Underlying Causes and Treatments for Stomach Bloating

Any person who has dealt with bloating in the mid-section will know how difficult and sometimes painful this condition can be.  It can make daily functions uncomfortable and clothes seem to never fit right.  Unfortunately, there are many reasons which cause bloating in the belly.  These can range from excess water, indigestion, various digestive disorders, food allergies and yeast infections (candida).  In order to discover what is affecting you, we may need to do a little trial and error and see what works best

Candida:  I’m going to start by focusing on yeast because this is a common disorder and it would fit the bill for the symptoms you have described, including the feeling of being “dizzy and nauseated”.  If you are also prone to yeast infections, inability to concentrate, general flu-like aches or headaches, this would seem to be the cause. Many often notice that their tongues seem to have a white coating, regardless of how often one cleans the teeth and gums.  One study suggested that up to 75% of the population has problems with candida and is unaware of it.

Yeast, besides being a common irritant many women suffer from periodically, can affect both men and women and is naturally found in our digestive tracts.  Men who report frequent problems with any of the above symptoms as well as jock itch or athlete's foot probably also have a candida infection.  The more severe cases can leave people complaining of feeling drunk, lightheaded and of being “dizzy and nauseated.”   Many people who are more prone to this have diets rich in breads, cheeses, beer and wine.  If you are treating candida, a good first step is to remove these foods, at least temporarily, from your diet.

The good news is that yeast is easy to treat.  Besides avoiding those certain foods listed above, other dietary changes should be extremely beneficial, such as:

Acidophilus:  This is a friendly strain of bacteria found in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract - a probiotic organism.  It helps to increase digestive enzymes which can help prevent gas and bloating even if you have no underlying problems of yeast.  In addition, acidophilus tends to be yeast’s worst enemy.  Have you ever noticed that you tend to get yeast infections during or shortly after having been on a round of antibiotics?  This is because those antibiotics kill both good bacteria (probiotics) and bad.  This allows for yeast to grow unhampered and is often why doctors will tell you to eat yogurt in between antibiotic dosages.  You can either take acidophilus supplements or learn to eat yogurt.  If the infection is bad, I would buy an acidophilus powder and sprinkle it onto the yogurt for a double-dosage.

Yogurt:  This naturally tends to contains acidophilus.  To make certain the yogurt you have truly has acidophilus, be certain you read on the label the little marker which states that it has live organisms.  If you’ve seen Jamie Lee Curtis on TV, you know about the benefits of a certain brand of yogurt.  That will also help most types of digestive problems and bloating though I would still take an acidophilus supplement so you know you are loading up on both.

Yeast’s Last Stand:  No kidding.  When a yeast infection is being cured and those little buggers are dying off, you may initially feel that the symptoms have become even worse - especially the feeling of being “drunk”.  This should not be an excuse to stop taking supplements or killing the yeast.  If you can, try to stay home for a couple of days and get lots of rest.  When curing a feminine yeast infection, I have found that I also have a heavier discharge with I’m going heavy on the acidophilus.

Water Retention:  Another factor which can cause bloating is due to water retention.  Some of the causes for this can also lead to the symptoms you have described.

High Sodium:  If you have a diet which is higher in sodium, water retention can be the cause.  I personally notice that after gorging on chips and salsa, my face appears fuller and I cannot wear my rings.  Cutting back on sodium while drinking more fluids (especially water) can help in this regard.

Low Potassium: This doesn’t get nearly enough attention, though problems with low potassium can run the gamut from having some mild symptoms to life threatening.  If you have muscular aches, LEG CRAMPS, headaches, irregular heartbeat and water retention (including bloating and swollen feet/ankles) this could easily be a factor.  I have had poor luck with potassium pills if for no other reason than the ones in the store contain so little potassium.  I would either start munching 1-2 bananas every day or find coconut water.

• Coconut water - (not to be mistaken with coconut milk or juice).You can find this at many health food stores such as Whole Foods.  It contains more potassium than a banana and more electrolytes than sports drinks yet without all of the sugar and calories.  The only problem is that it is cost prohibitive, usually running at about $1.50 to $2.00 per serving though sometimes you can buy this in larger bulk containers.  I am a strong advocate of coconut water and have been considering writing a factoid just about that as I feel it is a life saver.  It can either come plain or mixed with other juices.  If you financially are able, I would start off drinking 1-2 servings of this a day for a week to see if you have fewer symptoms or just overall feel better, though I would still focus on yogurt/acidophilus as I feel that it is the most likely immediate cause of your bloating.  It may also be you have more than one thing going on and it would therefore be worth your while to try both methods.

Food Allergies:  Food allergies are unfortunately a more difficult thing to determine.  The only thing I can recommend in this regard, should the earlier methods fail, is to start a medical journal about what foods you eat, when you eat it and how you feel later.  (Actually, you should have a medical journal anyway as it will help you decide if the other methods help treat your problems as well.)  Some common culprits can include dairy, nuts and processed foods.  You may also initially remove these things from your diet to see if you have an allergy and if the symptoms diminish.  Still, the journal is a good thing to have for many reasons as there can always be more than one underlying factor for your problems.

Digestive Disorder:  If all else fails, you need to see a doctor.  You may have some internal blockage or other medical concern which only a doctor can diagnose and treat.  If you started that journal, be certain to take this with you, especially as your doctor may initially want to diagnose a yeast infection or water retention and might not realize that what all you have done in those regards or in terms of food allergies.

I hope this information is of some assistance.

Good luck to you.