Some women find that before and during the menopause they experience reoccurring digestive upsets, in particular constipation. Because oestrogen and progesterone affects the speed at which food moves through your intestines, constipation and or diarrhoea may be common menopause-related symptoms.

Eating while stressed, overeating, eating too fast, or eating too many ‘junk’ foods all contribute to unhealthy digestion. The most effective natural remedy for digestive problems is a healthy, fibre rich diet but the following may also help:

             

Make sure you drink plenty of water. Drinking hot water with lemon juice in the morning will encourage regular bowel movements and ease constipation.

           

Peppermint and fennel teas after a meal can ease digestion and reduce trapped wind. Ginger as tea or in capsule form aids digestion and helps prevent the formation of abdominal gas.

           

If you have diarrhoea avoid alcohol, caffeine, milk and dairy products until the diarrhoea has subsided. Try some potassium rich banana, stewed eating apples (not cooking apples so you don’t need to add sugar), rice and dry toast until you feel better to help restore balance to your body. You can also use organic live yogurt to replace beneficial bacteria in your intestines (or use a probiotic supplement like BioKult, see the Resources page). Don’t take any anti-diarrhoea medications until you have given these recommendations a chance to work.

 

Chew your food slowly and thoroughly to encourage proper digestion. Before you begin a meal start with a few cleansing breaths and breathe fully as you eat. Try to avoid distractions when you eat, like the TV.

           

If you have intestinal cramping and gas in spite of these remedies you may have irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) which is a disorder that can be helped nutritionally but you need to rule out any other digestive problems with your doctor.  If you have already been told you have IBS there is an excellent test preformed on a stool sample which measures

           

If you get nausea along with digestive distress try drinking chamomile tea three times a day. Vitamin B6 can help quell nausea. Increase the amount in your diet or take a supplement.

           

Ginger is also great for easing nausea. Brew a cup of ginger tea and drink daily. If stomach acid is a problem a cup of liquorice root tea has been shown to be effective.

           

Acupressure has been found to be effective for reducing nausea. You can purchase acupressure bands to be worn around your wrists in many chemists (the same ones that are used for travel sickness).

 

Probiotics containing beneficial bacteria can help to relieve chronic constipation and may be used freely. Probiotics can also help relieve digestive and gas pain, as well as restore good levels of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. (see BioKult on the Resources Page). 

 

Psyllium seeds are a healthful way to keep the colon healthy and clean in cases of constipation. The seeds are covered with mucilage that swells into a gummy, gelatinous mass when it absorbs fluid in the intestines, thus lubricating the gut wall. The increased bulk stimulates the gut wall, encouraging peristalsis.   A tablespoon of whole organic linseeds (flaxseeds) soaked overnight in water and then swallowed first thing in the morning also works well like this. 

 

Avoid the use of bran for relief of constipation as it prevents absorption of bone strengthening calcium and can cause more bloating and flatulence. 

If you’re like many health-conscious people, you pay a lot of attention to what you eat. But even the highest quality foods won’t necessarily help you build health if you don’t digest them well. Listed below are some tips for optimizing your digestive process and preventing digestive problems from arising in the first place.

Digestion basic 1: Chew, Chew, Chew

• Take smaller bites.
• Put your fork down in between meals.
• Try using chopsticks – it forces you to slow down.
• Thoroughly chew each bite of food.
• Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth – chewing grains thoroughly allows amylase, the digestive enzyme present in saliva, to digest the grains.

Digestion basic 2: Get Enough Water

• Insufficient water intake is a primary cause of constipation. Constipation then causes an imbalance in bacteria, promotes inflammation of the intestinal lining, and can even lead to the absorption of larger molecules, a condition known as intestinal permeability.

Digestion basic 3: Increase dietary fibre.

• Good sources of dietary fibre include: dried fruit, such as dates, figs, and prunes and beans and legumes- if you don’t have time to cook dried beans, buy canned, but make sure you rinse them thoroughly before cooking. Lentils and split peas are less gas-forming than other legumes. Fruits and vegetables are also fibre superstars.
• Flaxseeds are a gentle laxative. They can be useful for chronic constipation, damage to the intestine wall from laxative use, irritable bowel, and to soothe inflammation. Sprinkle flaxseeds on rice, grains, salads, or any other meal of your choice. Other great foods for constipation and digestion include: lemon, garlic and fennel.

Digestion basic 4: Practice Mindful Eating

• A pilot study at Indiana State University found that mindfulness, including specific instructions to slowly savour the flavour of food and be aware of how much food is enough, helped to reduce eating binges from an average of four binges per week to one and a half. So try to eat in the moment. Savour every bite, enjoying the flavours, textures, and smells of your meal.

Digestion basic 5: Address Food Sensitivities and Allergies

• Food sensitivities are behind many digestive disorders. For example, between 33% and 66% of IBS patients report having one or more food intolerances, resulting in bloating, gas, and pain. The most common culprits are milk and dairy (40-44%) and grains (40-60%). For information on food allergy tests go to www.naturalhealthpractice.com.

Digestion basic 6: Increase Good Gut Bacteria

• There are over 400 different kinds of bacteria and yeasts in the digestive system. Of these, the bacteria Lactobacillus acidophillus and Bifidobacterium bifidum are considered good “probiotic” bacteria because they can help to maintain intestinal health. Although good bacteria can be found in some yogurts, there is a wide variation in the quantity and quality or add in a good probiotic supplement like BioKult.

Q: I quite often suffer from indigestion. I try to avoid fatty foods but wonder if there is anything you recommend for occasional indigestion?

I was taking antacids but have now stopped them. I realise it is probably best to avoid taking medication and so wonder if you know of any alternatives? I sometimes take slippery elm tablets and I often have peppermint tea and also try not to go to bed directly after eating.

A: The symptoms of indigestion can include pain or fullness in the chest area after eating, heartburn, burping and belching. The medical term for indigestion is dyspepsia.

As with any problem the most important thing is to try and find the cause, because if you can track down the cause the problem will be eliminated. At the same time, it is useful to have some natural remedies on hand when needed.

The main causes of indigestion are overeating, obesity, chocolate, fried foods, carbonated beverages, alcohol, stress, coffee, and cigarettes. The first thing is to see whether any of these are a trigger for you.

Also make sure that you are eating slowly. The first part of digestion is in the mouth so by mixing and breaking down your food well with saliva before it is swallowed the next part of your digestive system has less work to do. Don’t drink with meals as this dilutes the saliva while it is trying to do its job. Use fruit as a snack between meals and don’t have it straight after a meal.

Leave a couple of hours between eating and going to bed and try to sleep in a slightly more upright position so that gravity helps to prevent the stomach contents moving back into the food pipe (oesophagus).

Natural remedies can be helpful. Slippery elm helps to form a protective coating in the stomach and chamomile tea can have a calming effect on the digestive system. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) helps to soothe the tissue lining the digestive system and a good combination I use in the clinic contains DGL, cabbage and zinc (called Enteroplex). Also you can use an alkalising carbonate 30 minutes after eating for symptom relief (Bio-carbonate).

If the dietary recommendations do not make a difference then it is important to see your doctor to see whether there is another cause such as a hiatus hernia or helicobacter pylori. H. pylori is a bacteria that lives in the stomach and can cause symptoms like indigestion and heartburn. Up to 90% of people with a stomach ulcer have these bacteria. A simple breath test can show you whether you have an active H. pylori infection.