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.

Get Belly Bloating Info By RSS Feeds

I wanted to draw your attention to the new RSS Feed links I just added. All you need to do to subscribe is go to the far right column and click the arrow next to"Posts". You will see a drop down menu that lists six of the most popular RSS Feed services. Click on your favorite and you will be taken to that service's subscription page. Fill out the info requested and you are subscribed.

If you are not familiar with RSS Feeds, they allow you to subscribe to content from blogs you are interested in, and have new postings automatically sent to you by the delivery method of your choice. This includes:

1. In your e-mail box
2. By RSS "reader" software that allows you to read content from different sources either on line or through an application on your computer desktop. A popular reader is FeedDemon (www.feeddemon.com) or
   
3. Your personalized Google, My Yahoo, or My MSN page or any other site that allows you to view RSS content feeds

By subscribing to your favorite RSS Feeds you can skip straight to the content you want to read without digging through pages and pages of search engine results. So subscribe today! That way you won't miss any future information about the causes of a bloated stomach, or how to get rid of bloating!

Doug B.

Get Informed About Stomach Bloating

Hi folks,

Welcome to The Bloated Belly Blogger! My name is Doug Burton and I suffered from a bloated belly for years. Let me tell you it can be a very lonely place to be. That is why I decided to start this blog.

My goal is to start a community of people that are looking for answers to the causes of a bloated stomach and discuss ways to get rid of bloating. Because taking steps to stop bloating also involves taking control of your health and working towards wellness, you can expect to see posts related to these topics as well.

As the webmaster of BloatedBellyHelp.com I am always on the look out for good content to help my visitors. You can expect to see many new posts about my findings here. So be sure you check back often to get the latest.

And don't forget to leave a comment and contribute some bloated belly chat!

Doug