Bloating and gas can be uncomfortable, make you irritable and make fitting into your clothes a real challenge but it can also indicate digestive issues that are fairly easy to resolve. Alongside some simple changes Colonic irrigation can help transform how you feel about your body, improve your energy and mood here, including those all-important do’s and don’ts.
Determine what’s causing the bloating
Digestive issues. Constipation, food allergies and intolerances can lead to bloating. When stool becomes backed up in the large bowel, it can cause bloating and a feeling of discomfort. Excess gas may also build up behind the stool, making the bloating worse.
Diet. Fizzy drinks, consuming too much salt or sugar, insufficient fiber in the diet can all cause bloating
Hormonal changes. Many women experience bloating before and during their periods due to hormonal changes and water retention.
Quick tips
1. Go for a walk
Physical activity can get the bowels moving more regularly, which can help to release excess gas and stool. Getting the bowels to move is especially important if a person is feeling constipated. A walk around the block can provide fast relief from gas pressure.
2. Try yoga poses
Certain yoga poses can affect the position the muscles in the abdomen in a way that encourages the release of excess gas from the GI tract and this can reduce bloating.
3. Try abdominal massage
Massaging the abdomen can help to get the bowels moving and to gently move any stuck gas. Massage in the direction of the colon or large intestine as it is also called, so up at the right across and down at the left of the abdomen.
Longer-term solutions for bloating
Quick fixes are not always effective for some causes of bloating. If you have frequent bloating and gas you may find that certain lifestyle changes can help to resolve the causes and reduce bloating and gas over time.
People can use these simple steps to try to prevent bloating in the long-term:
1. Increase fibre gradually
Eating more fibre helps to prevent constipation and bloating. Most people in America do not get enough fiber, with Apparently only 5-10% of people in the Western world meet their recommended daily fiber intake of 25 grams (g) for females and 38 g for males.
However, it is important to bear in mind that eating too much fiber or increasing it too quickly can cause even more gas and bloating.
So aim to start slowly and increase the intake over several weeks to allow the body to adjust to this change in the diet. This is also a great preparation for having a colonic hydrotherapy treatment.
2. Replace fizzy drinks with water
Fizzy, carbonated drinks contain carbon dioxide that can build up in the intestines and make you gassy and bloated.
Sugars or artificial sweeteners in the diet can also cause gas and bloating so best to avoid these as well. Drinking water preferably room temperature helps to eliminates these issues, is a great preparation before having a colonic and helps to treat constipation as well.
3. Avoid chewing gum
The sugar alcohols in chewing gum can cause bloating in some people and also its more easy to swallow air while chewing and this can also lead to bloating and gas.
4. Get more active every day
Exercise can help your body to move stool and gas out of the colon and may make bowel movements more regular. Exercise also helps to release sodium from the body via sweating, which can help to relieve water retention.
It is vital to drink plenty of water before and after exercising to stay hydrated, as well as prior to having a colonic treatment.
5. Try probiotics
Probiotics are the friendly or beneficial bacteria that live in the intestines. Taking a probiotic supplement may help to re-balance the helpful colon bacteria and reduce those that can cause gas and bloating.
Bloating and gas can be helped by the every day things we do, what we eat and drink as well as how fast we eat. I always discuss diet and lifestyle at each appointment and give nutritional advice for you to take away.
If you have any questions about the colonic irrigation process, head on over to my FAQs. If you’d like to book an appointment, get in touch today. Alternatively, for the latest news, check out my blog.