Those of you new to this website may not know the story of my friend Debra (not her real name). Debra has suffered for the past two years with bowel issues-everything from heartburn to brain fog, low energy, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. In other words, miserable. At times, she has been afraid to leave the house because she may need to be near a bathroom-quickly. Think about how that may affect your life! I’ve been working with her since last April (see blogs from 4/26.15, and 7/11/15), and her symptoms have improved, but not disappeared completely. Gut issues are complex; they could be due to food allergies, immune system issues, intestinal bacterial problems, and food pairing problems, etc. But recently, Debra told me that she thinks she may have finally gotten a handle on her problem, and is currently taking natural supplements to manage her issues.
She has been studying eastern medical remedies (since nothing in the western world has completely worked), and has found a few of the goods nature has made that so far seem to be doing the trick. For those not familiar with eastern medicine, qi (pronounced chee), is the natural energy that flows through the body. (When there is blockage of qi, disharmony in the body occurs. I became a believer in qi after taking several years of both kung fu and qi gung, both martial arts). When a blockage in qi occurs, it creates an obstruction that interferes with your flow of energy. By obstructing her energy flow, it made her digestive system shut down, triggering her bowel and stomach problems. So, in addition to what Debra and I had worked on together, she added these eastern remedies, and to date is doing so much better. #1). Ginger root. Ginger warms up the digestive tract. #2). Black pepper, which helps boost production of digestive enzymes (Note- grind black pepper just before you take it to keep the active ingredient, pipperine, most effective). #3). Scared lotus extract, used for thousands of years in China for abdominal cramps, loose stools, etc. #4). Lesser galangal root, which boosts the release of gastric juices to aid digestion.
There are several good digestive formals on the market, and I have no financial interest in any of them. The one Debra used was Integrative Digestive Formula, by Advance Bionutritionals. Way to go, Debra!
Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.