really liking it because I know 5 years back With 47 kgs, you know, you used to look a little weak, but today you are looking 5-7 kgs— 5-7 years younger, let me tell you that, right? And you are looking so pretty. And right now though, you are inspiring so many people and especially motivating me also to work.

Let me share a secret with you. My— I've got two lovely daughters who are in their 20s. They always say, Mama, your skin is much better than ours. And you know the only answer I give them? Start eating my food. That is the magic that the food can do. Wow.

Yes, that is the magic food can do. You're very right. But here, you know, something is coming in my mind, Captain Praveen. You shared with me when I, you know, was speaking just before this talk with you that you left us 4 years back.

Yes, right.

In a decent enough condition. But yes, medicines were still going, and we told you that continue with whatever you have learned.

Yes.

Yeah, but in life, you know, life is not done as we want. Gratitude is the biggest thing in life, and if we are grateful, we see from everywhere, you know, the universe comes to help you.

True.

Yeah, and I think same thing happened with you also, Lieutenant Colonel Seva Singh. Who at 80 years had IBS.

Yes, right.

He met you and he gave you a few additional nutrition tips.

Yes, yes.

I will really want you to share those with the audience here because you never know who gets— whose universe is trying to give them the right information today, right?

Exactly. Yeah. So Dr. Preeti, you know, when we— I sort of left you and you you left, uh, we left on a note where you left some instructions for me and what food to avoid. So how it worked with me till the time I was with you, you know, you were— I remember you were quite strict with me. So maybe that danda was there. So I was like very careful with my food and I was not taking chances. And I kept having those bouts in between. So I would call you up and you would suggest me some mild medication. So after I left you, I think I again became more absorbed in my work and to some extent started ignoring, and the IBS started relapsing. That story you do not know, you do not know that part of it, but I know IBS will relapse. Yeah, it started relapsing, right? So, so I had no courage to come back to you and tell you, okay, see, I'm messing up again. So I, I have a coursemate, Captain Manju Minhas. So I, we are 25 women officers. So I wrote to them, see, I'm not feeling good, is there somebody who can sort of help me, and I am suffering. So that time Captain Manju came to my help and she said her father-in-law, who was almost on deathbed at the age of 80, and doctors had given up on him and told him that they don't have any treatment for him. He was determined that I'll self-heal myself, and he healed. So she told me, see, as a matter of last hope, why don't you come over and meet my father-in-law? So she, she insisted. I went and visited the father-in-law, and he asked me a few questions about my routine and all, and he said, see, I'm no doctor, and I haven't tried this diet on anybody else except myself. If you have faith, you can try it. Otherwise, it's up to you, you know. As it is, I had sort of given up. So, uh, he told me a few tips which I'll share with you and your patients and pray to God that everybody heals. One is, ma'am, that early morning, empty stomach, he told me to take ash gourd juice. Yeah, ash gourd juice. Ash gourd is not the pumpkin. It is— yeah, it's very difficult to find ash gourd in the market. After 30 minutes of ash gourd juice, aloe vera, which you already mentioned that you heat people with aloe vera. He told me aloe vera juice. And after half an hour of aloe vera, he told me figs and apricots. You have to soak them at night, 2 figs and 2 apricots, and eat them up daily. So that was it. After that, he said just go on your normal diet, poha, idli, sambar, whatever you want to eat, eat your breakfast. Then, uh, 3, 3 hours later, you have to take the wood apple juice. Wood apple is the— it comes in summers. I don't know what is it called in Hindi. Yes, so that he told me. Only these 4 things I added to my diet, and wow, it did magic. So other than— then it was like simple pulka, roti, chawal, dal, and few things you had already. I added your experience into my diet. I permanently eliminated what was not working with me, and I added these 4 things into my diet, and I was like, then I started in between gorging on burger and pizza sometime, you know. It became So very—

you're right, Captain Praveen, because you know what I have seen in my experience, that if you are an IBS, right, as I was telling you before this, it takes 6 months to 1 year to first come back to normal. Then it takes about 6 months to 1 year to heal your gut lining. Yes, because we had parted ways in 6 months and you had aggravated, right? What's this?

It took a little longer. It took almost 2 years.

It takes 2 to 3 years. It takes, Captain, it takes 2 to 3 years. And you know what, this bhel patta and ash gourd juice and aloe vera, these are extremely good gut lining agents.

They are, yes, right?

In fact, to add to this, even colostrum cow's colostrum, which we get in the market. Another very, very good product for gut.

All right, okay.

So I can understand what happened. The toxins were removed, irritants were removed, you were trained on that, and then the gut lining got healed. And I see that magical smile on your face.

I'm living because of you and because of Lieutenant Colonel Seva Singh. Thank you so much, ma'am.

No, it's so nice. So, uh, Captain Praveen, one question is coming to my mind, right? Lot of— you said one thing which I really want to address here. You said I did not have the courage to come back to you because I was feeling that, you know, I've been messing up with it, right?

Yeah.

And this happens normally with every human being. This will happen with me also.

Right, yeah.

But I have seen in our course of life, I think if this one habit we learn to deal with, we can come very closer to, you know, success in life. Have you found any trick of, you know, what one can do, um, so that we don't get into this habit? Not in this case, but naturally in life.

