Rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle to blame for my gut misery
The singer tells PETER ROBERTSON how he’s been dogged by the painful symptoms of IBS for decades
BRITISH rock band Mungo Jerry are best known for a string of 1970s hits including In The Summertime, Baby Jump and Alright, Alright, Alright. Yet unfortunately for their lead singer/songwriter Ray Dorset, who turned 70 in March, his health has rarely been all right.
Ray, who lives in Bournemouth, Dorset, with his third wife Britta, has suffered from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) since the start of his music career, which has spanned more than 45 years.
Born in Ashford, Middlesex, in 1946, Ray remembers reading a life horoscope as a child. “It predicted that I’d have problems with my stomach and that eventually came true.
“In my teens I was so overweight my nickname was Jumbo and I had to be weighed every two weeks,” he reveals.
Ray, who had been in bands since his school days, was working as an electronics engineer at the Timex watch factory when his life changed dramatically.
In June 1970, In The Summertime, a song that took him just 10 minutes to write, topped the charts worldwide. “In the lab at Timex everything was fine. I didn’t have any trouble with my stomach, I was regular as clockwork,” he says aptly.
“My parents had always subscribed to healthy eating with a balanced diet including fresh vegetables and plenty of fish.
“Yet when Summertime became a hit and I left work I started travelling here, there and everywhere and at very strange hours. I ate late at night after shows. At different events there would be loads of food on offer and I’d eat it without thinking. That may have been a build-up to my gut problems. “By the late 1990s I was getting a lot of stomach problems such as constipation and bloating. “Yet these are things that most people don’t want to talk about. I started reading up on it then I felt I had to have myself checked out by a doctor at a private hospital. He told me I had IBS.” Classified as a group of symptoms rather than a disease, IBS is typically associated with wind and bloating, abdominal pain, spasms and erratic bowel movements. It is estimated that one in three people are affected by IBS at some time in their lives but experts have warned that the number of cases is likely to rise by four per cent in the next decade. IBS is twice as common in women than men, although this may in part be because they are more likely to seek help and it is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 30. The causes are not clear although theories include bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, genetic factors, food sensitivities and gut motility problems. There is no cure for IBS but there is treatment including dietary changes, medication and probiotics to improve symptoms. “Doctors have a name for it but nobody seems to know the cause or how to deal with it. It’s all trial and error,” says Ray. “One doctor told me to have all the metal fillings in my teeth taken out as the mercury was leaking into my stomach. I had that done and it made no difference. I had a colonoscopy, an endoscopy and food intolerance tests but no one could find anything.
“I’ve read that IBS is not caused by stress but stress makes it worse. I put it down to all the work and travelling I do, the odd hours and not eating properly and regularly. I never relax.”
Since December 2005 Ray has been involved in a long legal battle over lost royalties, which he says has only increased the stress. He is also no longer able to exercise.
“I don’t suffer from diarrhoea, though some people with IBS do. I just get bloated. I’m sure if I did more exercise I would feel better but if you don’t feel right you don’t feel like exercising. When you feel uncomfortable it can put you in a bad mood. I tried transcendental meditation and that helped a bit. The more chilled and relaxed you are, the easier it is.
“Once you’ve got IBS I don’t know if it’s possible to get rid of it. I once sent away to America for special probiotic capsules, costing £300, but they didn’t work.
“These days I take Pycnogenol pine bark extract, which is a powerful antioxidant. I think I should drink a lot more water on a regular basis. I don’t drink much alcohol these days and I only smoke occasionally. Unfortunately many foods I enjoy, such as pastries, pies, chips, a fry-up and spicy dishes are not good for the condition.
“I am encouraged to eat fresh fruit and veg, live yogurt and goat’s cheese but it’s hard to avoid processed foods and preservatives. My wife cooks good food but I’m not around to eat it much of the time as I’m on the road. “I have good days and bad but an IBS sufferer will have this condition at the back of their mind every day.” For more details about the band and tour dates visit mungojerry.com