5 Ways To Reduce Your Bloating, Pain and Gas

gut health

Bloating, pain & excessive gas can be a real pain in the bum……pardon the pun. These would have to be the most frequent symptoms my patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) & digestive dysfunction report to me. These symptoms can make work hard to concentrate on, clothes hard to pick out in the morning and social situations awkward & anxiety provoking.

But there are ways to help relieve these symptoms & I feel Natural Medicine truly excels in this area. That is because it helps to deal with the underlying causes that could be causing your bloating, pain & gas.

Mindful Meals

Digestion actually begins in the brain & not the mouth or stomach as most of us would think. The brain is the one that detects if we are ready to eat and then stimulates saliva production. This is the first chemical digestion that helps us with breaking down carbohydrates in the mouth. Being in a ‘rest & digest’ state before meals is important for this saliva production to occur, as well as blood being redirected to the digestive area to help these organs work.

Mindful eating also means we do a better job at chewing our food, this is the first mechanical digestion of our food. Chewing enough is important as it gives more surface area for the digestive enzymes to work on. Digesting our food really well, means you are able to absorb nutrients effectively, it means less irritation to the immune system and that the bacteria in your gut have access to the right food at the right time. This definitely leads to less bloating & gas.

Some ways to eat mindfully are, taking some deep breaths before, eating at a table, eating in a calm environment without technology or work to distract you, chewing well and tasting all the flavours.

Digestive Support

As we touched on in Mindful Meals, digesting your food fully reduces symptoms throughout the digestive system. Sometimes over time our body can produce less digestive enzymes & this can create many symptoms including pain, gas, bloating, reflux, heartburn, diarrhoea & constipation. Some of the reasons for a decreased production of enzymes can include stress, eating when rushed, age, dehydration & medications like acid suppressants.

You can support your digestive system by taking a digestive enzyme supplement to replace the enzymes you are lacking. Most comprehensive formulas will help you break down carbohydrates, fibre & protein. You always want to look at ways of increasing your own enzyme production too.

Probiotics

Specific strains of probiotics have been studied & proven to reduce bloating, gas production, inflammation, functional abdominal pain & can support the normal function of the gut. It is very important to choose the right strains, as only then do you know that you will get the function you are after.

For example one of the probiotics I commonly use is Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 19738 , due to its proven effectiveness in clinical trials. If you took Lactobacillus reuteri without the same letters & numbers following the name,  then you can’t expect to get the same results, as you are not using the same strain.

Consider Constipation

Would you believe that constipation is something I consider with every patient? Even those with a daily bowel motion or even diarrhoea! I have seen many patients experiencing gas & pain who feel they have good evacuation daily but on x-ray they have impacted stool & constipation. I have also seen children with diarrhoea because they are so blocked up only liquid stool can pass the hard masses.

Constipation is one of the number one causes for gas & bloating & natural therapies offer many ways of dealing with this. Lifestyle & dietary measures like enough movement, water, vegetables & fruit & addressing stress are very effective. I also use fibres that normalise bowel function, specific strains of probiotics and herbs that assist forward movement of the bowel like ginger.

Calm your nerves

As previously discussed we want to be in ‘rest & digest’ when eating, the other state we can live in is ‘fight or flight’. This is where our nervous system is excited and we are producing stress hormones. Living in this state is ok some of the time. It can help us perform better, like before an exam, presentation or big game. But if we spend too much time in this state it can reduce digestive capacity, change the forward movement of the gut, have negative effects on the microbiome (community of bacteria in the gut) & increase the production of inflammatory chemicals. This can all increase bothersome symptoms.

So what can we do to support your nervous system? I prescribe herbs that support happy hormone production and make patients more resilient to stress. Herbs like Withania, Rhodiala, Passionflower & Lavender can help. Gentle movement, yoga, deep breathing, gardening & meditation are all other ways to support your nervous system to live in ‘rest & digest’ more often.

As you can see there are so many wonderful natural ways of helping you reduce your symptoms of bloating, pain & gas. It is just a matter of working out which ones work best for you. This will of course depend on the underlying cause of why you are experiencing functional digestive issues.

Please note that more serious diseases should not be overlooked. These symptoms can be due to a functional problem or just as easily to a specific disease like Coeliac Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Diverticulitis. So investigation & ruling out more serious conditions is definitely advisable.

The Top 5 Things to Know When Seeing a Homeopath

Teapot with lemon, honey and spices

So, you are going to see a Homeopath. You’ve booked an appointment with a qualified and registered practitioner and are feeling anxious about it – that’s okay!

