Wendy Leung: Does your IBS make you feel so bloated sometimes that you look like you're
pregnant and people actually think you are?
Watch this video to learn why that happens and what you can do to stop it.
For the most helpful information you'll find about IBS online, subscribe to my channel
and hit the bell to be notified every Friday when I post a new episode.
If you're sick and tired of your bloated belly, by the end of this video, you'll know how
to get it under control.
I'm Wendy Leung: Holistic Health and Happiness Coach, Licensed Acupuncturist and
Powerhouse IBS Conqueror and I still remember how terrible my bloating could get.
I teach my clients how to take control of their IBS symptoms.
Now I'm sharing it with you too.
When you have IBS, sometimes your bloating can get so bad that you need a whole extra
wardrobe of clothes to wear on those days when you can't fit into your normal ones and
sometimes even then you don't feel comfortable in anything other than a loose fitting snuggie
that you can just curl up in in bed.
Do you have an IBS wardrobe for when your bloating's out of control?
Let me know by dropping a yes or no in the comments below.
Whether your bloating happens after eating on an empty stomach, with your constipation
or diarrhea, or it just seems to happen out of the blue, it can get very embarrassing,
uncomfortable and super painful.
So, what causes bloating and how can you get it to stop?
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, or TCM for short, bloating is a sign of a
weak gut and or stagnation in your digestive system.
Essentially, things aren't moving down there, so your body is trying to create more space
to help it move.
People without digestive issues only tend to get bloated after eating too much food.
They loosen their belts.
They get a bit farty and then after a little while, it just goes away.
Unfortunately, one of the other issues of IBS is difficulty passing gas or being so
bloated that all the farting in the world couldn't let everything out.
I remember I just used to wish that I could take a straw and jab it in my side just to
let out all of that air, but then I started thinking about how gross that would smell.
Anyway, back to the weak gut and stagnation.
Part of that can be caused by eating the wrong foods.
If you've watched some of my other episodes, then you'll know that the TCM golden rule
of thumb for weak gut is to eat warm simple easy to digest meals.
And this rule applies whether you have IBS, IBD, GERD or any of those other digestive
issues.
So, is you're eating salads and drinking smoothies and ice cold water and you're thinking that
these things are healthy for you, you might want to make a change.
Your bloating will lessen and so will your pain.
Some foods are known to cause gas during digestion and others are just plain bad for you and
they'll cause sluggishness or what TCM calls dampness in your gut.
For more info on what these are, check out my other episodes.
IBS food triggers and IBS what to eat.
Because your gut is weak, it has trouble processing most things right now.
Following the TCM golden rule of thumb will allow you to reset and rebuild your gut, so
that eventually you will be able eat most things in moderation.
The other culprit for bloating is stress.
Remember when I mentioned that bloating can be caused by stagnation?
If you haven't been overeating, which causes a literal food stagnation in your gut, then
the stagnation comes from your body tensing up and clamping down during periods of stress.
The way your body reacts to stress is that it diverts all of its resources externally
to your limbs and to your mind to keep you safe from harm.
It's the fight or flight instinct.
Everything stops running in your gut because digestion is not essential for immediate survival.
So, how do you stop the bloating?
Short term, heat, warm water and light abdominal message can be really helpful to warm up the
area, get things moving in the right direction.
You do need to make sure that you're using the right technique, so you're not causing
yourself additional pain.
If you sign up for my newsletter I will send you an info sheet to teach you how to do it
properly.
The link is in the description box below.
The long term solution is two fold and you've probably heard this from me before.
Eat the right foods to sooth and repair your gut and manage your threshold for stress.
The episode Irritable Bowel Syndrome Cure gives you a really good starting point for
both of these.
So, in a recap, sever IBS bloating is caused by a weak gut and or stagnation in your digestive
system.
There isn't enough movement going on in your small and large intestine, and so the air
that's trapped inside there is causing your belly to bloat and making you look like you're
carry twins, but the good news is, you can sooth your gut immediately and take steps
to get control of that bloating for good.
Remember I was telling you about that soothing tummy message that you can use even when you're
feeling super bloated and painful, sign up for my news letter in the description box
below and I will send you an infographic that will teach you exactly how to do it.
Also, come join the tribe of women just like you and my Facebook community of powerful
women conquering IBS where I share more tips on how to kick start your IBS journey to health.
If you like this video, please let me know by liking it below and dropping a comment
with the word helpful and letting me know what your biggest takeaway was and also feel
free, please to share this video with anyone that you think needs it because I want to
be spreading the word that IBS is not a [inaudible 00:05:08] thing, so that we can all work together
to beat it together.
A have a lot more things to share with you including how you can checkmate all of your
IBS symptoms, so make sure that you subscribe to my channel and you hit the bell, so that
you're notified every Friday when a new video is posted.