GUT Health with Dr Scarlett Cooper : Food Sensitivities
BLOATING - the most common symptom for various digestive and GI imbalances.
What does it mean, and how does it affect your general health?
In the following article, Dr Scarlett Cooper, ND, took the time to answer your questions:
Q: I always feel so bloated, no matter what I eat. I feel okay in the morning, but by the end of the day, I look six months pregnant! What could be causing this?
A: I see this digestion pattern so often – people might feel good when they wake up in the morning, but then bloating occurs after eating, and gets worse as the day goes on. While there can be a variety of factors contributing to this, such as food sensitivities, stress, and irregular eating habits, a commonly overlooked cause of bloating is Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). In normal circumstances, we shouldn’t have bacteria in our small intestine – they should stay in the large intestine. For a variety of reasons, however, bacteria can overgrow and migrate up into the small intestine, where they ferment certain foods we eat, resulting in gas, bloating, irregular bowel movements, and even heartburn. This can lead a patient to believe they simply have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), however there is often an underlying cause to the symptoms of IBS – in my practice, I see that SIBO is a very common cause of IBS.
Q: How do I test for SIBO?
A: The best way to test for SIBO is a breath test, which measures the levels of hydrogen and methane gases being produced by bacteria in the small intestine. Depending on the levels of these gases, this tells me whether there is bacterial overgrowth present and where in the digestive tract this overgrowth is occurring.
Q: How do I treat it?
A: Based on this, I create individualized treatment plans to eradicate bacteria and ultimately re-wire the gut to appropriately move food along the digestive tract, thereby helping to eliminate bloating and support regular bowel habits. With the right treatment plan, not only can symptoms be alleviated, we can also prevent recurrence.”
What does it mean, and how does it affect your general health?
In the following article, Dr Scarlett Cooper, ND, took the time to answer your questions:
Q: I always feel so bloated, no matter what I eat. I feel okay in the morning, but by the end of the day, I look six months pregnant! What could be causing this?
A: I see this digestion pattern so often – people might feel good when they wake up in the morning, but then bloating occurs after eating, and gets worse as the day goes on. While there can be a variety of factors contributing to this, such as food sensitivities, stress, and irregular eating habits, a commonly overlooked cause of bloating is Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). In normal circumstances, we shouldn’t have bacteria in our small intestine – they should stay in the large intestine. For a variety of reasons, however, bacteria can overgrow and migrate up into the small intestine, where they ferment certain foods we eat, resulting in gas, bloating, irregular bowel movements, and even heartburn. This can lead a patient to believe they simply have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), however there is often an underlying cause to the symptoms of IBS – in my practice, I see that SIBO is a very common cause of IBS.
Q: How do I test for SIBO?
A: The best way to test for SIBO is a breath test, which measures the levels of hydrogen and methane gases being produced by bacteria in the small intestine. Depending on the levels of these gases, this tells me whether there is bacterial overgrowth present and where in the digestive tract this overgrowth is occurring.
Q: How do I treat it?
A: Based on this, I create individualized treatment plans to eradicate bacteria and ultimately re-wire the gut to appropriately move food along the digestive tract, thereby helping to eliminate bloating and support regular bowel habits. With the right treatment plan, not only can symptoms be alleviated, we can also prevent recurrence.”