Here are the five most important things you need to know to get the most out of your first consultation and experience the healing effects of homeopathy:

  1. Time: It is a good idea to give yourself plenty of time for your first appointment. Your first consult will take at least 60 minutes so your homeopath can get to know you. It is very likely that you will have to fill in an intake form with your contact details. Possibly there will be a questionnaire about your health and the main reasons for your visit. Taking your case (the interview) is the single most important part of the consult. It can take a while to get through all your symptoms and your health history, so you may as well enjoy it.
  1. History: Once you are in the consult, it is time for you to tell your story. Homeopaths take into consideration the whole person. That includes all aspects of your life and lifestyle. You will be asked lots of weird and wonderful questions to reveal your peculiarities. Your unique story gives your homeopath the hints and clues to enable them to choose your homeopathic remedy. As there are over 3,000 remedies available, the more information you give your homeopath, the better chance they have at getting it right.
  1. Symptoms: Homeopaths don’t work with diseases, they work with symptoms. You will be asked to describe your condition or issue in detail. Be prepared to tell your homeopath exactly what type of symptoms you experience, what makes your condition better or worse and how it is affected by heat and cold, time of day, body position, food and drink and anything else you can think of. Your homeopath will want to know when the issue started and what was going on in your life around that time. It all helps to narrow down the medicine selection for your individual treatment plan.
  1. Family: A big part of what makes you who you are is your family heritage. Your homeopath will want to know the health issues that run in your family. If you can get information about your parents’ and grandparents’ health conditions, that is gold to your practitioner. It gives your homeopath a better chance at putting together the puzzle pieces of your health.
  1. Other stuff: Are you taking medications, nutritional supplements, natural medicines or Chinese herbs? Whatever you are on, please let your homeopath know. Homeopathy can be prescribed alongside other modalities and it is good practice for your homeopath to take it all into account. If you have any documents that are related to your condition, you might like to bring copies with you. If indicated, a physical examination might be required too.

What next? Armed with the unique picture of your health, your homeopath will now be able to prescribe a treatment. Your homeopathic treatment will support your mental, emotional and physical health. Make sure you understand how to take your remedy. No two prescriptions are alike, even for the same condition. Stay in touch with your homeopath to report any changes in your condition so your prescription can be adjusted.

And don’t forget to breathe! You are not alone. With a homeopath on your side, you are well on your way to recovery. Welcome to well-being.

Insights from a Homeopathic Practitioner

Jars of essential oils

Meet Peter Berryman, ATMS President and homeopathic practitioner, who has been practicing natural medicine for 36 years.

Specialising in Homeopathy, Peter is also a qualified accredited Naturopath. Through this approach he helps treat anything from simple health issues to chronic problems.

How did you get into Natural Medicine and why?

My older sibling works in conventional medicine so health care is significant in my family. When I was younger I remember she advised me to find a better way to practice medicine, which is what led me to find Natural Medicine.

Through my international travels, my many years of education and much clinical experience, I believe I’ve found a discipline of health care that provides a unique approach to improving the holistic health of my clients.

Tell us about your modality?

Homeopathy is a holistic and dynamic discipline that especially helps with long-term health problems. This is its medical market niche. It offers to uniquely treat each client’s physical, mental, emotional, and lifestyle issues with a personalised approach to their health care.

There is a growing demand in the community from clients with chronic health issues, and there aren’t that many practitioners able to truly help them. I find homeopathy to have the least limitations in clinical practice, whilst also being the most cost effective.

Why are you passionate about Natural Medicine?

I believe Natural Medicine delivers a truly holistic approach to health care, as it looks for the core of the problem rather than just trying to treat the surface symptoms. Through this curative approach we can also help clients to prevent health problems in the future.

We mustn’t forget that Natural Medicine is a complementary discipline to work together with all other medical disciplines, including conventional medicine. What we aim to do is provide patients with the best information for them to make a well-informed choice.

Are you reacting to your dinner?

Bench full of fresh fish, fruit and vegetables

If you constantly have an upset stomach, headaches or skin problems chances are you have thought about whether something you were eating was triggering your symptoms. So what options are there for finding out whether a food is upsetting you ?

The medical testing for allergies consists of either skin prick testing to determine if a substance provokes a reaction or blood testing for antibodies to Immunoglobulin E known as RAST testing. Naturopathically there are a number of other options including an Elimination Diet, Food Intolerance Panel or Bio Compatability Hair Testing. So what are the advantages of each of these forms of testing ?

Skin prick testing involves scratching the skin with a range of allergens to see what generates a reaction. Usually done by a specialist you do need to be under supervision if a topical reaction causes full on anaphylaxis to an allergen so that you can be treated appropriately. Understandably many parents are not enthusiastic about this option however it does accurately identify  true allergens. A blood test to detect antibodies can be done where the skin prick testing is too invasive. It detects antibodies to specific allergens such as dust, pollens and foods.

