The Beast in Your Belly

When we overindulge in rich food and drinks during the holidays it’s common to end up with stomach troubles.  Common symptoms of “seasonal” overindulgence are feeling bloated, unbalanced, and maybe a little abdominal pain combined with diarrhea.  Most of the time the symptoms cease after the last party of the season, however, for some of us the stomach woes persist and may indicate a more serious underlying problem.

If you are one of the unlucky with ongoing bloating, gas, and abdominal pain your problem may be one of the following conditions.

Let’s start with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Inflammatory Bowel Disorder (IBD).

IBS and IBD are chronic gastrointestinal disorders that affect millions of people in the US. They can be associated with diarrhea or constipation with abdominal pain, which is often relieved when the bowels are emptied.

IBD is an autoimmune disease, where our own bodies attack the cells in the gut wall causing inflammation and damage. that is often diagnosed by colonoscopic examination, which shows massive inflammation and damage to the digestive symptom. The damage can range from the throat and mouth to the large intestine. There is no standard test to diagnose IBS and unlike IBD, a colonoscopy exam of an IBS patient will show no identifiable change to the gut wall.

Research has suggested that IBS is associated with low-grade inflammation at the cellular level such that it can cause symptoms and discomfort but is not sufficient to cause gross visible changes to the gut wall. Nevertheless, the patient still experiences discomfort.

The treatment options for IBD are usually drugs to reduce the inflammation due to the autoimmune disease. There are no real treatment options for IBS beyond changes to diet, lifestyle, and avoiding trigger foods, which vary from patient to patient. However, research has indicated that probiotics, such as SuperBio, can help as the “good” probiotic bacteria and prebiotic fiber can help to reduce inflammation that underlies the IBS discomfort.

Celiac Disease:

Celiac disease is an allergy to gluten, a protein found in wheat and barley. The condition is confirmed by a blood test and colonoscopy. When a Celiac patient eats wheat or barley it triggers an allergic inflammatory response, not unlike that seen in IBD, which results in damage to the gut lining, and causes bloating, gas, cramping, and an inability to properly absorb nutrients.

There is no treatment for Celiac disease, beyond avoiding gluten, however, as Celiac causes inflammation, probiotics may provide some relief, as taking “good” bacteria to supplement the gut microbiome can reduce inflammation.

Our diet and lifestyle can often be the result of short-term or chronic digestive problems. In many cases, changes to lifestyle and diet are the only options. However, research is beginning to show that probiotics, like SuperBio, can be an effective way to promote good digestive health and bring relief from many digestive diseases. Probiotics can also help in breaking out of the cycle, by replacing “good” gut bacteria once the antibiotic treatment is finished. This will also help in reducing inflammation and improve gut health in a natural way.