Bulk Probiotics – Addressing Digestive Issues
No matter how well you take care of yourself, we run into some digestive issues from time to time. Whether it’s the occasional case of diarrhea or chronic gas and bloating, digestive complaints are part of everyone’s life to some extent and bulk probiotics along with other digestive aids come to the rescue. There is a limit to what is actually normal though. Many of us live with chronic digestive issues and simply accept the fact that we have them.
Instead we should be paying attention to our symptoms in order to come up with a plan to treat them. There are numerous natural remedies available for digestion, and it can pay off to have a few of them on hand whenever you start feeling some discomfort.
Peppermint Oil for Gas and Bloating Symptoms
Peppermint is such an herb that we tend to take it for granted as a medicinal plant. But it has actually been researched quite extensively for all kinds of things, and especially for IBS symptoms. IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) includes by a number of symptoms including gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, hypersecretion of mucus by the colon and abdominal pain. Peppermint oil has been found to be useful for all of these symptoms within just a few weeks of consistent use.
It also inhibits excessive contraction of the intestinal tract and reduces candida albicans, a yeast that can also increase IBS symptoms if left unchecked. When taking peppermint for these issues, it’s important to know which form to take. This enteric coating will allow the softgel to get through the stomach acid in tact so that it can open up inside the intestines.
Betaine HCL for Low Stomach Acid
Acid Reflux and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) are two of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the country today. The treatment recommended by most doctors involves either neutralization of stomach acid by antacids, or prevention of acid production with proton-pump inhibitors like Prilosec and Nexium. While these medications generally seem to relieve people’s symptoms, they don’t really address the underlying cause, and long-term use can actually be quite harmful.
Stomach acid is important not only for digestion, but also to prevent harmful bacteria from getting into the intestines. It is not uncommon these days to find people who are taking proton-pump inhibitors and antibiotics together. This can be very dangerous, since you’re ultimately wiping out your good intestinal flora and your stomach acid, two of the most important lines of defense against pathogenic bacteria.
Most people don’t realize that the majority of acid reflux patients have too little stomach acid, not too much. The symptoms are a result of food putrefying in the stomach and backing up into the esophagus. So the answer to the problem is usually to increase acid production.
Can You Retrain The Stomach?
The best way to do this is to use an inexpensive product known as betaine HCL. You can actually retrain the stomach to start making its own acid again. Here is the protocol for using the betaine HCL:
- Begin by taking one capsule containing 10 grains (600 mg) of hydrochloric acid at your next large meal. If this does not aggravate your symptoms, at every meal after that of the same size take one more capsule. (One at the next meal, two at the meal after that, then three at the next meal.)
- Continue to increase the dose until you reach 7 capsules or when you feel warmth in your stomach, whichever occurs first. A feeling of warmth in the stomach means that you have taken too many capsules for that meal, and you need to take one fewer capsule for that meal size. It is a good idea to try the larger dose again at another meal to make sure that it was the HCl that caused the warmth and not something else.
- After you have found the largest dose that you can take at your large meals without feeling any warmth, maintain that dose at all of meals of similar size. You will need to take fewer at smaller meals.
- When taking a number of capsules it is best to take them throughout the meal.
- Your stomach begins to regain the ability to produce the amount of HCl needed to properly digest your food. You will notice the warm feeling again and will have to cut down the dose level.
If you have any ulcers it’s probably best to avoid this regimen until you have resolved them.
[smartslider3 slider=38]
Mucilaginous Herbs For Digestive Relief
Mucilage is a slimy substance in herbs such as slippery elm, marshmallow, comfrey, aloe vera and mullein. These herbs are usually classified as demulcents. This means they are good for healing up damaged tissues and soothing inflammation of the mucous membranes. Use includes all kinds of digestive ailments, respiratory conditions, sore throats and kidney conditions.
Slippery elm is widely in use for digestion. It’s unique in that it has both demulcent and astringent properties. This makes it a good remedy for both constipation and diarrhea. It’s also useful as a nourishing food substance for people who are recovering from an illness or experiencing weakness.
Slippery elm has traditionally been used to make a gruel, which is similar in consistency to a thin porridge. You can buy it in powder form and prepared like a tea. Some people will add honey to enhance its already sweet flavor. It is available as a lozenge for people with sore throats.
Pepzin GI For Healthy Stomach Lining
Pepzin GI is a product that is in use by people with gastric discomfort. It’s actually a patented combination of zinc and carnosine that allows the zinc to remain in the stomach longer. Zinc has tissue-healing properties, and this form of it has use for people with ulcers. Pepzin GI is also beneficial for balancing out bacteria in the stomach. This includes h. pylori, a bacteria that lives in the stomach.
The timeframe for the control drug or its placebo would last eight weeks. Of the 258 people who completed the trial, 136 were in the Pepzin GI group.
Of the group, 92% of the participants rate a “moderately improved” or better on an improvement scale. This was across the category of symptoms including heartburn, tenderness, epigastric pain, diarrhea and constipation after 8 weeks.
There are plenty of natural approaches to try for whatever digestive ailments you are experiencing. There are plenty of remedies that we did not cover in this article. However, just knowing about these 4 can make a huge difference in someone’s life. If you have questions about these products or anything else, please don’t hesitate to call us here at Peach Vitamins in Atlanta at 404-266-9115.