You and Your Gut

By Peter Baratosy

There is an unprecedented amount of gut complaints in today's world. Many are referred to as "functional" because when investigated, there are no anatomical causes found. Despite no anatomical findings, many are still treated with pharmaceuticals, which in the long run may cause more problems. This book explores the reasons behind this phenomeno

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dr Peter Baratosy
• Release date: Jan 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9780645105360

Peter Baratosy

Peter Baratosy MB BS FACNEM is a medical doctor, lecturer and writer on Chronic diseases, especially Thyroid Disease, Gut Disorders, Hormonal Problems and Metabolic Syndrome. He has a great interest in treating chronic diseases from a more natural approach, though he does also use conventional medicines when needed. His interest in Natural Medicines led him to the study and use of medicinal cannabis in his practice which he found had a great impact on the health and well-being of his patients. Although recently retired, Dr Baratosy continues to advocate for the use of medicinal cannabis, and a more natural approach to health through his books. He graduated more than 40 years ago from the University of Adelaide Medical School in Australia and has over 35 years' experience as a functional medicine practitioner. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine and is an accredited Medical Acupuncturist with the Medical Board of Australia. He lives in Southern Tasmania with his wife Jenny.

Book preview

Introduction

All disease begins in the gut.

Hippocrates (c460 BCE – c375 BCE)

A young lady presented to me in clinic with a history of having a total colectomy (removal of colon) for chronic constipation. Even after her surgery she was still complaining of bloating, bowel difficulties and not feeling well. My recommendation was to avoid all dairy and grains, as well as to use regular probiotics. At the six weeks’ follow up appointment she was a different person. Her abdominal bloating was gone, her bowels were better, she had more energy and she slept better. She advised her sister, who also had chronic constipation, but still had her colon to follow the same regime. The sister made a spectacular recovery. She also told her father, who had similar symptoms, but he did not want to listen.

This story introduces the idea that there are an extra-ordinary number of people in the community who complain of some form of gastrointestinal (GI) problems. They have symptoms such as abdominal pain and cramping, bloating, a feeling of fullness, constipation, diarrhoea, or even alternating between the two, heartburn, reflux, nausea, burping and excess wind, and a vague non-specific feeling of general discomfort. Unfortunately, they are not always treated adequately, or appropriately. The above case is an extreme example but clearly shows how a GI problem should not be treated.

Whether the symptoms are mainly upper abdominal or lower abdominal, it is essential that the gut be treated as a whole.

Numerous conditions are referred to as functional because often when investigated, no anatomical cause can be found.

The purpose of this book is to provide information about some of the ways a functional GI problem, as well as other GI problems, can be managed. What is presented will not focus on drugs and/or surgery, but will highlight the benefits of dietary change, herbs, supplements, and nutrition. If only one person finds relief for their suffering, I will consider this book to have achieved its purpose.

Mainstream practitioners attribute many functional GI problems to a psychological cause because of the lack of anatomical findings. To some extent there may be a basis for this, as there is a strong relationship between the brain, the emotions, and the gut. There are also other causes that we shall discuss. However, here, I must point out that this relationship works both ways: the gut affects the brain, and the brain can affect the gut.

Rather than attempt to first treat functional GI problems psychologically, it may be more effective to begin by addressing the gut troubles, and then re-assessing to see if psychological treatment is still needed.

In my experience, many of these patients have been to their local doctor who may have referred them to a gastroenterologist. After investigations by endoscopy and/ or colonoscopy those who were told all was normal were still put on some form of pharmaceutical, either an anti-acid drug or an anti-spasmodic or in some cases, even an anti-depressant.

The diagnosis of a functional problem must be made by exclusion of serious pathology. Therefore, it is important to investigate. If serious pathology is found, such as an ulcer, or polyp, or inflammation, or tumour, etc. then a definite diagnosis can be made and treated appropriately.

This book provides a wholistic and functional viewpoint. I hope this will encourage people to research the matter further and then decide for themselves what their course of action will be. Modern investigation methods, such as blood tests, radiology, ‘oscopies, etc., are essential so that a definitive diagnosis can be made, or at least to exclude serious pathology.

Modern medicine is focused on the western medicine paradigm which includes anatomy, physiology and pathology and the use of pharmaceuticals and surgery to treat the condition. An attempt may be made to look for causes but, in the end, generally an anti-symptom drug is prescribed.

Quick relief is not necessarily a cure, especially in the chronic situation. All this does is cover up the symptoms, like a band aid.

There is nothing wrong with treating the symptoms, as a doctor must make their patient comfortable and not let them suffer, however, this does not necessarily deal with the cause of the problem. It is essential to dig deeper to find the possible cause and deal with it.

