Megan was a 38 year old lady who came to see me for help with abdominal bloating, frequent colds and blocked sinuses. Because she was always so congested, she regularly experienced sinus infections. A simple cold often lingered for two weeks and caused throbbing pain in her sinuses.

Her bloated abdomen really bothered her. She knew to avoid soda and bread because they both intensified the bloating and made her feel extremely uncomfortable. The problem was, she was significantly bloated on a regular day. Her abdomen expanded as the day progressed, so that after her evening meal she could no longer do the zipper on her jeans.

Megan wasn’t having a bowel motion often enough; she only went every second or third day. She also mentioned that her stool smelt extremely bad. These are indicators of dysbiosis (too much bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria in the bowel).

Blocked sinuses were a constant problem, and she caught a cold every few months. She regularly suffered with sinus headaches and her continually blocked nose made it difficult to sleep at night. The poor sleep was starting to wear her down. Megan was starting to become quite frustrated and depressed about continually feeling unwell.

Bowel problems and sinus congestion often go hand in hand; it is very common to see those two in patients. The majority of the immune cells in our body are found in the intestines. If the health of the bowel is poor and there is too much bad bacteria, yeast or parasites growing there, the immune system will suffer. The disturbed gut health caused her body to produce excess mucus. Mucus is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, thus encouraging repeated sinus infections.

My recommendations for my patient

Megan ate a lot of crackers. She is a busy person, and the yeast in bread made her extremely bloated, so she figured crackers were a better option. It’s true that they wouldn’t make her as bloated as bread, but the wheat and carbohydrate content can still cause bloating, plus they are not a nutrient dense food.

Megan didn’t eat a lot of vegetables or protein. She ate one egg for breakfast and a smear of tuna on crackers for lunch. Her evening meal was usually meat or chicken with vegetables. She had teenage children, so she cooked a meal each evening. She felt hungry mid morning and mid afternoon, so snacked on crackers, protein bars and nuts.

I asked Megan to base her diet on vegetables, salads, animal protein and healthy fats. I told her she could eat gluten free crackers occasionally if she was particularly busy. It would be best for her to cook extra at dinner time and bring some leftovers to eat the next day for lunch.

Avoiding gluten and grains would help to reduce the abdominal bloating, but in order to help Megan feel better faster, I asked her to take 2 BactoClear capsules twice daily with meals. This would help get rid of the bugs that produced the gases that made Megan bloated. BactoClear capsules contain thyme, oregano and clove essential oils. They have an amazing natural antimicrobial effect in the body. They help to kill bad gut bugs and also the bacteria creating recurrent sinus infections. To improve her digestion further, I asked her to take 1 ox bile capsule with lunch and 1 with dinner. This would improve fat digestion and bile has an antimicrobial action in the gut, helping to prevent bad bugs from growing back.

I also gave Megan LivaTone capsules to help increase bile flow. Bile is a gentle laxative and it would help to improve her bowel habits. Having at least one bowel motion each day is important because waste that is allowed to sit around in the intestines provides food for all the wrong bacteria and parasites.

The diet changes and BactoClear capsules would reduce sinus mucus production and congestion. I also gave Megan Selenomune Energy capsules, to strengthen her immune system and prevent her from catching infections so frequently.

Five weeks later

As soon as she entered the consultation room, Megan told me how much better her abdomen felt. The bloating was mostly gone. She only got bloated if she didn’t eat proper meals and snacked all day. That’s not great for anyone with gut problems. It’s best to give the gut a rest between meals.

Megan’s sinus problems were around 80 percent better. I asked her to take a vitamin C supplement and also include fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir in her diet. This would help re-establish healthy levels of good microbes in her gut.

 

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.