Do you have any advice on bloating?
Nov. 30, 2021 Dr Sally Moorcroft
Do you have any advice on bloating?
"I've tried probiotics and peppermint pills and it never seems to go away. It's such an uncomfortable feeling."
So bloating is really common. Actually, it's a very common symptom that many people get. And the first thing I would say is just to make sure you go to your GP first and to just rule out there are a few quite rare conditions, but some serious conditions that you just want to rule out if you're having persistent bloating.
So I think the first thing is a trip to the GP to get that checked. And once you've done that, then there are some simple things you might like to look at so often food intolerances can cause bloating. Also irritable bowel syndrome, something called SIBO, which is small intestinal bowel overgrowth is a very common cause of bloating, too. You might want to explore those.
I would say that ideally with a registered nutritionist or a functional medicine doctor who can guide you through testing and looking for those allergies or gut dysbiosis or SIBO, which we really need to test for. To know if you have got those simple things you might like to do on your own would be to try removal of gluten from your diet. So a three week trial of no gluten. This can be often very helpful. You do have to be quite strict to make sure you remove all gluten. You may also liked to try digestive enzymes or ginger tablets, which can also be helpful.
"I've tried probiotics and peppermint pills and it never seems to go away. It's such an uncomfortable feeling."
So bloating is really common. Actually, it's a very common symptom that many people get. And the first thing I would say is just to make sure you go to your GP first and to just rule out there are a few quite rare conditions, but some serious conditions that you just want to rule out if you're having persistent bloating.
So I think the first thing is a trip to the GP to get that checked. And once you've done that, then there are some simple things you might like to look at so often food intolerances can cause bloating. Also irritable bowel syndrome, something called SIBO, which is small intestinal bowel overgrowth is a very common cause of bloating, too. You might want to explore those.
I would say that ideally with a registered nutritionist or a functional medicine doctor who can guide you through testing and looking for those allergies or gut dysbiosis or SIBO, which we really need to test for. To know if you have got those simple things you might like to do on your own would be to try removal of gluten from your diet. So a three week trial of no gluten. This can be often very helpful. You do have to be quite strict to make sure you remove all gluten. You may also liked to try digestive enzymes or ginger tablets, which can also be helpful.
