Are you suffering with a bloating stomach? Do you feel very windy? Do you feel embarrassed that you sometimes look 6 months pregnant? Tried everything and not sure what to do?
There is a solution
You are not alone, I see clients everyday with this same problem, it is becoming more and more common. Often it can be coupled with heart burn or acid relflux. If you go to the doctor they may prescribe antacids such as omeprazole but this is the absolute worst thing you can do for a bloated stomach. What you need to do is find out the root cause of the problem and address that not just the symptom. I do this using thorough questioning and testing.
5 main causes of bloating include:
1. Low stomach acid levels
2. Poor gallbladder function
3. Development of bacterial overgrowth
4. Candida overgrowth
5. Food sensitivities.
Candida and bloating
Bloating can be a symptom of candida overgrowth. Candida are present at low levels in the gut but they can grow out of control in you have low levels of healthy bacteria or have taken antibiotics. If you do experience boating it is important to check for candida as chronic candida can lead to candidiasis which can be fatal.
Other symptoms that signal that you may have candida include:
- brain fog and fatigue
- food intolerances
- constipation or diarrhoea
- intolerance to alcohol and general poor liver detoxification
- itchy skin or eczema
- white furry tongue
- bad breath
- vaginal (thrush) or foot (athlete’s foot) yeast infections
Stomach acid and bloating
Bloating can be caused by many different reasons but a good place to start is by increasing your stomach acid levels. Stomach acid is required to break down the food that you eat and also to stimulate the release of digestive enzymes. If your food doesn’t get digested properly, you lack proper absorption of nutrients but also the food starts to ferment in the gut producing gas and causing the bloating.
How do I increase my stomach acid?
Start by taking apple cider vinegar daily and see if that helps. Just one tablespoon diluted in a small amount of water before a meal. If after a week this doesn’t not seem to be helping, then the reason for your bloating is not the stomach acid but something else, this could be candida, or bacterial overgrowth, food intolerances or leaky gut.
Is SIBO the root cause of your bloating?
It stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and it is actually the leading cause of bloating.
80% of clients diagnosed with IBS actually have SIBO, so it is not IBS that is the problem (as that is just a name the doctor’s give your digestive problem because they don’t acutally know what the problem is), but SIBO.
Other symptoms of SIBO include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- joint pain
- rashes
- fatigue
SIBO is defined as an increase in the number of bacteria, and/or changes in the types of bacteria present in the small intestine. In most patients, SIBO is not caused by a single type of bacteria, but is an overgrowth of the various types of bacteria that should normally be found in the colon. Less commonly, SIBO results from an increase in the otherwise normal bacteria of the small bowel.
SIBO negatively affects both the structure and function of the small intestine. It may significantly interfere with digestion of food and absorption of nutrients, primarily by damaging the cells lining the small intestine (the mucosa). Additionally, this damage to the mucosa can lead to leaky gut (when the intestinal barrier becomes permeable, allowing large protein molecules to escape into the bloodstream), which is known to have a number of potential complications including immune reactions that cause food allergies or sensitivities, generalized inflammation, and autoimmune diseases.
So, in a nut shell SIBO can be very nasty causing many unpleasant and harmful systemic symptoms. It is important to test for SIBO if you think that you may have it so that targeted antimicrobials can be recommended for a specific period of time to eradicate the overgrowth and reset your gut back to normal to rid you of the constant bloating and other symptoms that come with it.
Testimonial from a client who came to see me for help with his bloated belly:
If you are struggling don’t be embarrassed to ask for help, book in to have a free chat with me to see how I can help. Drop me an email at naomi@gutnutrition.co.uk or call 0785087304.
I’m very friendly and approachable and will speak to you in plain English so you understand what is going on with your body so that we can address it straight on and rid your bloated belly for good.