Your stomach is a hollow organ and a key part of the upper gastrointestinal system, and when working well, will hold food until it is broken down appropriately by acids and enzymes, and then dispatched to the small intestine for further processing.
What happens if the stomach and those functions are compromised? Well, a variety of symptoms can ensue, some that are blatantly obvious, and others, not so much.
One of the first surefire ways to tell your stomach is not functioning appropriately, is bloating in the upper abdomen area. If this occurs after eating food, you can reasonably assume that your stomach is not processing your food efficiently, and is not emptying quickly enough into the small intestine. This can cause fermentation and gas inside the stomach, which leads to distention of it and pressure on the upper abdomen wall.
Another big sign your stomach is suffering is heartburn, or any variation of it such as acid reflux and GERD. When food is not assimilated properly primarily due to poor stomach acid, often caused by antibiotics, alcohol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, stress, and H. pylori, it can cause acids to wash up into the esophagus through a lazy esophageal sphincter, which then scolds the delicate tissues in the throat which can cause burning, narrowing, and inflammation in that area.
Some other not as obvious signs your stomach is compromised is diarrhea, skin conditions (especially under the eyes, on the cheeks, and along the jaw line), food allergies, iron deficiency, lowered immunity, chronic candida, histamine reactions, and adverse reactions to certain spices and citrus.
Now, there are also some symptoms that can come with stomach deficiency that don’t make sense at first consideration, but nevertheless, have been studied to be intimately connected. These are the not so obvious signs that your stomach is in trouble, and can include sinusitis, breast illness, lymphatic malfunction, varicose veins, joint problems affecting the knees and ankles, and tonsillitis.
Instead of fixing the source issue, the stomach, many will be advised to have surgery in their nose, breasts, lymphatic system, knees, ankles, and tonsils, thereby ignoring the source issue and allowing it to persist, all while undergoing unnecessary and traumatic surgery. In other words, insulting your body more, never fixing the problems, and calling it “medicine”.
So, how do you fix it?
Details are important and can vary from person to person, due to the state of their current stomach function. Generally speaking, eating food that is easier for your stomach to process, and/or adding in supplements that support that function, is ideal. Food combinations are also incredibly important to facilitate efficient processing, as well as ones that can help remove various infections and/or soothe and repair the stomach lining if it has deteriorated. Supplements and foods that may help include hydrochloric acid, liquorice, ginger, peppermint, and slippery elm. Which one to use will completely depend on the extent of stomach dysfunction, as some can make it worse if the lining has significantly deteriorated.
Avoiding hard to digest foods is paramount, which could vary from anything with a shell, to overly cooked meats. Alcohol and antibiotics are definitely not tolerated well by a poorly functioning stomach, as well as copious water intake, which can dilute the delicate acids in the stomach needed for breakdown of food material. Stress is also a big burden on stomach health, and needs to be mitigated as much as possible.
But above all, the most harmful and most inefficient way of handling stomach issues, is proton pump inhibitors or PPIs, which completely ignore the issue and further damage your stomach and digestive infrastructure. They are completely unnecessary when you know how to use food and supplements appropriately, and those answers will save you from managing the condition and making your health worse.
If you need help, I can get you on the path to fix it, often within 8 weeks. Simply book a free program consult or check out my THRIVE Academy.
Derek Henry
Derek Henry, Founder of Healing the Body and the THRIVE Academy, used nutrition, supplementation, and a holistic lifestyle to naturally unravel 13 chronic disease conditions that conventional or alternative medical professionals couldn't help him resolve. As a result of this one-in-a-million health transformation and the knowledge acquired in the process, he now educates, coaches, and inspires others to transform their health through a natural and holistic approach. Since 2014, he has helped his THRIVE Academy participants heal over 20 different chronic disease conditions, primarily related to digestive and autoimmune concerns.
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