Iron-rich foods are essential for building healthy red blood cells. These foods include liver, organ meats, figs, blackstrap molasses, beets, dark green vegetables, beans and whole grains. All foods rich in vitamin C, enhance absorption of iron. It's important to stay away from sodas, beer, coffee, candies and dairy products because these interfere with absorption of iron. You can improve your red blood cell count by using a product called Floradix Liquid Iron, which can be purchased in health food stores. Another product I recommend is Red Beet Crystals can also found in most health food stores. This product aids in boosting red blood cells as well as rids liver of exposure to toxic substances, chemicals and metals.

It's very important to have a complete blood test yearly, to determine whether there is a deficiency. If you experience signs of weakness, hair loss, brittle nails, and pale skin, contact your health care professional for an evaluation. Too much iron in body can damage liver, pancreas, heart, and has been linked to cancer. Use iron supplements only under supervision of your doctor.

Cybill Shepherd’s admission, therefore, is to be applauded.

Dare not speak its name

Before Cybill Shepherd ‘came out’, only famous person I knew of who had IBS was Kelsey Grammar’s wife (Kelsey Grammar used to play Frasier in eponymous sitcom and Cheers).

Whoever you are, whatever your gender or problems or pain, it is vital that you find someone with whom you can identify. If you watch TV and never see a reflection of yourself, if you are a black man and only ever see white faces on screen, then you will start to feel alienated – and same goes for people who are ill.

If you constantly hear about diabetes sufferers and asthma sufferers but never hear a word about bowels then you begin to learn that your illness is far less important than these other worthy causes.

We need more people in public eye standing up and saying “Me too”, so that everyone can start to realise just how widespread a problem this is.

Don’t suffer in silence

But it’s not just about how other people perceive us, and how we perceive ourselves. It’s also about making sure that anyone who has bowel symptoms seeks help, and at moment that just doesn’t happen.

There are still many people with bowel problems who are too ashamed or embarrassed to go to doctor, and just soldier on through their lives when they could be receiving treatment. And there’s always risk, of course, that their symptoms could actually be result of something other than IBS that may get progressively worse if it is left alone.

IBS often goes undiagnosed for years, and even when we pluck up courage to visit doctor we can be so tongue-tied that we don’t properly describe our symptoms. If we could leave our embarrassment in waiting room it would be so much better for our health.

Cybill Shepherd says: “My goal is to urge all women to get over their embarrassment, to stop suffering in silence way I did, and to talk to their doctors. Although it may be uncomfortable, it is very important for you to be open and honest with your doctor about all your symptoms”.

And things can change. Just think about breast cancer, which is now regularly discussed on TV and radio, but 20 years ago was stuck behind a wall of silence where breasts were not to be mentioned, cancerous or not.

If we can just get a few more Cybill Shepherds to speak out for IBS then celebrities of this world might start wearing ribbons for you and me, and leave gay whales to fight for themselves.