What you can eat on a food sensitivity elimination diet:

  • Vegetables, well-washed (preferably organic), eliminate nightshade vegetable (such as eggplant, tomato and capsicum) if you suspect they are a problem
  • Fruits, well-washed (preferably organic), start with berries initially
  • Meat and fish (preferably organic and free range meats and wild fish)
  • Fats and seasonings – Extra-virgin coconut oil for cooking, and extra-virgin olive oil for dressings and other low-temperature applications, sea salt, herbs
  • Drink: only water (filtered if possible)

Naturopaths often conduct a food intolerance panel which looks for an immunoglobulin G reaction. It’s useful but will usually only tell you about foods you have been eating in the past few months. So if you haven’t had wheat for a year it may not show up.

Recently I have also looked at Biocompatibility Hair Testing conducted by Naturopathic Services. It has the advantage of not requiring a blood test and covers 500 widely available foods including a significant list of health foods.

Christine Pope is an experienced nutritionist and homeopath based at Elemental Health.

Travelling with a weak gut?

Chalkboard drawing of body focusing on the gut area

It can be quite tricky travelling when you have a range of food intolerances but even more so when you have a weak gut that is quite reactive. I have put a few tips together for supporting your gut whilst travelling however I would always recommend that you get it in the best shape possible before you go as the ideal way to prepare.

First up how do you just prepare for an extended trip? Make sure you are taking a good quality probiotic for up to two months before you travel to seed your gut with a good range of protective bacteria for your journey and then travel with a heat stable probiotic. If you have quite a few food intolerances ideally do a bit of a heal and seal protocol before travelling which should include high doses of glutamine. Better still a full detox would get your whole system working as well as possible to protect you on the journey.

What are some things you can do to acclimatise your gut when you get to your destination? On an extended journey start consuming the local fermented food – it could be kim chi, sauerkraut or yoghurt but it will help innoculate your bowel with the protective species of your local environment.

Feed the good gut bacteria a range of fruit and vegetables, just remember to stick to cooked or peeled as much as possible as salads which are washed in local water can be very problematic in some regions. Ideally aim for at least six serves of vegetables a day which will optimise your nutrition as well as keeping gut bacteria happy.

For gut protection and repair you can’t go past traditionally made bone broths or stocks. Whether its a miso soup in Japan or just a hearty home made soup, bone broth is a great source of nutrients as well as providing healing ingredients for the gut, such as gelatin. On the off chance that you do pick up a tummy bug the tips in my Stomach aches and pains blog for suitable homeopathic medicines would be helpful reading.

Christine Pope is an experienced nutritionist and homeopath based at Elemental Health.

Stomach Aches and Pains

Woman crouching over clutching stomach in pain

Tummy bugs can be a real pain however its possible to manage them easily with homeopathic medicines and a few simple dietary strategies.

With any stomach upset it is important to keep up liquids to reduce symptoms from dehydration. Headaches in particular may indicate that the patient is not drinking enough or is losing too much fluid. Consistently heavy diarrhea and/or vomiting may lead to a dangerous change in a patient’s hydration and can require hospitalization.

The diet needs to be bland and food can be avoided for a couple of days if the patient cannot bear the thought of eating. Bland food can include rice, toast, clear soup or a banana. Avoid spicy or acidic foods until the stomach is settled.

Chronic recurring diarrhea or constipation can be a sign of food allergies or intolerances. An exclusion diet or allergy testing will help identify these foods and removal of the foods from the diet as well as treatment for the gut will minimise symptoms.

When travelling I always take along a heat stable strain of sacchrymdes boulardi which is a prebiotic. It can be very helpful at reducing your symptoms if you do pick up a stomach bug but it can also assist by attaching to bad bugs and helping them move out of your system and in that way reducing the length of the episode.

A similar benefit can be obtained by eating the local fermented food if you are staying in the area for a few weeks.

My homeopathic first aid kit consists of the following medicines and remember when choosing a homeopathic you are looking for at least 2-3 symptoms which are similar to your patient.

Arsenicum

First remedy to think of for food poisoning or stomach flu. May not be able to bear the sight, smell or thought of food. Worse at midnight to 2am. Generally chilly and desiring frequent cold drinks. Patient may be very anxious and better for warm applications.

Lycopodium

Patient is full of gas with flatulence and belching. Weak digestion and may be satiated after a little food.  Can’t stand anything around the waist. Usually worse between 4-8pm.

Mag Phos

Colic in children. Abdominal cramping better for warmth and pressure, often quite gassy and better for bending over.

Nux Vomica

Hangover remedy. Over indulgence in food and alcohol. Constipated or with heartburn made worse by spicy food. Grumpy irritable and workaholic people.

Better for rest or discharges.

Podophyllum

Good remedy for Bali Belly with explosive diarrhea. Also for constipation alternating with diarrhea. Worse for acid fruits or milk. Sour smelling vomit.

Thirst for large quantities of water.