Eric Bakker: (music).
This is Eric Bakker the naturopath from New Zealand. Thanks for coming back. Let's talk
about stomach aches. So the question is: I'm having a stomach ache and diarrhea
after eating food. What can I do about that problem, because it's annoying me?
Well, the most commonsensical thing to do is to find why you're getting this stomach
ache. What's the cause of this problem? Let me read some of my notes on my old laptop.
It's probably a good idea to find out what's going on, I've written out.
A common cause is food sensitivity. Your stomach or small intestine is having a hard time trying
to digest a food that you're reacting to. Could it be a food allergy or could it be food sensitivity?
Now, you can find more about that topic on a previous video I've made about food allergies
and food sensitivities. There should be several videos. If you do a search on this channel, you'll
find it. Otherwise the videos end up like an hour long, and then no one's going to watch them.
Right? So again, some of the most common causes are these reactions, allergies or sensitivities,
but it could also be a bacterial or viral infection. I've had several patients over
the years who kept getting recurring. Well, they call it a guts ache. I think in Australia they
call it a guts ache. I don't think they use that term in America, the guts ache.
Bad pain in the stomach, cramping pain, sometimes nausea, even cold sweats, vomiting, diarrhea,
all that. Every now and then they'll get this. And then I worked out that they initially had
gastroenteritis or food poisoning let's say in 2017 or '18. And they sort of recovered
from it. Usually antibiotics or other drugs. They partially recovered basically.
And they have NBWS, never been well since. So if you are one of those people
who, every now and then, or your wife or your husband or partner will say, "Hey, didn't you feel
sick last year? Or have a similar thing, or ..." Get a stool test done, because you may well have
Campylobacter, or there could be some stuff still lurking there around the ileocecal valve. Or in
different parts of the gut you can have bacteria sitting there, and then they can pop up just like
viruses can do, and then create a problem down the track. So that's just a little tip for you if you
all of a sudden have these flurry of stomach aches, and yet several years ago you never had
it. Definitely get the stool test. Particularly if it's like cyclical or periodical. All right?
So could it be a viral infection? Your tummy can get viruses too.
There are many different scenarios here, but this is the thing I usually ask people is:
what foods do you like to eat? Have you noticed a relationship between eating a particular food
and then the stomach pain? And what's the duration of the time for that pain to occur after that
food? Right? If you consume a food and within minutes you feel sick, it's usually your stomach.
So it's the upper GI. However, if it takes two, three hours, or a bit longer, it's probably your
small intestine. Especially if you get cramping here around that sort of middle region here. And
then the diarrhea comes with it. But sometimes it's hard to pinpoint if it's the stomach or the
small bowel, the duodenum. But it's not important. You just got to work out what food it is.
So write down the 10 top foods you like to eat. And then just see if any of those are
associated with that stomach ache. It could also be a combination. Sometimes having a cup of coffee
on top of a meal is going to give you a problem. So it could be a combo of foods that you're doing.
Smoothies can create a lot of stomach cramping for some people too I've noticed. So
try then to eat just the fruit or whatever you put in the smoothie,
chew on it rather than drink it. And if you still get the same problem,
try and eliminate down which food it is. Through a process of elimination and challenge,
you can actually work out very carefully and easily what food you're reacting to. Right?
What else have I written here? Think carefully about if it is gastroenteritis,
because many people have spoken to me about that over the years. Especially on hot days.
They had a chicken sandwich, a Wendy's cafe or some greasy spoon like that. What a word,
greasy spoon. Isn't it gross? So feeling funny in the tummy is not unusual for some people when they
eat if they're quite emotional people too, or if they've just gone through a bereavement. So eating
when you're very upset and tired can also give you stomach ache or bloating and diarrhea and gas.
So eating food when you're emotional is a dumb idea.
To me that's like taking a gun to a rifle range and then hoping you're not going to
shoot somebody instead of the target, because you shouldn't be eating food when you're really upset.
Could it be a pharmaceutical drug? Are you taking pharma drugs? Are you taking recreational
drugs? Sometimes drugs affect our digestive system and invoke symptoms of stomach ache.
So it could be a drug. If it is a drug, you need to go and see the doctor and ask if
it's a side effect of the drug. Because many drugs have, as a side effect, digestive pain.
Could it be alcohol? Did you drink last night? Did you even just have one beer
or one wine last night? That could be the source of the guts ache that you've got now.
So think about those scenarios. Could be infection, could be medication,
could be a chemical, it could be emotional stress, but you've got to find the cause.
I hope that helps. Thanks for tuning in.