(NaturalNews) Many people experience gas and bloating after eating. Gas can accumulate in the stomach or the intestines, causing pain, rumbling and indigestion. Gas is a product of incomplete digestion and an indication that food is fermenting in the gut, instead of being digested properly and assimilated into the body as nutrients. Digestive enzymes and a change in the digestive pH, by taking betaine hydrochloric acid, can improve digestion and relieve painful gas and bloating.

As people age, their levels of digestive enzymes decrease, so many find they need to add digestive supplements to meals. Digestive enzymes come in many forms. Certain foods contain natural digestive aids, such as pineapple and papaya. Adding a few bites of these foods to every meal can aid digestion.

Also as the body ages, the amount of hydrochloric acid secreted to aid in digestion decreases. This leads to a condition known as hypochlorhydria. Hypochlorhydria begins as a gut deficiency and is one of the leading causes of gas and indigestion, and it can lead to many diseases and chronic inflammation. Without this important stomach acid, protein cannot be digested and many nutrients cannot be absorbed. In addition, acid from the stomach is a signal to the pancreas to perform its function, so hypochlorhydia can lead to problems in the pancreas as well. Diseases associated with low stomach acid include asthma, lupus, anemia, psoriasis, arthritis, ulcers, and many more. Indicators of low stomach acid can be simple gas and bloating, or more complex conditions, such as food allergies, constipation, anemia, and nausea.

Food allergies may also cause gas. Many people are allergic to wheat and/or dairy. Allergy tests can confirm this but a simpler method is to remove suspected foods from the diet. If digestion returns to normal, eliminate the allergic foods for a few months and then begin to slowly reintroduce them. Food sensitivities can be healed in this manner, by removing the irritating food for a few months. True allergies may not respond to this technique.

To diagnose low stomach acid, add betaine hydrochloric acid to each meal and note any improvement. For clinical diagnosis, the Heidelberg test can be conducted at a doctor's office.

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http://www.nutritional-healing.com....)

http://www.healthmonthly.co.uk/heal...

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Melanie Grimes is a writer, award-winning screenwriter, medical journal editor, and adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University. She also teaches homeopathy at the Seattle School of Homeopathy and the American Homeopathic Medical College.
A trained homeopath, she is the editor of the homeopathic journal, Simillimum, and has edited alternative and integrative medical journals for 15 years. She has taught creative writing, founded the first Birkenstock store in the USA (www.mjfeet.com) and authored medical textbooks.
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