Do you have the sensation that food sits in your stomach, creating the effect of fullness or bloating during or after a meal?
Do you skip meals or eat erratically because you have no appetite?
Do you feel hungry an hour or 2 after eating a good sized meal?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, read on.
A month ago, I was in a conference on Gastro-Intestinal health restoration ‘’the next revolution’’. I have the privilege of being invited to those conferences, with numerous doctors and health practitioners. I’m usually very anxious to go to these conferences, because I know that at least one client will benefit from these new research. But as I found out later on in the following week, I would benefit myself from this new information.
The presentation was given by Dr. Micheal Wald, nationally recognized speaker on natural medicine, and is supervisor of nutritional services at Integrated Medicine. Dr. Wald believes that the ability of the body to maintain healthy gastrointestinal (GI) function, and to heal the GI barrier when its integrity is compromised, is necessary for healthy aging and protection from many diseases and disorders. Research has shown an association between impaired GI function and various conditions, such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, eczema, metabolic bone disease, allergies, nutrient malabsorption, and oesophageal reflux. There are many factors associated with impaired GI function including food allergies, excessive stress, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids. GI complaints are presently the most common reason for hospitalization, with over 70 million Americans suffering from some form of serious GI disorder.
Fortunately, recent work has been carried out to define a systematic approach to support optimal GI function. Based on the concepts of Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, and Regenerate, the 4R GI Restoration Program promotes overall GI health by removing unhealthy bacteria from the intestinal tract and allergenic foods from the diet, replacing supportive stomach acids and digestive enzymes, reinoculating the intestine with healthy bacteria (probiotics), and regenerating the intestinal lining with targeted nutritional support (6).
Here is one of the case studies of the conference;
37 years old woman with complaints of hair loss, dry skin, mild depression, poor sleep quality, fatigue, occasional constipation, with feeling of fullness, post-prandial food intolerance(within 30 min. of a meal) including bloating, flatulence...
She was given a supplement called Metagest . It features the acidifying factor betaine HCI and the proteolytic enzyme pepsin, along with gentian root — an herbal bitter traditionally used to support healthy digestion. After a 3 month treatment, her hair loss lessened, dry skin improved and no more constipation, no bloating or fullness after meals.
The next case is a client of mine. She came in with a major case of Crohn’s disease. For those of you who are not familiar with Crohn’s, it’s a disease of the digestive system which may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus. As a result, the symptoms of Crohn's disease can vary significantly among afflicted individuals. The main gastrointestinal symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be visibly bloody), vomiting, or weight loss.[4][5] Crohn's disease can also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, and inflammation of the eye.[1]
The precise cause of Crohn's disease is not known. The disease occurs when the immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract and for this reason, Crohn's disease is considered an autoimmune disease. This autoimmune activity produces inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, and therefore Crohn's disease is classified as an inflammatory bowel disease.
Weight loss was her major concern, but I wanted to take care of the disease first and then the weight loss. By doing that, it would probably help her lose weight anyway. I took a chance (of losing her as a client) and explained to her that if I tried to make her lose weight, her condition was going to deteriorate. So I went on and changed her eating habits, gave her a weight training program, and a supplement protocol. She saw a major difference in her symptoms within a month. She even went for a routine check-up with her physician, and even she was amazed with her improvement.
Remember, this is an extreme case but almost everyone could benefit from a healthier Gastro-intestinal tract. I even forgot how it did me good years ago. An old shoulder injury from my Jiu-jitsu days came back a year ago and was always holding me back in my training efforts. After the conference, I started taking Metagest again (I took it a year ago for the same reasons) because of symptoms of fullness and indigestions after meals. After a week on Metagest, everything came back to normal, but mostly no more shoulder pain. By not assimilating all my essential nutrients to help me recuperate and nourish my muscles, ligaments and tendons, my body was too acidic. When you are too acidic, inflammation starts to kick in. There was my shoulder problem.
It’s very important that you don’t close your eyes on any symptoms you may have, you just have to listen to your body. Remember that what you do now has a major impact on how you are going to live the rest of your life.
1 Nicotine and IBD - Smoking and IBD
2 Loftus, E. V.; P. Schoenfeld, W. J. Sandborn (2002). "The epidemiology and natural history of Crohn's disease in population-based patient cohorts from North America: a systematic review". Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 16 (1): 51–60. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2036.2002.01140.x. PMID 11856078.
3 Bernstein, Charles N. (2006). "The Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canada: A Population-Based Study" 101 (7): 1559–68. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2006.00603.x. PMID 16863561.
4 Mayo Clinic: Crohn's Disease
5 National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
6 Gut Dysfunction and Chronic Disease: The Benefits of Applying the 4R GI Restoration Program : McCarthy DM. Comparative toxicity of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Am J Med 1999;107(6A):37S-46S.
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