Acute illnesses are usually self-limiting. Anyone can pick up a virus or infection, so an underlying cause does not necessarily need to be looked for in this situation. However, if there are recurrent attacks of the acute illness or recurrent relapses of a chronic illness, there must be a reason and this needs to be explored.

Treating recurrent acute symptoms on an individual basis is like the game of Whack-a-Mole. We need to look at it from a wholistic viewpoint. For example, if there is an acute attack of vomiting and diarrhoea, it is most likely that it is a viral gastroenteritis, which does get better in a few days. However, if it keeps on happening, then after the fourth or fifth time, it would be a good idea to investigate why this is recurring.

In our modern fast paced life, quick relief allows people to get back to work and play, with little thought given to any possible long-term complications. We need to deal with the underlying cause, not just relieve the symptoms.

Many patients still have symptoms after being treated by their medical practitioners. The typical story is that the doctor looked, investigated, couldn't find anything abnormal but still treated the patient with drugs of various sorts. They had excluded serious pathology, which is great, but the clinical outcome may still be unsatisfactory.

Despite the exclusion of serious pathology, patients may still have some symptoms, and they may be complaining even more because of side effects of the drugs (they are then put on more drugs to deal with side effects of the first drug). Many just do not feel well.

Sometimes doing less is more. Nature can heal; it is better to support nature to help in this process.

The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.

Voltaire (1694-1778)

Note: sometimes modern medicine needs to be used. Modern medicine is appropriate when the onset of the disease is acute and there is a danger of severe consequences. It can be lifesaving. The use of a natural approach is more suited to a chronic, non-life-threatening problem. There is no reason that the two cannot be used concurrently.

Primum non nocere. – First do no harm.

When nothing is found, some made up name is given as a diagnosis such as functional dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome. Or some other term, either in English – or in Latin, which is more impressive may be used. Regardless of whether the term is in English or Latin, it is basically a description of the symptoms. For example, Proctalgia Fugax which sounds serious, is Latin for a fleeting pain in the backside. This does not give a basis of the condition: it is a description of the symptoms.

Why are there so many gastrointestinal problems? That is a frequently asked question. One of the main reasons is our diet. The gut is one of the first contacts with the outside world. Let me explain. Even though the gastrointestinal tract is inside the body, the lumen of the gut is still outside. From a topological* point of view, humans are like a doughnut.

* Topology - In mathematics it is the study of those properties of geometric forms that remain invariant under certain transformations, as bending or stretching.

Our diets have changed. From a genetic perspective, we are still cavemen (and cave women), we have caveman genes, caveman digestion, and caveman physiology but our diet is certainly not caveman. Also, stress has a profound effect on our gut and in this modern world to be chronically stressed has become the norm.

The modern food we eat is over processed, high in sugar, grains, trans fatty acids, chemicals, preservatives, colourings, flavouring, which are all foreign to our gut. There are antibiotics in our food, as well as the antibiotics we take, many times for trivial reasons, which can affect the symbiotic bacteria in our gut.

Australia imports about 7 hundred tonnes of antibiotics annually. More than half of that goes into stock-feed, about 8% is for veterinary use, leaving only one-third for human use.

(http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/antibioics/agricuture. htm)

Antibiotics are used in the commercial production of meat. The article Secrecy surrounding antibiotic use on farms sparks fears of superbugs (2011) indicates how much is unknown.

A lack of transparency on antibiotic use by the Australian farming industry is undermining efforts to prevent superbugs developing and spreading through the food supply, an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist has said.

Why are antibiotics added to animal feed?

Livestock producers routinely give antibiotics to animals to make them grow faster or help them survive crowded, stressful, and unsanitary conditions. When these drugs are overused — by humans or animals — some bacteria become antibiotic-resistant, threatening the future effectiveness of these medicines.

(www.nrdc.org/issues/reduce-antibiotic-misuse-livestock)

What about hormones?

Alexandra Smith (Sydney Morning Herald 8 October 2011) noted that about 40% of commercial beef has added hormones but chickens have not had hormones added for the last forty years, making a mockery of supermarkets advertising no added hormones in their chicken products.

An update by Donna Lu (The Guardian 6 June 2021) stated that the percentage of Australia cattle that have hormones added has not changed. It remains at 40%.

An added problem is that the commercial foods we eat are grown in poor, depleted soils. Australia generally has poor soils that lack many trace minerals. Like our gut, which has a microbiome, the soil also has a microbiome, and this is depleted with the chemicals, insecticides and weedicides that are used, which in turn affects the nutritional quality of our food.

What effect does all these have on our gut? The chemicals irritate the gut. The antibiotics kill off the good bacteria and what is left are the resistant bacteria, usually pathogenic, or the yeasts, such as Candida. Then there is the stress of living in a modern dysfunctional society, which also negatively affects the gut. No wonder there are so many gastrointestinal problems today.

