Bloating - 60+ Million People Live With It, What Can Be Done?

Do you live with chronic bloating? Would you guess that 1 in 5 of your friends and family may as well? It is one of the most prevalent symptoms that we endure – when you wake up, after each meal, and getting worse and worse throughout the day. Statistics show that about 20% of the U.S. population has bloating. I would think that is a low estimate. The digestive system isn’t the sexiest of systems in the body, and people are embarrassed to talk about it. But the chronic symptoms that so many people are living with can be changed!

I lived with IBS and bloating for years. It is the reason I chose to study nutrition. I never got answers, no one had a solution for me. Not only did I regularly feel physically uncomfortable, I felt emotionally uncomfortable because it was embarrassing! The desire for stretchy pants that put no pressure on my gut; I often felt like I wanted to pull the skin away from my stomach to release the constant pressure of bloating.

One client of mine described the relief in this way, “I can finally take a breath.” The pressure of constant bloating made her feel like she could never really breathe deeply. The changes to her diet and healing her gut not only allowed her to breathe, the IBS was gone and she lost weight too!

Why does bloating occur?

There are many reasons why you might experience it:

1. food sensitivities causing chronic inflammation

2. a damaged gut preventing nutrients from being properly broken down and absorbed

3. stress

4. “standard American diet” – too much food high in sugar, fat and salt; highly processed foods containing ingredients that cause digestive distress for many, eating meals very fast

5. bacterial overgrowth

6. intestinal parasites

Solutions to chronic bloating

Each individual is different so, of course, the solution will be unique to each person.

• When someone lives with a multitude of symptoms and may also have IBS, food sensitivity testing with creation of an individually tailored anti-inflammatory diet is extremely effective. Once the body is not constantly being bombarded with inflammatory foods it can begin the healing process.

• If living on the “standard American diet,” simply cleaning up the diet – eliminating highly processed foods, slowing down and nourishing the body well can solve the problem.

• Stress is not an occasional occurrence today it is what many live with 24/7. Stress absolutely can go to the gut. It may create a symptom and it may create long term damage. Stress may not be avoidable, but it can be managed well with relaxation, meditation and simply breathing!

• If damage to the gut has occurred a healing protocol is required. This will include an anti-inflammatory diet protocol, but also may include nutrients specifically beneficial for healing the gut tissue.

• Bacterial overgrowth or intestinal parasites may require medication to heal before a nourishing diet and stress management can create the right balance.

There can be more serious conditions related to bloating, so talking with your doctor is important. But when you have eliminated all other causes, it’s time to dig deeper. Stop living in discomfort. On the other side – you can breathe!