You know what, ma'am, I think better communication is good. But then I was somewhere a little scared. Let me be very honest, I was somewhere a little scared of you whenever every month I would get into that bout of loose motion and I would call you up with a guilt that, see, I have eaten one laddu and I am again into loose motion. And you would get sort of upset that why did you eat that one laddu? You know, you were my headmistress then and I was your Very nice.

You know what, this is making me feel very good, Captain Praveen, and I'll tell you why. Most of my clients feel I'm too cool with them. Yeah, right. But every time you used to get back into that episode, and I knew, yeah, but if you don't stop it now, you won't heal.

Yeah, true.

Very right, very right. Any, any 3 tips about health you will want to generally give to people so that, you know, they feel that, oh yes, I connect with this, maybe Captain Praveen is saying right and we should also do something about it?

So, um, uh, the first important thing is discipline. You have to be very, very disciplined with whatever you decide to take up, whether it is in terms of your diet or in terms of your routine. Second important thing is exercise, which, Dr. Preeti, I forgot to mention. You had inspired me to start walking and start doing little bit of yoga. And third thing is talk, talk, talk and communicate, which I did not do in your case. I mean, I was like, no, no, no, she'll scold me, and I did not talk to you. I should have had the courage to come and tell you, here, Dr. Preeti, I'm, I'm, I'm in need of help again. So these are 3 very important things.

Thank you. And the third one, I keep struggling. Yesterday I had a call with one of my clients, right? And for last 3 weeks he's not coming on his call. Oh, so I called him and said, what happened? He said, ma'am, wait, I'm not losing weight, I'm so stressed out, I have so much work, with what face I should come? I said, you're paying me for this. Right, please call me. And you know the result? The day we spoke yesterday, yesterday night he shared his dietary diary with me. Yeah, today morning he's lost 500 grams from yesterday.

Wow, that's so—

exactly, at least he's back on track again. And then he says, oh ma'am, what you say is so easy, I don't know why I stopped talking to you only. So Thank you for bringing that up. Thank you for bringing that up.

You are the mom of all your patients, so you have to keep chasing them.

I do that, you know that. I do that. I'm good with that.

Yes.

So I have a question from a viewer here, Captain Praveen. How to take ash gourd juice?

Uh, ma'am, I purchased Philips juicer which is available on Amazon for around ₹5,000 to ₹6,000. It's the most beautiful juicer I have ever seen. So buy fresh ash gourd. Once you buy it, you can save it in your fridge for next 15 days because it's a huge size ash gourd. And cut it into— wash it nicely, peel it off, cut it into small chunks and put it in your juicer. And here you go, it's very tasty. It's a— it's, it's very good juice. I mean, it's naturally sweet and moment you drink it, you realize it's so good.

Yes, because it soothes your gut. And let me tell you, all patients who are suffering from acidity also Yes, this will do wonders. Yes, so a good addition to your routine is ash gourd juice, right? Yes. Yeah, and I am sure coming from Captain Praveen and with this conviction, you will not say, ma'am, will never fail you.

I can vouch for it. Yes.

So there's another question. Can you tell some more gut healers Uh, Sakshi, Captain Praveen has also mentioned, and I've also mentioned, aloe vera is a good gut healer. Yes, that's another juice which if you can take fresh, very good. If you cannot take fresh, take Patanjali or Himalayan or anyone which you trust, and it will benefit you. It will benefit you. Captain Praveen, any humorous episode during your journey of correcting your IBS?

Uh, see, the other— I've already mentioned I was scared of you. You were more like a principal to me, I had mistress to me, and I would feel guilty. You know, more than being scared, I would always feel guilty that you were trying to push me so much into good health, and sometimes a small little temptation of eating a piece of cake would land me into trouble. So those— that was one. And once, yes, I had to fly to Lucknow. I was being awarded by the governor of UP for my good contributions in the field of education. And trust me, uh, we, we had to catch the flight in the morning. We, we reached Taj Agra, collected the award, and ma'am, such a lavish spread was there, such a lavish spread after the event. I, I couldn't eat anything and I was like, because I had to fly back to Delhi, and if I land into loose motions, I could not— I would not be able to take my flight. So at the end, you know, I just went and picked up one papad and everybody gave me those looks, 'Kiba se papadi khaari hai?' And I couldn't explain anybody anything that what is the reason for my eating papad. So I still remember that if I could go back in time and eat all that.

But you can now. So I really want to compliment you, Captain Praveen. The stage which I had met you, I remember the first 3 months. Even a little trigger and you would go into bouts, right?

Yeah, true.

Only your discipline, your conviction, and I think the trust you put into us.

True.

Your journey started. I am so happy to have you live today to tell people IBS can be almost cured. I am not saying cured, but you can live a comfortable life. You can live a very comfortable life And you can contribute to people's lives phenomenally, personally and professionally. And Captain Praveen, I really like your YouTube initiative of e-school. You are adding so much value, you are helping so many children, and I wish you all the luck with your YouTube initiative which you have started.

Thank you so much, Dr. Preeti, for having, having me over. My request to you is, once you publish the video, send me a link. I will send it as a tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Seva Singh.

Please. Yes, we must. Yeah, thank you very much. Thank you, and it was very nice having you online. Thanks, and thanks viewers for being here. Bye-bye.

Bye.