Whatever the gut encounters gets in through our mouths!

Some patients are satisfied because they have been given a 'label', but we shouldn't be treating a label: we should be treating the whole person, treating the underlying cause, treating patients holistically.

Upper gastrointestinal symptoms

A good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient.

William Osler (1849-1919)

Gastrointestinal (GI) problems can be clinically divided into two categories: upper gut and lower gut.

Upper GI problems manifest, obviously, in the upper abdomen and produce symptoms such as burping, heartburn, reflux, epigastric bloating, nausea, vomiting and discomfort/pain. There is also a feeling of fullness after a few mouthfuls and/or a feeling of fullness for a long time after eating.

It must be emphasised that upper GI issues should always be considered in the context of the whole gut. The gut must be treated as a whole.

Lower GI problems present with symptoms attributed to the lower abdomen and include lower abdominal bloating, lower abdominal discomfort/pain, cramping, gurgling, diarrhoea, constipation or alternating between the two, itchy anus, passing of undigested bits of food in the faeces and excess flatulence.

To get a good history many questions need to be asked of patients about their gut and their bowels even though it may be embarrassing at times. It is important to know these things to be able to get to the bottom of the issue (sorry about the pun) in order to give appropriate treatment.

It is also very important to know what the person eats. There are certain dietary patterns that can lead to bowel problems. This will be discussed in detail later.

Even though these symptoms can be related to the upper and lower portions of the GI tract, the different parts of the GI tract influence each other, therefore the entire system should be treated wholistically.

I cannot recall the number of times I have seen patients who have tried some of the things I have recommended: they try one thing, and it doesn't work, or only minimally so they stop it and try something else which may work a little, then stop it to try something else. For a treatment to be effective, all these things should be done together, at least in the beginning, and in a coordinated fashion to support the different aspects of the gut.

In the next section we will go through these symptoms, attach significance to them, then consider what is going wrong and what can be done.

Burping

Burping is a voluntary or involuntary release of air, usually noisy, from the stomach or oesophagus. Three to four burps after a meal can be normal and is caused by releasing swallowed air. In some cultures (e.g., Japan, China) burping loudly after a meal shows appreciation for the meal and is a complement to the host/chef. When holidaying in Japan, the children followed this custom with gusto!

We all swallow air when we eat or drink. Once it gets into the gastrointestinal tract air can get out in only three ways: you can burp it out, you can release it anally and some gas will be absorbed though the gut lining and is breathed out.

A small amount of burping is normal. We all burp. Excess burping is not normal. Of course, many can voluntarily burp, and many youngsters do this on purpose to annoy their parents.

Now for some trivia!

There is a world record for the loudest burp. The Guinness Book of Records shows that Neville Sharp of Darwin, Australia set a new world record for the loudest burp registering 112.4 decibels on 29 July 2021. The loudest female burp was recorded at 107.0 decibels by Elisa Cagnoni of Italy on the 16 June 2009.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest burp was measured as 1 minute 13 seconds 57 milliseconds and was set by Michele Forgione of Italy on 16 June 2009.

Burping is only a problem if excessive. So, what can cause excess gas to enter the stomach?

Causes can be everyday events such as:

swallowing air with eating. Fast eating: when you gulp your food down, more air is swallowed,

gassy drinks such as soft carbonated drinks, as well as beer and champagne,

nervousness,

chewing gum,

drinking with a straw,

whipped or airy foods such as milk shakes, soufflés, etc.

Some people do bloat up, especially if they have a digestive problem. Burping may relieve some of the pressure and bring relief, albeit temporary.

Burps are not that simple. Bredenoord, Weusten, Sifrim, Timmer, and Smout (2004) compared excess-burpers with normal-burpers and found there is no difference between the two in the amount of air swallowed. The researchers also showed that there are two types of burps. One type is a gastric type i.e., the gas comes from the stomach. The other type is oesophageal i.e., the gas has not reached the stomach and comes back up from the oesophagus. The normal burpers only had gastric burps, while the excess-burpers had both gastric and oesophageal. They concluded that the excess-burpers brought on the burping voluntarily and therefore it was a learned behaviour.

The idea that excess burping is a learned phenomenon was demonstrated by Bredenoord, Weusten, Timmer, and Smout (2006). They showed that when excess burpers are unaware that they are being studied, or are distracted, the burping is much reduced. This points to a possible underlying psychological factor.

However, there are also medical problems that can cause excess burping. These include:

gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD),

gall stones,

food allergies,

hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria,

psychological or psychiatric conditions,

drugs, such as narcotics, anti-diarrhoeals, and fibre supplements.

Some of these will be discussed later. However, remember the gut should be treated as a whole and the recommendations outlined in this book are all relevant.

Nausea and vomiting

There won’t be many