Bloating Causes - Part III

Last time, I talked about toxicity being a major cause of malnutrition in our country. Like the people starving from famine in underdeveloped countries, malnutrition leads to a bloating stomach.

A second reason why we are overfeed and undernourished is the poor quality of our food supply. It is vital for us to cleanse our cells from all the poisonous toxins I mentioned last time, so they can absorb nutrients properly. However, if there isn't an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals, there is nothing for the cells to absorb. Without the nutrients needed to repair and replenish our cells they begin to degenerate. Over time this leads to chronic degenerative diseases like, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Ultimately, it leads to death.

Over the last 100 years our food supply has been severely compromised. That is just a blink of an eye when compared to the length of time humans have roamed this earth. Here are some of the massive changes that have led to these results:

• Commercial farming techniques have left the soil depleted of many minerals and micro-nutrients
• Premature harvesting for market transport prevents foods from developing all the nutrients available when fully ripened
• Cooking and heating destroys vital enzymes
• Additives, preservatives & artificial ingredients reduce the nutritional value of foods
• Chemical herbicides & pesticides introduce toxins that compete with nutrients for space in our cells
• Modern food processing removes portions of foods that contain the highest concentrations of nutrients leaving only the less nutritious residues
• Microwaving & irradiation break down nutrients and introduce toxic substances
  
• Genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms are introducing unknown and untested cell structures to our foods
• Fast foods stress convenience over nutrition content

All these factors reduce the nutritional content of our food. Without the high levels of vitamins and minerals that once were present in our diet, we are slowly being starved. So when we are looking for bloating causes we don't need to look much farther than malnutrition because of our food supply's deterioration.

Doug B.

Bloating Causes - Part II

In my last post, I stated that even though we live in a land of plenty, a major segment of our population is malnourished. Many people are actually overfeed, but undernourished. As a result, these people have the same bloating stomach as the people commonly pictured starving in underdeveloped third world countries. So why is that?

There are two reasons I would like to cover here. Today, I will discuss the first reason. This reason is toxicity. It's a physical law that two or more objects can't occupy the same space at the same time. This principle applies even at the cellular level.

Our bodies tend to collect and store too many waste products. These include poisonous toxins like diacetic, lactic, pyruvic, uric, carbonic, acetic, butyric and heptic acids. When our cells are filled with these compounds there is no room left for the nutrients required to repair and nourish them. Over time our cells begin to degenerate and die just like someone who is suffering from famine. There really isn't any difference whether a person doesn't have enough to eat, or what they do eat doesn't reach their cells. Both situations result in malnutrition.

These toxins come from both our external physical environment, as well as our internal emotional state. You may not realize it, but your emotions can have a very toxic effect on your body. And when these toxins build up in our system, they are one of the bloating causes.

In my next post I will talk about a second reason many people are malnourished.

Doug B.

Bloating Causes

Every day people come to my web site searching for information like, causes of bloating, bloating causes, causes of abdominal bloating, stomach bloating causes, and what causes bloating. Based on the number of searches, these are very common questions. So I plan to devote several of my next posts to this topic.

To start with, let me point out that the most common symptom of malnutrition is abdominal bloating. If you have ever seen pictures of people starving in underdeveloped countries, I'm sure you have noticed all the people are swollen and have their stomach bloated.

I can hear you asking, "What's that got to do with my bloating? I don't live in a country that is suffering from famine. There is plenty of food here." But, the fact is you too are suffering from bloating stomach just like they are. Why is that?

I contend that even, here in the midst of plenty, a major segment of our population is malnourished. We are a country that is overfeed ,and at the same time undernourished. So how can that be?

Stay tuned for my next post.

Doug B.

Take Control Of Your Health

The US has the biggest medical system in the world and spends way more on health care than many other countries combined but is still statistically very low in many of the measures of true health.

• We are 2nd to last in overall health (according to JAMA)
• We are last in potential life lost (according to JAMA)
  
• We are second to last in healthy longevity (according to Dr John Abramson)
  
• We are last in infant mortality rate (according to JAMA)
  
• We are last in neonatal mortality (according to JAMA)
  
• We are #1 in depression.
  

These statistics show our health care system is broken. Managing the effects of disease with drugs and surgery has become the main focus of the medical community, rather than working to prevent disease from occurring in the first place.

As a nation we are also #1 in degenerative illness such as cancer and heart disease (according to the CDC). Cancer is the biggest killer in the US and it has been statistically proven that drugs, chemotherapy and radiation DO NOT work to eradicate this disease, yet it is still being touted as the only cure.

Sadly, many of these degenerative illnesses are due to lifestyle choices, that is, if we changed our lifestyles and embraced healthy choices, we could eradicate these conditions.

It is time we take control of our own health, rather than relying on the medical community to dictate how we manage our illness. We are the ones that are ultimately responsible for how our bodies function. We each have an amazing body. When we give it the right tools, often it can regain health on its own.

Let's start the New Year out right, by making a resolution to reclaim our health and make a plan for wellness in 2009!


Doug B.

The Health Risks Of Bloating

Yesterday, I listed some scary statistics about our health. But, what do these have to do with bloating?

For most people, relieving a bloated stomach is a matter of comfort and appearance. Bloating can be painful. It can also be embarrassing. People often mistake you for pregnant, or joke about your "beer belly".

Even though these are valid reasons for concern, the health risks of bloating are far more important. This is because they are so deadly.

Studies show that when your waist circumference (WC) increases in proportion to your body mass index (BMI) your risk for diabetes, stroke, heart disease, gallstones, high blood pressure, kidney failure, arthritis and most cancers increases.

In March of 2008, Neurology published a report that showed there is even evidence that abdominal bloating leads to Alzheimer's and Dementia.

So, getting rid of your bloated stomach isn't just about how you look, or how you feel. It is truly a matter of life or death.

Doug B.

American's Aren't Very Healthy

I ran across some very frightening statistics today. Here they are:

• 1500 Americans die from cancer each day
• 1 out of every 3 women and 1 in 2 men will have cancer in their lifetime
• 1 American women in 8 will be diagnosed with breast cancer
• More women die from heart disease than breast cancer
• Every year 1.1 million Americans have a heart attack
• In America, 500,000 heart attack victims die each year
• 23% of Americans suffer from hypertension
• $330 million is spent each year by Americans on heart disease
• Over the next 50 years, Diabetes will increase by 165% with 29 million Americans being diagnosed
• 33% of Americans have arthritis

There is one last statistic I found very relevant to stomach bloating. Here it is -- 64% of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese.

Tomorrow I want to talk about how this statistic relates to all other statistics I already listed.

Doug B

What Is Bloating

Since we are going to be discussing the issue of bloating here, I think it is important to start with a definition. That way we will all be on the same page. So what is bloating?

Wikipedia lists the following definition:

"Bloating is any abnormal general swelling, or increase in diameter of the abdominal area. As a symptom, the patient feels a full and tight abdomen, which may cause abdominal pain sometimes accompanied by borborygmus."

If you are like me, you may be wondering what in the heck is borborygmus. When I looked it up, I found out it is stomach growling or rumbling.

So if you have been experiencing any of these types of symptom, you have come to the right place.

Doug B.