Digestion troubles
Dear Donovan,I realise that no matter what I eat, I am having trouble with my digestion.
It’s like the meal is settled below my chest and whenever I burp after an hour, some of the food particles come up in my throat. Also, I realise that I am also carrying up phlegm. My doctor thought it was acid reflux and I got several meds and nothing helped. I have done a test on my stomach where the doctor inserted a camera and the result is that they are not seeing anything. Another thing is, no matter how I brush (twice daily), and use baking soda and water to gargle, my breath is only fresh for a time and then I start having a stinking odour from the throat. My dentist and ENT specialist said that nothing is wrong.
I have started drinking soursop and guava leaf tea in the morning.
Will these help?
I am sure this is one time in life when you just feel frustrated with medical science. Here you are, knowing something is wrong and you are not able to get answers and solutions from your doctors. I must tell you that I feel your pain!
Having stinky breath and having food particles coming up into your throat after a meal is no laughing matter. This certainly can shatter one’s self-confidence. This situation will have to be solved.
First off, I am thinking that you should get another opinion from another specialist. He or she might pick up something that the other doctors did not pick up before.
The fact that you are having food particles coming back into your throat after a meal would suggest that there is some kind of reflux going on. I am also wondering what your bowel motion is like. Is it regular or not? What is your current diet like? If you are constipated with acid reflux some of these problems that you are mentioning could happen to you. In addition, your digestive system does not seem to be working as well.
What I would suggest you do is to do a nine-night detox programme to clear the intestines. You could get some professional advice on how to do this. This detox is mainly to clear the gut of unwanted food, mucus and faeces. In addition, I would also suggest that you make some changes to your diet. You should incorporate more fruits, vegetables and vegetable juices into your diet. It is also very important that you reduce your intake of processed carbohydrates, fatty, and spicy foods. You may also get better results by eating protein with vegetables and your carbohydrates with vegetables. Eating a fair amount of raw vegetables each day might also get you some results. It is also important for you to eat meals which are easily digested, for example, soups, salads, shakes, yoghurt, etc. Since your digestive system is not working as well, you don’t want to put it under too much pressure with digesting heavy meals.
Eating smaller meals more frequently might also be helpful. You should also try and reduce stress as much as possible. Excess stress can reduce the effectiveness of the digestive process. To reduce stress you could add some exercises to your programme. In addition, doing exercises will also help your food to move along the digestive tract.
Drinking soursop leaf will help to reduce stress and make you feel more relaxed. Soursop and guava leaves will also help to kill some microorgamisms such as bacteria in the stomach, for example, if there is an ulcer or infection. But overall, I am not sure that just using these two herbs alone will totally cure the problems. However, I can tell you that adding other herbs such as ginger, morniga, aloe vera, garlic, cayenne pepper and tuna, might also be helpful. The key points I think is that you will have to keep your digestive system clean, reduce stress, and nourish your body. Good luck.
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Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com.
