Many people have trouble losing weight no matter how much they diet and exercise. Some blame it on their age or genetics when in reality the culprit may be poor colon function. In this post I discuss how the health of your large intestine greatly influences your ability to lose fat.
Many disorders of the large intestine go unrecognized by conventional, allopathic medicine. Your medical doctor is trained to diagnose and treat diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract but often tests fail to provide an accurate assessment of this important organ. In fact, the American Gastroenterological Association notes that X-rays, blood tests and endoscopy appear normal in 41% of patients with GI symptoms.
Below are just a few examples of disorders that can interfere with weight loss.
Thyroid Hormone
Thyroid hormone greatly influences metabolic rate. T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, stimulates calorie-burning metabolism but it must first be converted from T4. Normally, twenty percent of T4 is converted to T3 in the large intestine. Therefore, dysfunction of the colon can impair the conversion process and slow metabolism.
Lipase and Cortisol
Sixty percent of our immune system is located in the colon. Viruses, bacteria, yeast, parasites and food allergies or sensitivities can activate the immune system and produce an inflammatory reaction in the intestine. This inflammation interferes with lipase, a hormone that causes the release of fat from cells for use in energy production. Inflammation also increases levels of cortisol which,stimulates the liver to release sugar and creates a state known as lipogenesis (the creation of new fat). As a result of these two hormonal shifts, less fat is utilized and more is produced. This can create a frustrating cycle for an individual trying to lose fat.
Arachidonic Acid
Another way in which inflammation in the large intestine can undermine weight loss is the release of arachidonic acid (AA), an inflammatory chemical that can cause aches and pains in the body. AA also decreases fat metabolism in favor of burning sugar.
There are many other processes that can interfere with colon health. If you are suffering from any of the symptoms below, you may need to undergo additional testing that your internist or enterologist doesn’t offer.
Symptoms of an Unhealthy Colon
- Feeling that the bowels do not empty completely
- Passing stool or gas relieves lower abdominal pain
- Alternating diarrhea and constipation
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Hard, dry or small stool
- Coated or fuzzy tongue
- Passing a large amount of foul-smelling gas
- Having more than 3 bowel movements daily
- Needing laxatives frequently
Showing posts with label gastrointestinal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gastrointestinal. Show all posts
4 Step Approach To Diagnosing & Treating H. Pylori Infection In The Stomach
In this post, I’m going to help you recognize the symptoms caused by Helicobacter Pylori infections of the stomach. H. Pylori is a bacteria that can injure the stomach lining and if not detected it can cause a host of serious problems.
Years ago, ulcers and stomach indigestion were thought to be caused by “stress”. In the 1990’s, it became widely known that a bacteria can also cause these symptoms. Helicobacter Pylori is the nasty bacteria in question and it is prevalent in our food supply. Poultry and eggs can contain H. Pylori and some people become infected when they eat these products. H. Pylori can inhabit the stomach cell lining known as the “mucosa.” It thrives in a low acid environment and many people have abnormally low stomach acid. Additionally, H. Pylori functions to cause inflammation, injuring parietal cells which make stomach acid (hydrochloric acid). This becomes a viscous cycle as the bacteria contributes to low stomach acid levels.
Depending on the severity and location of H. Pylori infection can play a role in causing:
- Heartburn
- Reflux
- Burping, bloating, stomach pain
If left untreated it can cause:
- Ulcer of the stomach and small intestine
- Certain cancers
- Heart disease
In our clinic, when a patient complains of any of the first three symptoms we might try a course of hydrochloric acid therapy. If this reduces or eliminates all symptoms, we will continue for about four weeks with the supplement. If the symptoms return upon stopping the hydrochloric acid supplementation we’ll consider testing for H. Pylori.
The test that we utilize is called the “Urea Breath Test” and is easy to administer, causes no side effects and is fairly inexpensive (approximately $100).
To perform the Urea Breath Test, the patients submits a baseline breath sample by taking a deep breath and blowing into a specially designed plastic bag. Then the patient drinks a very sweet solution, and after a few minutes takes another deep breath and blows into a second bag. The bags are sent to a lab where carbon dioxide levels are contrasted between the two bags. An increase of carbon dioxide in the testing sample indicates the presence of H. Pylori.
The organism can be eradicated by an antibiotic or by using nutritional compounds designed to kill the bug and heal the stomach.
4 Step Approach to Detecting & Correcting H. Pylori Infections:
If you have any of the symptoms listed above
1. Try taking small doses of hydrochloric (stomach) acid. This is available at any health food store. Click here for a warning and tips regarding how to supplement with hydrochloric acid. Note: do not take it if you have an ulcer!
2. If the hydrochloric acid helps, stay on it for a month and then discontinue use.
3. If your symptoms do not return, you probably don’t have H. Pylori. If they reappear, contact a provider who can help you get the Urea Breath Test.
