Quite a few of our patients complain of excess gas in their stomach and/or intestines. This manifests as burping, flatulence, and/or abdominal bloating.

While it is normal to have some degree of gas, an excess of it is not only embarrassing, it can indicate problems which need to be dealt with.

Suffering with excess gas can be embarrassing and painful. Unfortunately the adverse effects are not only felt in the digestive tract. Fatigue, foggy head and depression are all more common in individuals with a digestive problem.

What causes this excess gas?

  • Eating excess quantities of food
  • Excess intake of sugar or poorly absorbed carbohydrates in the diet (e.g. FODMAPS)
  • Intolerance to gluten or other foods
  • Excess unfriendly bacteria in the gut
  • Constipation
  • Poor digestion and absorption of food due to a sluggish or fatty pancreas
  • Poor digestion and absorption of food due to a sluggish or absent gallbladder
  • Changing your diet from a bad way of eating to a good way of eating – yes, the change shocks the digestive system and it takes time to adapt
  • Eating lots of foods high in sulfur – e.g. eggs, onions, garlic, cabbage etc.

Remedies for Excess Gas

  • Take a good liver tonic like LivaTone to support better production of bile. This will also help the liver to break down toxins, so the bile that enters the small intestines is healthier.
  • Take our Super Digestive Enzymes – two capsules before each meal. These really are 'super' because they contain pancreatic enzymes, hydrochloric acid and oxbile – yes, we have got all bases of good digestion covered with this formula!
  • Take a good probiotic supplement.
  • Eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, natto, kefir, kombucha, cultured vegetables, miso or tempeh to improve gut bacteria.
  • Sip organic Apple Cider vinegar in a dose of 1-2 tablespoons diluted in a quarter of a glass of warm water before your meals.
  • It is important to avoid being constipated. Ideally you would have between one and three bowel motions each day, as this reduces the risk of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). If you are not having thorough bowel actions, Colon Detox capsules are a gentle and effective laxative.

If you are really a very gassy person you may need a detox!

Dr Sandra Cabot’s 1 - 2 week liver detoxification program

Here are the principles of the program –

  • Drink 10 glasses of water daily – drink it throughout the day. Start the day with a glass of water containing the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon or lime.

Eat only the following during your 1 to 2 week detox –

  • Fruits and vegetables - the fruits and vegetables can be raw and cooked. You may have any vegetable you want including starchy vegetables such as sweet potato, carrot, parsnips and turnips etc. If you make a vegetable soup, you may use vegetable stock, Herbamare or miso to flavor it. To cook the vegetables, you may use the following methods - boil them, steam them, roast them or stir fry them with olive oil. You can spread the vegetables with a thin layer of olive oil or coconut oil before you roast them in the oven. Do not use a microwave oven to cook your vegetables or fruits, as this may destroy some of the nutrients. You can stew the fruits in their own juice and water with a tiny amount of honey or stevia. Cinnamon sticks add a nice flavor to stewed fruits. If you can afford it, purchase organic fruits and vegetables.
  • Salad dressing ingredients – you may use cold pressed olive oil or macadamia oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, fresh lemon or lime and fresh or dried herbs. Mix ingredients in a jar and shake or whisk with a fork or blend in a blender.
  • Raw nuts and seeds – you can choose any seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, sunflower seeds) and any raw nuts.
  • Tahini and hummus are allowed and make a nice dip with avocado and lemon.
  • Milks – only coconut or almond milk is allowed.
  • Drink 8 ounces to 10 ounces (250 to 300mls) of raw juice daily – best ingredients to juice are parsley, basil, mint, carrot, cabbage, beet, green apple, lemon, orange and ginger. You can also add a cruciferous vegetable to the juice such as kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower.

You may want to do this detox diet several times during a year to keep your total body toxin load at acceptable levels. Doing a detox will reduce your intestinal gas problem.

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

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