Re: stannarad ...

Ha ha ha! Yes, it's kind of a "grey area" isn't it? Here in Florida it seems we mostly have these sorts of folks--they take some short correspondance course on accupuncture or whatever, hang up a little certificate and say they're "holistic". This is what I'm up against. I'm familiar with their game now at least. Too bad I've had to waste some money and come home with my self worth shattered to find out ;-(. That's just part of the game I guess. I waited two years to even start searching again but I feel I really must be proactive...my life is passing me by.

You're so right about the whole IBS thing. All these diagnoses are just useless labels dcotors come up with because they aren't willing to dig deeper ( and as my husband always points out, they're all afraid of being sued so they CAN'T treat. )

Goodness, it sounds just lovely where you are. Blooming cactus...that sounds just beautiful. Yes, I think parts of California are very similar ( climate and vegetation wise ) to Florida. Only it's a lot more arid out there. I like it here in North Florida as opposed to Central or South Florida. We have a lot more hardwood trees and such than they do. More swampy down there :-).

Thanks for your thoughts and I'll check back in soon with all the gorey details ;-) *OH--Yeah, I wonder how Dave in Taiwan is doing as well. Most folks drop off after a while- hopefully they've all gotten better and gone on with lives.