4. If the test is positive use antibiotics or products from your local health food store designed to eradicate this bacteria. Some of the nutritional compounds to consider are:
Golden Seal root extract
Oregano Oil extract
Barberry extract
Oregon Grape root extract
Berberis Aristata extract
Coptis Chinensis extract
Yerba Mansa extract
Bismuth
If you follow these steps, many of you will cure your stomach problems. Once H. Pylori is accurately diagnosed, it is usually not too hard to treat successfully.
Good luck and keep me posted on your experiences!
Dr. Ungaro
Years ago, ulcers and stomach indigestion were thought to be caused by “stress”. In the 1990’s, it became widely known that a bacteria can also cause these symptoms. Helicobacter Pylori is the nasty bacteria in question and it is prevalent in our food supply. Poultry and eggs can contain H. Pylori and some people become infected when they eat these products. H. Pylori can inhabit the stomach cell lining known as the “mucosa.” It thrives in a low acid environment and many people have abnormally low stomach acid. Additionally, H. Pylori functions to cause inflammation, injuring parietal cells which make stomach acid (hydrochloric acid). This becomes a viscous cycle as the bacteria contributes to low stomach acid levels.
Depending on the severity and location of H. Pylori infection can play a role in causing:
- Heartburn
- Reflux
- Burping, bloating, stomach pain
If left untreated it can cause:
- Ulcer of the stomach and small intestine
- Certain cancers
- Heart disease
In our clinic, when a patient complains of any of the first three symptoms we might try a course of hydrochloric acid therapy. If this reduces or eliminates all symptoms, we will continue for about four weeks with the supplement. If the symptoms return upon stopping the hydrochloric acid supplementation we’ll consider testing for H. Pylori.
The test that we utilize is called the “Urea Breath Test” and is easy to administer, causes no side effects and is fairly inexpensive (approximately $100).
To perform the Urea Breath Test, the patients submits a baseline breath sample by taking a deep breath and blowing into a specially designed plastic bag. Then the patient drinks a very sweet solution, and after a few minutes takes another deep breath and blows into a second bag. The bags are sent to a lab where carbon dioxide levels are contrasted between the two bags. An increase of carbon dioxide in the testing sample indicates the presence of H. Pylori.
The organism can be eradicated by an antibiotic or by using nutritional compounds designed to kill the bug and heal the stomach.
4 Step Approach to Detecting & Correcting H. Pylori Infections:
If you have any of the symptoms listed above
1. Try taking small doses of hydrochloric (stomach) acid. This is available at any health food store. Click here for a warning and tips regarding how to supplement with hydrochloric acid. Note: do not take it if you have an ulcer!
2. If the hydrochloric acid helps, stay on it for a month and then discontinue use.
3. If your symptoms do not return, you probably don’t have H. Pylori. If they reappear, contact a provider who can help you get the Urea Breath Test.
4. If the test is positive use antibiotics or products from your local health food store designed to eradicate this bacteria. Some of the nutritional compounds to consider are:
Golden Seal root extract
Oregano Oil extract
Barberry extract
Oregon Grape root extract
Berberis Aristata extract
Coptis Chinensis extract
Yerba Mansa extract
Bismuth
If you follow these steps, many of you will cure your stomach problems. Once H. Pylori is accurately diagnosed, it is usually not too hard to treat successfully.
Good luck and keep me posted on your experiences!
Dr. Ungaro
How to Correct Your Burping, Heartburn, or Reflux Problem
If you suffer from indigestion like burping or gas immediately after a meal, offensive breath, difficult bowel movements or a sense of fullness after meals you may be suffering from too little stomach acid.
As we discussed before, heartburn and gastric reflux can also ultimately be caused by too little stomach acid - a condition called hypochlorhydria. But, I never told you what to do about it. A couple of readers suggested I give them some more information that they could put to use.
Okay, I’ll cop to not being forthright, but my intentions were good. You see, the way to increase stomach acid which is called “hydrochloric acid” is to take a supplement that contains, you guessed it, hydrochloric acid. Taking such a supplement can either help or hurt, literally. That’s why I hesitated to post it earlier.
If you have the symptoms of hypochlorhydria you may want to try taking some “stomach acid in a pill.” Standard Process makes a very good supplement called Betaine Hydrochloride. If you don’t have an ulcer this product may help you. However, if you have stomach or esophageal ulcers, taking more acid is going to give you more heartburn. So, you have to be judicious. If you have more of the symptoms associated with too much acid in your stomach then it’s best to take a product to heal the ulcers first. I promise to post on this later.
If you don’t actually have ulcers it’s probably safe to give a supplement a try. I always recommend working through this with a clinician but if you want a little self-care project here are my suggestions:
Better Body Solutions Health Tips
1. If you experience symptoms of hypochlorhydria you may want to try a supplement to increase your levels of hydrochloric acid
2. Buy a tablet rather than a pill so that you can easily break it.
3. Bite off only 1/4 to 1/3 of the tablet
4. If you don’t experience heartburn or increased symptoms try taking more
5. If your symptoms go away or greatly improve take the supplement for one month
6. Notice what happens when you stop taking the supplement. If the symptoms come back return to this blog. I’ll post again in the next week about common causes of hypochlorhydria stomach problems and what to do about them.
