How do I get rid of IBS bloating?
With IBS and digestive symptoms, bloating can be quite a common symptom, and understandably quite frustrating and people often want to understand how to get it under control. Here I talk a little bit about some of the causes of bloating, some of the mechanisms involved, and hopefully what you can do to help.
A reminder of how we interpret IBS
Bloating is a really common symptom of IBS but actually, on the topic of IBS, I just want to talk a bit about that more generally. IBS is actually a very, very general term. It's a bit of an umbrella term and actually doesn't really tell as much about your individual symptoms.
So, this is why I like to try and drill down to those individual symptoms; to understand what you're experiencing and why, and then strive to manage those as individual symptoms.
The causes of IBS bloating:
So, firstly when it comes to bloating, I really want to try and understand what may be causing the bloating in the first place, and then we can tailor our plan in terms of trying to manage that symptom:
1. Digestive insufficiency
Firstly, a common underlying problem with IBS and digestive symptoms is digestive insufficiency. This is really common especially as we get older, also in times of stress.
Stress is absolutely key for when it comes to digestive symptoms as stress, unfortunately, shuts down your digestion to some degree as your stress response and your sympathetic nervous system fires up. So, unfortunately, what this does is drive down levels of your gastric acid, your stomach acid and this, in turn, means that you potentially aren't digesting your food properly, aren't breaking it down, and you aren't absorbing lots of those lovely key nutrients.
Also, this digestive insufficiency can linked to food sensitivities, those food intolerances. As these larger particles of food, which aren't broken down properly then travel further through the digestive system and your immune system can risk getting involved and reacting to those. So, common culprits could be dairy or gluten for example, as they are slightly more reactive, we can be more reactive to those elements in our diet especially if they aren't being broken down properly.
2. Constipation
In terms of other causes of bloating, especially bloating lower down in the digestive tract, we also have constipation and this can be for a number of reasons.
Firstly, we have that physical mass, the physical build-up of food waste which can make us feel quite heavy, quite bloated. But also, if our transit time is decreasing or slowing down, that food waste is fermenting and lying there a bit longer.
3. Dysbiosis
This process of constipation as mentioned above can also alter the balance of bacteria in your gut as well. As can other habits such as eating a highly processed or very limited diet. We call this dysbiosis, and this is where your supplements like your prebiotics and your probiotics would potentially come in handy, but it's crucial to also do some prep work around the stomach. If you suspect the digestive insufficiency is starting higher up in your stomach, that's where your lovely bitter herbs such as your Yarrow or your Centaurium would come in.
My tips for managing bloating:
Above are amongst some of the main causes of bloating, so now we can just talk through some of the tips for managing bloating in light of some of those symptoms:
1. Chewing properly
First of all, we want to talk about chewing your food and we call it at A.Vogel, "good eating mechanics". So, this is the very, very first step of digestion, as early as your mouth, and we want to get digestion off to the very best start.
By eating more mindfully, more slowly, more deliberately, this helps to shut off that stress response that I spoke about but also physically, you're going to break down the food better, increase the surface area so that your digestive enzymes are able to start attacking that food more efficiently.
2. Don’t over eat, or over fill the stomach with liquids
Second step is to not overeat or (over) drink. This is for a couple of reasons; first of all, physically, falling into this trap will risk increasing the volume in your tummy in terms of physically bloating us but actually, it means that your digestive enzymes could potentially suffer. They could become diluted if there's too much content in your stomach and they may not be able to handle that bigger mass which again could run into those problems of your food not being broken down properly. So, this is just something to keep in the mind to try not to overfill the stomach.
And in line with that thought, I'm also going to mention water here. I have spoken about constipation so in particular, water is so important if you're constipated. We would be aiming for one and a half to two litres of water daily. Preferably plain, still water, we don't really want any sugar or sweeteners in there which could just throw off your balance of bacteria.
But also, the key is to just try not to drink too much alongside your meals because, again, we want to keep those gastric secretions quite strong. We don't want to risk diluting them.
3. Work out your fibre intake
The next topic on my list or tip is to mention fibre. Fibre, or dietary fibre, is very important in terms of general digestive health, sometimes in cases of IBS. You may have heard about FODMAPs which are a specific type of fibre and you may be wary of those. Now ideally, in the long term, we do want to include fibre and we want to include a good range of fibre as variety is absolutely key for your good gut bacteria.
Initially, depending on the state of your digestion, you may need to be a little bit careful with certain FODMAPs, but ideally, this wouldn't be forever, and by increasing your digestive sufficiency as I've talked about, with the bitters herbs such as Yarrow complex, plus chewing properly, then we would hope that you would be able to tolerate more fibre again as it is really important.
In terms of bloating and gas, a little bit is normal because the fibre is food for our good gut bacterial, and these ferment and break down these fibres and can produce gases; so a little bit is normal. It's when we have excess symptoms then it could suggest the balance of bacterial is a little bit off, or you're not breaking down the food properly in the first place.
4. Move more
My next tip in terms of bloating is exercise. Here at A.Vogel and personally myself, we don't like to recommend extremes. In terms of exercise, that can be a source of stress on your body and impact your digestion negatively as I already mentioned.
What I would say is just to try and prioritise regular, consistent, gentle exercises. So even just walking, can help to very gently stimulate your digestion into action, it helps contract those muscles and also, you're going to be decreasing stress by employing regular exercise as well.
5. Use Silicol Gel in the instance of flare ups
Now in terms of a helpful product, I just want to mention Silicol Gel® This is indicated for symptoms of IBS and that can include flatulence as well. So, flatulence, bloating; this can really help to manage some of those key symptoms of IBS.
This is often very good initially to help calm those symptoms if you've got a bit of a flare-up and then longer-term I would consider those herbs such as the Yarrow complex for some longer-term support of the digestive tract.
The Silicol Gel® is fine to take alongside most medications. We would say to be wary of thyroxine and certain heart medications but generally, it's okay with medications, just be sure to take it one hour apart from medications just in case it affects absorption.
When to consider seeking medical advice
A final comment from me is, the advice above is for more general, bloating-type symptoms, but as always, if you have any persistent or severe symptoms, or any pain or any blood in your stools, then I would say to check in with your doctor.
So, hopefully that helps give you a good overview of better understanding and managing bloating. Please do watch the video above at the top of the page and subscribe to our A.Vogel YouTube channel if you want to hear more videos and also hit the bell icon so you'll be notified when I submit new videos. Thanks and speak soon.
