Hey ,

Thank you for sharing this! You are right, food sensitivities(The most common ones are sensitivities to eggs, milk, peanuts & nuts, corn, soy, yeast or gluten/wheat), intolerances (for example to fructose) & allergies can be a cause of bloating.

Eliminating those foods with an elimination diet and then reintroducing them is the most accurate way to test for food sensitivities.

You can find a protocol here. In the world of food intolerance testing, there isn’t a calibrated standard test. KBMO has a food intolerance test that is pretty good because it also measures inflammation as a reaction to foods.

Low Stomach Acid & Digestive Enzymes
Other reasons why you can feel bloated are due to a lack of production of stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Having good eating hygiene (chew well, eat calmly and stress-free) plays a role in the production of these enzymes. Doing a baking soda test (click here) could provide you with some clues on testing if you are having low stomach acid. Supplementing with betaine HCl might improve digestion and reduce bloating.

Using digestive enzymes might help as well. Thorne has a nice product that contains digestive enzymes and betaine HCl in one called  Bio-Gest (you can find this supplement in the supplement store fullscript here – you do need to sign up first though)

Hair loss/low thyroid
A zinc deficiency can cause hair loss. Having a slow thyroid could also lead to hair loss. Have you been tested for this as well? A zinc deficiency could happen because there is a lack of this nutrient in the diet, but it can also be because of malabsorption due to for example a dysbiosis or a microbe overgrowth in the gut (this could lead to bloating as well).

Excessive unexplained weight gain can also be caused by a slow thyroid. Do you experience other symptoms like for example feeling cold, constipation, tiredness, slow movements & thoughts or any other symptoms you can find here. If you consider testing your thyroid after watching the movie watch this video Bernadette made last week here.

Labs
To help you better we do take a look at labs here. If you feel like sharing, just upload them here so we can help you in the best way possible.

I hope this helps!

Hi  – Daniel has given you some great insights and testing options. Please do upload your lab results here for us to look at if you don’t mind. “Normal” to doctors means there’s nothing to diagnose (thankfully) but it doesn’t mean it’s within the target or optimal range which we would be able to see for you. You can strike out personal info if you wish to keep it anonymous.

You didn’t mention anything about stress. How is your stress level?

High or low cortisol seems to be the common theme between all of your symptoms; it can lead to insulin resistance, and also affect thyroid function and digestion as a result.

I encourage you to watch this video on how cortisol affects thyroid function. The thyroid is responsible for everything metabolic in the body (i.e. weight, hair, digestion, skin, nails, fertility, etc), and you can’t fix a thyroid issue without fixing adrenal health and cortisol status.

In terms of rapid relief for your bloating and in the absence of testing, I usually recommend my clients start off with digestive bitters like this one or this one, taken 10-15 mins before meals (hold in mouth for 30 secs before swallowing). It helps tell the brain to produce digestive juices so you can break down your food better and lessen bloating.

Let us know your thoughts on all of the above. We’ll be waiting to hear back.

 there’s a great book called “The Body Keeps the Score” which discusses how early life emotional trauma if left unresolved, will affect us as adults. And so, regardless of the stories that we tell ourselves and others about our stress levels, our body truly knows and senses it.

Adaptogens can help us become more resilient to the effects of stress and may be something you want to consider in the meantime. Here is a handout explaining how adaptogenic herbs work; some provide a boosting effect, others provide a more calming effect.

This Instagram post also explains visually the difference between the herbs along with some supplement brand examples of each. And if you swipe to the last image in the carousel, I also explain the different signs of stress, to help you determine if you need more of a boosting effect or a calming effect. It’s also ok to combine them or take them at different times of the day depending on what you need.

Doing less, delegating more, saying no more often, asking for help, etc, is ultimately what is going to help your adrenals the most. In essence, help your body feel safe daily, and not like it’s running for dear life! I know it’s easier said than done as a full-time working mom of 3, but sometimes we just need that reminder that we’re taking on too much, and taking a day off to prioritize what is truly important and letting go of what isn’t serving us, can feel very freeing.

Good quality sleep, nourishing your adrenals with vitamin C rich foods, and adding 1 tsp of ‘sole’ (saturated salt water) in your water bottle are other ways to help support the adrenals.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.

Hey ,

As a person who mostly looks calm and feels ‘in control’, I have learned that this isn’t the same as having balanced stress hormones. In fact, feeling a lot of responsibility for things in life can make you vulnerable to stress.

But the body can leave signs. Here are a few I check if I am unsure:
• If I put my hand on my chest and belly and I feel my chest moving and my stomach is still, I know I have some form of tension or stress going on.
• Tight muscles in the shoulders/neck and a feeling of elevated shoulders are the second ones.

