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10% to 25% of healthy people overall experience bloating. At 10% of that statistic, men are almost half of all reported cases. If you find this feeling of fullness and tightness - like a balloon - interfering with your lifestyle, there are healthy ways to manage and prevent recurrences.
There are as many causes of bloating as there are conditions that exacerbate it, and it is not a normal part of aging. Traditional medication targets the region of the bloating without first testing for specific causes such as food sensitivity, allergens, specific imbalances to the microbiome (the environment in which natural gut flora live), or low testosterone.
By targeting without testing, these therapies could completely miss the actual cause.
A holistic healthcare professional will ensure that you receive the Individualized, multidisciplinary approach you need to eliminate the wrong cause, and identify/treat the actual cause.
The culprit is typically fluctuations in the natural bacteria in the digestive system. Probiotic supplements are great solutions for this - specific strains are proven to reduce or eliminate bloating.
What Causes Bloating?
Anything from overindulging at a dinner to constipation, food allergies/sensitivities or chronic gastrointestinal issues can lead to a bloating in your lower abdomen.
Symptoms range from uncomfortable and embarrassing to painful and concerning: an overall feeling of gaseousness that won’t go away, excessive belching, abdominal rumbling, nausea, paint or tightness in the stomach.
Causes include constipation, heightened sensitivity in the gut, gastroparesis (delayed emptying of the stomach, prevalent in diabetics), food allergies and intolerances, high-sugar diets, viral gastroenteritis (the “stomach flu”), small bacterial intestinal overgrowth (SIBO).
Find and Treat the Root Cause
Your body isn’t a collection of parts; it’s a series of complex functional systems that interconnect with each other. Work with a health professional who will take a more comprehensive approach to intensify your own efforts and learn more about your body. By looking at areas of concern in your whole body, a holistic practitioner can locate the primary cause of your discomfort, determine the specific course of treatment and restore optimal health.
Dietary and Nutritional Analysis
Elimination Diet
Your personal healthcare partner will guide you through a diet regimen in which certain foods such as dairy, processed sugars) are eliminated to detect food sensitivities.
Magnesium supplements
Magnesium regulates many of your body’s functions, and studies show that adding magnesium rich-foods such as collard greens, chard, kale, spinach, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds all have a positive effect on gas and bloating. Daily levels are roughly 310-320 400-420 mg, which is difficult to absorb from food alone – consider supplements that get you what you need for daily activity.
Probiotics
When allergens or deficiencies are eliminated, the culprit is usually fluctuations in the gut flora.
Take Aim At The Right One
There are about as many probiotics as there are flora in the microbiome itself. It is important to identify which microbes are fluctuating so the correct probiotic can be applied. Some probiotics such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG/lactobacillus GG for example cause bloating as a side effect. Therefore, testing give you a picture of your overall gut flora and equips your doctor with the necessary data to tailor your treatment options.
Cutting Edge Methods To Detect Microbial Shifts
BecauseHealth offers the CDSA 2.0 (Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis 2.0™) , an advanced stool test that provides instant, workable clinical information for gastrointestinal health management. Cutting-edge technologies and biomarkers fuel this test to provide critical insight into intestinal inflammation, digestive function and your intestinal microbiome.
The test can be performed at any one of our welcoming longevity centers or in the comfort of your own home, using our white glove phlebotomy service for specimen collection.
The Best Probiotics For Gas And Bloating
Your healthcare professional will help you identify the best probiotic strains for your particular concerns. We’ve curated a selection for you of the best proven probiotics to treat gas and bloating:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
Commonly marketed as “acidophilus”, it specifically treats one of the most common food intolerances. It produces lactic acid, which breaks down lactose, the sugar found in milk.
- Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07
A study shows that the probiotic Bi-07 improves the movement of microbes in the microbiome. The same study shows that the effects of this particular probiotic improve as we get older. Another study shows that Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 improved bloating in patients whose bloating was specifically not caused by constipation.
- Bifidobacterium lactis HN019
Improves normal, regular function in intestinal transit, reduce other gastrointestinal symptoms and enhance cellular immune response.
- Lactobacillus plantarum 299v
Relieves abdominal pain by normalizing the levels of bacteria in and around stool, preventing gas and reducing irregularity. This probiotic has also been shown to improve iron absorption.
Heal the gut, sooth the body! Your gut microbiome affects everything from your immune and digestive systems to brain function and mood. If gas and bloating are causing you pain or discomfort, work with a holistic healthcare provider to keep your gut health to optimal levels.
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