Causes and Remedies for Common Digestive Problems
Part I – Gas and Bloating
This is part one of a brief three part overview of how to deal with some common intestinal symptoms and dysfunctions. I provide some simple home remedies that may help to correct these digestive problems. Fortunately, many health concerns improve in time with your body’s own natural healing powers, or with the use of natural remedies, but these are not intended to be long-term solutions. If you don’t see improvement within two or three weeks, be sure to call your doctor. If your problem worsens, call the doctor immediately, and be seen and tested as appropriate.
Causes. These uncomfortable symptoms can result from eating too fast, poor food combinations, allergies, intestinal yeast overgrowth (and their fermentation of food). Poorly digested food can ferment in the digestive tract, which can lead to nausea, indigestion, gas, and bloating. The toxins that are produced get absorbed into the blood and affect energy levels, moods, and brain function. Microbes/bacteria and parasites can also be factors.
Remedies. Short term solutions include: Watch your eating habits. Chew thoroughly and relax while you eat. Avoid drinking liquids at meals (unless you are on a weight-loss diet) since liquid dilutes your digestive acids and enzymes.
Helpful natural treatments could include probiotics, grapefruit seed extract, peppermint tea, tumeric powder in capsules, and fennel or anise seeds. Many people also attempt to reduce their existing yeast or parasites with garlic, oregano oil, caprylic acid, and plant tannins. However, this may not be sufficient.
Assessment: If symptoms persist over weeks, I encourage you to seek more thorough treatment with your medical practitioner as I have found from years of treating these maladies that prescription medicines may be required to fully rid the body of these organisms. Get tested to analyze the quality of your digestion or have an experienced lab look for bacteria and/or parasites. Lab tests can also show candida and other yeast overgrowth, and clearing these food-fermenting organisms is often helpful at relieving the problem of bloating.
Look for my post of Part II on Indigestion, Nausea and Heartburn and then Part III on Constipation & Diarrhea in the coming weeks. Stay Healthy!
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