If you are more looking for things you could measure:
• A resting heart rate (this means sitting down being 5 minutes in rest) that is around 75-80 is a sign of stress as well. Of course, if you don’t have time to measure your resting heart rate because you can’t sit 5 minutes is a sign as well ;-). The ideal number for a resting heart rate is a little bit depending on age, but I aim with my customers at 55-50 beats per minute.
• Blood pressure at rest (again have a seat for 5 minutes and just sit. No talking, no social media, etc) with a diastolic pressure near 90 can be a sign of elevated stress hormones. The systolic pressure near 140 can be a sign of elevated stress hormones as well. I aim with my clients a resting blood pressure between 75/115 and 80/120. If the blood pressure at rest is continuously elevated other dynamics can be at play as well. If you are going to use blood pressure as a temporary tool to evaluate your body’s stress levels be aware that• Feeling excited or scared about your blood pressure is going to elevate it. Doing 3 measurements after each other most people will see a drop in their blood pressure – although not everyone. Take a few days of practice before you judge slightly elevated blood pressure.
• Drinking a few cups of coffee can elevate blood pressure but also heart rate. The morning would then be the best part of the day to measure although if you drink a lot, it doesn’t become an indicator of mental stress.
• Smoking will elevate blood pressure – because it is a chemical stressor. If I have a new client and I see a blood pressure around 90/140 find that a strong clue for smokers. This method will not work to evaluate mental stress with smokers.
• If you are able to use HRV (Heart Rate Variability) as a measurement, the higher HRV is, the better. Low numbers around 50 can be indicative of your body reacting to emotional stress.

Hi  – thanks for sharing the labs. 
• Suboptimal low WBC: 

Were you sick when you drew these labs? I’m asking because your WBC (white blood cell) seem a little suppressed. You can see that it’s closer to the lower end of the clinical reference range. Ideally, I like to see it between 5 to 7. So in my mind, I’m asking – what is causing immune suppression? Was your body fighting something at the time? We already know that vitamin D is clinically low. How about vitamins A and zinc – 2 other immune nutrients? You can get these measured in blood (but in Ontario through OHIP it will be near impossible to get unless you pay out of pocket or see a naturopath). If you can, please measure vitamin A and RBC zinc. If testing isn’t possible, consider cod liver oil which is rich in vitamin A, and incorporating more zinc-rich foods.

• Lower sodium, higher potassium pattern:

As I discussed in my first reply about stress, your electrolytes are reflecting a pattern that could point to parasympathetic dominance. This is when the body has endured chronic stress for a while, and then switches over to a parasympathetic state as a protective mechanism.

If you’d like to pursue testing to see your adrenal/cortisol status, I recommend the DUTCH Adrenal test. Here’s a sample report. Cost is $309 USD plus shipping (not cheap!). If you work with a naturopath, they might be able to run a salivary cortisol test for less.

If cortisol is low, thyroid function, immunity, digestion, cognitive function – EVERYTHING will become sluggish in the body. I already shared the effect of cortisol on thyroid function, but here’s the video again if you haven’t yet watched it. So focusing on adrenal health would be my suggestion from a root cause approach. Here’s a handout with some suggestions on reducing stress.
• Suboptimal high RBC (red blood cell) – can point to dehydration. Are you drinking enough water? Adding in some ‘sole’ will help with hydration, and adrenal support.

• Suboptimal low B12 and ferritin (iron storage) – do you consume animal products? These are naturally higher in iron and B12. Are you getting in enough protein with each meal? I like to see B12 higher than 600 and ferritin between 50-70ng/ml for menstruating women. If you have low cortisol, you will have low thyroid function and low stomach acid secretion (and all digestive juice production), therefore your ability to absorb nutrients will be compromised. You likely need more stomach acid but in the absence of testing and not knowing if there’s H Pylori overgrowth, digestive bitters can help stimulate all digestive secretions and relieve bloating. I already recommended 2 brands in my previous reply. It should help as rapid relief.

• Suboptimal low creatinine – do you exercise? Strength training and any kind of resistance to your muscles is recommended. Let me know if you need help with finding videos online or good fitness apps. There are plenty and you can do it from the comfort of your home – no need for a gym membership.

• TSH – this is a brain hormone, and does not tell us anything about thyroid health and function. Again, here is a full thyroid panel that you can ask a naturopath to run. But again, in the absence of testing, you can still look at incorporating more of these foods for thyroid health, which will help with metabolic health and weight loss.

In my opinion, based on what you’ve shared and the labs so far, I feel cortisol is the major player in your case and adrenal health should be your primary focus.  In January I plan on filming a course just on adrenal health to compliment the Thyroid course. In the meantime, please read the handout I provided above.

Digestive bitters and incorporating more thyroid friendly foods, protein with each meal, hydrating well (add sole), and adding in some strength training 2-3 x per week to start will help you move forward.

Hope this helps give you a better direction and some action steps to take.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

 you made my day! THIS is exactly why B Better was created. I’m glad you’re finally feeling like you have some direction. 

Look up Dr. Maureen MacDonald: https://holisticclinic.ca/team/maureen-macdonald/

And Dr. Carri: https://www.functionalmedicineontario.com/about-us/

Hopefully you resonate with one of them. Please keep us posted once you begin taking action on the steps above.