Gas Flatulence and Pancreatic Disorders

Saturday, August 25, 2012 | Unknown at 8:51 AM |

"I have the constant gas and bloating problem after meals". "My belly is full of the gas", many Americans say that pretty often. Typically, many people consider these symptoms "normal", some other people take OTC medications counting on a quick fix.

What is happening? What causes the gas, bloating, flatulence, and many other digestive problems? The main reason for these symptoms is indigestion in the small intestine. Small intestine is a 30 feet long tube chamber where 90% of the fat and 50% of the proteins and carbohydrates split up by pancreatic digestive enzymes and bile to tiny particles that can go through the gut's wall into the blood and lymph so our body can utilize these particles to build our own cells and tissue.

When food is improperly digested, bacteria ferment it and produce a lot of intestinal gas. This gas has hydrogen, methane, sulfur, and nitro compounds. These toxic substances go through the gut's wall poisoning the entire body. These toxins poison the nervous, immune, and hormonal systems. It is known that people with gas, bloating, foul flatulence also suffer from fatigue, headache, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, PMS, low thyroid, etc.

Collected inside, intestinal gas increases the pressure inside the abdomen causing constant bloating, cramps, pain, and decreasing microcirculation of the inner organs. This intestinal gas has only two ways for releasing: mouth and anus. By moving to mouth, it causes upper abdominal pain, fullness, belching, heartburn, etc. If the intestinal gas is looking for its way to the anus, it causes lower abdominal pain, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, etc.

A lot of the intestinal gas has interrelated connection with Candida-yeast and parasites overgrowth. Friendly intestinal flora (probiotics) controls the growth of opportunistic infection such as bacteria, yeasts, and parasites. If the amount of the friendly intestinal flora is low, opportunistic infection takes over the GI tract and resides in the small intestine. This condition is called Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Thanks to new technology, by indication of the hydrogen or methane in exhaled air, doctors can recognize SIBO.

Digestion in the small intestine can occur only by the proper quality and good amount of the pancreatic digestive enzymes and bile that is produced by the liver cells. Abnormal pancreatic juice and bile are involved in almost all digestive disorders.

What causes the problems of the bile and pancreatic juice? To realize that, one needs to know that the pancreas and liver, that manufactures the bile, are alkaline glands. It means that either the bile or pancreatic juices' are strong alkaline fluids. Releasing in the duodenum - the first part of the small intestine, alkaline bile and pancreatic juice normally make alkaline environment there. It is critical for normal work of the pancreatic digestive enzymes, which can digest the food only in the alkaline milieu. Acidity damages the pancreas in many ways and stop work of the pancreatic digestive enzymes.

By the way, how to verify is the body acidic or not? The simple way is to measure saliva and urine pH by litmus paper at home. If frequently the saliva and urine pH are more than 6.6 it shows that body is acidic.

All our cells are living organisms that breathe, eat, multiply, and, certainly, release waste products. These waste products are acidic. The body has two most important ways to fight with too much acidity. First, way is to neutralize acidity by minerals and bicarbonate collected in the body. We do not have endless capacity of the minerals and bicarbonate therefore, we need constantly supply them by foods and water.

Next way is to eliminate the toxic acidic products by urine, air, digestive juices, sweat, etc. Sorry to say, the age and diseases diminish this process. Human body struggles to keep constant acid - alkaline balance in the blood to promote proper work of the vital organs such as heart, lung, and brain sometimes by price of the "less important" organs such as liver and pancreas.

Acidic changes in the entire body lead to acidic changes in the bile and pancreatic juice.
Acidity makes bile "aggressive" and corrosive. "Aggressive" acidic bile irritates the ducts, valves, and walls of the gut causing inflammation, ulcers, and "wrong way traffic" - reflux. On the other hand, acidic pancreatic juice diminishes activity of the pancreatic digestive enzymes lead to indigestion of the food.

Another benefit of the alkaline pancreas is that pancreatic digestive enzymes beside the food digest uninvited invaders such as bad bacteria, Candida-yeast, and parasites. Contrary, low pancreatic function leads to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). As you already know, microorganisms, which ferment not digested food, produce a lot of intestinal gas. This gas propels the "aggressive" mix of the acidic bile and pancreatic juice in the stomach causing gastroesophageal reflux with belching and heartburn.

To improve digestion and alleviate the intestinal gas one needs to normalize their body's acid - alkaline balance and naturally support the function of the pancreas.

Consumption of the processed foods without natural digestive enzymes makes the pancreas produce enormous amounts of its own digestive enzymes to compensate that. Constant overwork exhausts the pancreas thus eating unprocessed foods with natural digestive enzymes can save and prolong pancreatic function. Separate diet; eating one kind of food on time can lessen the effort on the pancreas as well.

To normalize the body's acid - alkaline balance, there are a few vital ways: neutralize the acidity by supplying the body with essential minerals, and bicarbonates through foods and water, stop eating acid-forming foods, and eliminate the toxic acidic substances through the kidney, liver, and colon.

Unfortunately, modern men live in the acidic life style. We have epidemic of whole body acidity by eating too much acid-forming foods such as white flour, sugars, red meat, and dairy products. Alcohol, some medications, drugs, sedentary life style, heavy metals also cause whole body acidity. Candida-yeast and parasite overgrowth lead to acidity as well. Avoiding, elimination of these factors can normalize the body's acid - alkaline balance, restore pancreatic work, and normal digestion thus stop constant production of the intestinal gas.

We can naturally neutralize the over acidity in the body by alkaline minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate. Fresh vegetables and non-sweet fruits are main source of these natural alkalized substances.

Another way to neutralize the entire body's acidity is drinking healing mineral water. European doctors have recommended drinking Karlovy Vary mineral water either from spring or by preparing this water from genuine Karlovy Vary spring salt at home since 1764.

Karlovy Vary is a small town in the Czech Republic that is the world-class healing mineral spa in Europe since 18th century. Karlovy Vary healing mineral water is not the water that people drink when they are thirsty. This water consists of vital minerals trace elements and bicarbonate and it was the object for solid medical researchers and clinical observations. Many medical scientific papers confirmed that the Karlovy Vary healing mineral water is very beneficial for people with digestive disorders.

Supplementation with cellular magnesium - potassium can neutralize acid radicals, increases saliva and urine pH showing that body gets normal acid-alkaline balance.

Overweight, extra pounds, especially around the midsection, are symptoms of fatty liver and pancreas. Losing just a few pounds can improve gastrointestinal symptoms like heartburn, intestinal gas, belching, and flatulence.

The information on this article is presented for educational, informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, and advice of a qualified licensed professional.

Peter Melamed, Ph.D. received his medical education first as a registered nurse and then as a medical doctor in Russia. He took specialized training in anesthesiology, intensive care, and internal medicine. Working as a physician, he became interested in holistic healing through his clinical experience with herbs, acupuncture, healing mineral water, and internal cleansing. He was granted a license to practice acupuncture in Russia in 1978, and from that time, he combined conventional Western medical treatment with herbs, acupuncture, and other non-drug healing therapies.