As we discussed before, heartburn and gastric reflux can also ultimately be caused by too little stomach acid - a condition called hypochlorhydria. But, I never told you what to do about it. A couple of readers suggested I give them some more information that they could put to use.
Okay, I’ll cop to not being forthright, but my intentions were good. You see, the way to increase stomach acid which is called “hydrochloric acid” is to take a supplement that contains, you guessed it, hydrochloric acid. Taking such a supplement can either help or hurt, literally. That’s why I hesitated to post it earlier.
If you have the symptoms of hypochlorhydria you may want to try taking some “stomach acid in a pill.” Standard Process makes a very good supplement called Betaine Hydrochloride. If you don’t have an ulcer this product may help you. However, if you have stomach or esophageal ulcers, taking more acid is going to give you more heartburn. So, you have to be judicious. If you have more of the symptoms associated with too much acid in your stomach then it’s best to take a product to heal the ulcers first. I promise to post on this later.
If you don’t actually have ulcers it’s probably safe to give a supplement a try. I always recommend working through this with a clinician but if you want a little self-care project here are my suggestions:
Better Body Solutions Health Tips
1. If you experience symptoms of hypochlorhydria you may want to try a supplement to increase your levels of hydrochloric acid
2. Buy a tablet rather than a pill so that you can easily break it.
3. Bite off only 1/4 to 1/3 of the tablet
4. If you don’t experience heartburn or increased symptoms try taking more
5. If your symptoms go away or greatly improve take the supplement for one month
6. Notice what happens when you stop taking the supplement. If the symptoms come back return to this blog. I’ll post again in the next week about common causes of hypochlorhydria stomach problems and what to do about them.
How Heartburn & Reflux Can Be Caused By Too Little Stomach Acid
It seems counter intuitive to say that heartburn, reflux, bloating and burping can be caused by too little hydrochloric acid. Yet that’s precisely what happens. Hydrochloric acid is the acid that your stomach makes to digest proteins. Here’s a list of symptoms that can be caused by deficient hydrochloric acid production:
- Excessive belching, burping or bloating
- Gas immediately following a meal
- Offensive breath
- Difficult bowel movements
- Sense of fullness after eating
- Difficulty digesting fruits and vegetables
- Undigested foods found in the stool
If there isn’t enough hydrochloric acid in the stomach to digest proteins, food may putrefy. When this happens, organic acids are produced. This causes hyperchlorhydria secondary to hypochlohydria! Please know that organic acids are not stomach acids and therefore the problem isn’t too much stomach acid. Organic acids released due to putrefaction can irritate the stomach lining and even cause ulcers. Hyperchlorhydria can result in the following symptoms:
- Stomach pain, burning or aching 1-4 hours after meals
- Frequent use of antacids
- Feeling hungry an hour or two after eating
- Heartburn when lying down or bending
- Temporary relief with antacids, food, milk and carbonated beverages
- Rest & relaxation lessen symptoms
- Heartburn when eating spicy foods, chocolate, citrus, peppers, alcohol and caffeine
So many Americans rely on antacids, but often these stomach issues can easily be treated without medications or their side effects. I’ll write another post soon about how we treat hypochlorhydria and hyperchlorhydria at Better Body Solutions, but here’s the take away:
A great number of stomach problems result from deficient stomach acid production and this occurs due to stress, helicobacter pylori (a bacteria that lives in the stomach), abnormal blood sugar and intestinal inflammation.
- Excessive belching, burping or bloating
- Gas immediately following a meal
- Offensive breath
- Difficult bowel movements
- Sense of fullness after eating
- Difficulty digesting fruits and vegetables
- Undigested foods found in the stool
If there isn’t enough hydrochloric acid in the stomach to digest proteins, food may putrefy. When this happens, organic acids are produced. This causes hyperchlorhydria secondary to hypochlohydria! Please know that organic acids are not stomach acids and therefore the problem isn’t too much stomach acid. Organic acids released due to putrefaction can irritate the stomach lining and even cause ulcers. Hyperchlorhydria can result in the following symptoms:
- Stomach pain, burning or aching 1-4 hours after meals
- Frequent use of antacids
- Feeling hungry an hour or two after eating
- Heartburn when lying down or bending
- Temporary relief with antacids, food, milk and carbonated beverages
- Rest & relaxation lessen symptoms
- Heartburn when eating spicy foods, chocolate, citrus, peppers, alcohol and caffeine
So many Americans rely on antacids, but often these stomach issues can easily be treated without medications or their side effects. I’ll write another post soon about how we treat hypochlorhydria and hyperchlorhydria at Better Body Solutions, but here’s the take away:
A great number of stomach problems result from deficient stomach acid production and this occurs due to stress, helicobacter pylori (a bacteria that lives in the stomach), abnormal blood sugar and intestinal inflammation.
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