Do you believe digestive ailments can be treated with healthy lifestyle? - Healthy Lifestyle Message Board

mjewell · 12-23-2005, 09:16 PM

I have been having some upsetting digestive ailments lately - about once a month i get bad indigestion, heartburn, stomachaches...the last few days i have been miserable with it. I thought it was a virus, but being that i don't have a fever or aches or anything like that, I think it's more like an ulcer or candida or IBS, something like that.

My question is, do you believe these things can be treated and even reversed by changning your diet, exercise habits and lifestyle? I ask because it seems like a lot of people who go to the dr., with seemingly serious digestive problems (gall bladder, gerd, ulcers, etc) end up with a note telling them to go pick up some Zantac to take daily. This gives me the impression that these things are not so serious as long as you treat them.

Well, I would rather be proactive and treat AND prevent them rather than just using an antacid as a band-aid. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

I'm thinking for a start I will give up as much sugar as possible as well as alcohol and caffeine...that will be hard, especially with the holidays!! Then I'll see how I feel.

Musical_Muse · 12-26-2005, 09:39 PM

Mjewell,

I think it's great that you will be trying to reduce your caffiene/alcohol/sugar intake. I don't know whether your problems can be treated through changes in diet and lifestyle, but I have heard that it has worked for other people. You should probably talk with your doctor about what you can do to reduce your stomach problems in a more natural way--explain that you don't want to have to take any medications unless absolutely necessary, if this is how you feel.

~Colleen

StenoLady1 · 12-29-2005, 08:28 AM

Hi, MJ

I'm a 100 percent believer that digestive issues can be cured/greatly alleviated with diet modifications and exercise. My condition was never diagnosed last summer by any doctor I went to. I had extreme left flank pain, heartburn, alternating constipation/loose stools, belly and abdominal cramping and pain. Other than a case of dysentary 30 years ago, I had no previous history of GI troubles.

I had so much testing and antibiotics given to me, and somewhere along the line, I found out I had high cholesterol. I improved my diet based on that and incorporated a daily walk. After about two weeks of that -- and stopping all the darn antibiotics -- my symptoms were gone. Funny, too, because a couple times I've "cheated" on my cholesterol diet and had something fried or greasy, and those pains come right back, so I believe my body was telling me to improve! It's been over six months now, and my stomach has never felt better, no more heartburn (finally threw away my Tums since they expired months ago).

My hubby obviously went on this WOE with me and walked with me, and he even noticed how much better his tummy feels. He just about lived in the bathroom (diarreah) with our old sedentary lifestyle and bad diet, but now he's completely normal.

We didn't give up sugar or coffee...in fact, I added some green tea. We only have one cup of coffee in the morning instead of two, and then we stopped drinking more throughout the day like we used to. I also incorporated slow-cook oatmeal for breakfast and oatmeal bread for toast or sandwiches, stopped using a lot of butter. We avoided red meat for the first couple weeks, and I held off on eating so many salads and roughage, opted for a baked potato or basmati rice instead. My goal was bland, mild, soothing foods initially, nothing fried or greasy. When your stomach's upset, this really isn't hard to do at all. Then we gradually added more fiber and roughage into our diets and red meat once in a while.

Lysne

mjewell · 12-29-2005, 09:09 AM

That's great!! Thanks for your replies.

gort · 01-09-2006, 08:46 PM

I have found that apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized) in water each morning has helped my digestion immensely. I put it in sardines and canned salmon, and on spinach and kale, too. Recently, I've been on a garlic kick, chopping it up raw and drinking with cayenne in tomato juice. Now my stomach feels fine, and no pain when I eat. I was compelled to do some research on garlic and cayenne. I found out garlic purifies the blood, helps hair loss (it contains sulphur), and so does cayenne. And cayenne repairs the stomach and colon lining. It also kills yeast and other pathogens by starving them of oxygen. It helps digest food by increasing circulation to the stomach and making it secrete more hydrochloric acid aiding digestion. It speeds up metabolism and burns carbohydrates. It cleans the arteries and is very good for the heart and blood pressure. A lot of studies have been done on this helpful fruit and spice.