Helping people with gas, bloating, digestive and stomach disorders and constipation are a big part of my nutritional practice. Most often these are the symptoms of a bigger issue but sometimes they are a result of a diet that has gone astray.  

Many of my clients use over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Others rely on digestive enzymes to manage their symptoms. These remedies can be helpful in the short term but eventually they stop working, and in fact, magnify your belly problems in the long term creating a larger issue. The gas, bloating and stomach pain you are experiencing is indicating that your stomach doesn't like what you are putting in it. The remedies allow you to eat what you like, but eating what you like is destroying your gut and leading you towards high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  

These digestive aids replace the normal functioning of your stomach. They are addictive. Your stomach stops producing the enzymes necessary to digest your foods. So without a dietary change you will increasingly need these “helpers”.  

Also, most people who have stomach issues have too low acid levels. Ninety percent of people were misdiagnosed by their doctor as having high acid levels when in fact they had low levels. The cause of acid reflux is often a result of the food sitting in your stomach and not being digested efficiently because we have low acid. Stomach acids decline with age and ant-acids destroy what little acids you have left.  

What can you do if you have stomach issues: 

Avoid overeating.

Eat slower. 

Do not drink water with your meal as it dilutes your stomach acids.

Avoid cold drinks.

Do not lay down for at least two hours after eating. In fact, a leisurely walk after eating is recommended. 

Drink lemon water - lemon lowers acid levels but unlike antacids it stimulates digestive juices.

Avoid or limit the foods on the Acid side of the acid/alkaline list such as processed foods, sugar, alcohol, meat and diary.  

Add some stomach digestives into your diet. These are herbs and foods that promote good stomach function such as black pepper, ginger, turmeric, fennel and cumin.
See a nutritionist for help. 

Stomach distress is not normal. Seek help.    

These are just a few hints to help your stomach function better. When “we know better we do better” so now that you know, wean yourself off antacids and change your diet. You will live longer and feel better!!! 

​

In my quest for Optimal Health I have researched, experimented with, and challenged myself with new ideas, diets, therapies and treatments. I have changed my diet, my environment, my mind and my lifestyle to wake up feeling great every single day free from pain and discomfort.

The changes were important to my overall health but I also realized that we cannot ignore the power that unresolved emotional issues play in our day to day health.

Louise Hay, self help guru and author, explains in her book, Heal Your Body the Mind Body Connection gives us a reference guide detailing the mental causes of physical ailment. She gives us a recipe for creating positive thinking patterns that can actually reverse disease.

Below is just some of the patterns she established. See if any of them resonate with you:

Abdominal Cramps: Fear. Stopping the process.
Abscess: Fermenting thoughts over hurts, slights, and revenge.
Accidents: Inability to speak up for the self. Rebellion against authority. Belief in violence.
Aches: Longing for love. Longing to be held.
Acne: Not accepting the self. Dislike of the self.
Addictions: Running from the self. Fear. Not knowing how to love self.
Adrenal Problems: Defeatism. No longer caring for the self. Anxiety.
Alcoholism: “What’s the use?” Feeling of futility, guilt, inadequacy. Self-rejection.
Allergies: Denying your own power.
Alzheimer’s Disease: Refusal to deal with the world as it is. Hopelessness and helplessness. Anger.
Anemia: “Yes-but” attitude. Lack of joy. Fear of life. Not feeling good enough.
Ankle: Inflexibility and guilt. Ankles represent the ability to receive pleasure.
Anxiety: Not trusting the flow and the process of life.
Arteries: Carry the joy of life.
Arteriosclerosis: Resistance, tension. Hardened narrow-mindedness. Refusing to see good.
Arthritis: Feeling unloved. Criticism, resentment. 
Arthritis - Rheumatoid: Deep criticism of authority. Feeling very put upon.
Asthma: Smother love. Inability to breathe for oneself. Feeling stifled. Suppressed crying.
Asthma – babies and children: Fear of life. Not wanting to be here.

B

Back: Represents the support of life. 
Back Problems - Lower: Fear of money. Lack of financial support
Back Problems - Middle: Guilt. Stuck in all that stuff back there. “Get off my back!”
Back Problems - Upper: Lack of emotional support. Feeling unloved. Holding back love.
Bad Breath: Anger and revenge thoughts. Experiences backing up.
Balance, Loss of: Scattered thinking. Not centered
Bed-wetting (Enuresis): Fear of parent, usually the father.
Blackheads: Small outbursts of anger.
Bladder Problems (Cystitis): Anxiety. Holding on to old ideas. Fear of letting go. Being “pissed off”.
Blood Pressure: - High: Longstanding emotional problem not solved.
Blood Pressure - Low: Lack of love as a child. Defeatism. “What’s the use? It won’t work anyway.”
Blood Problems: Lack of joy. Lack of circulation of ideas.
Bones: Represent the structure of the universe.
Bone problems - Breaks: Rebelling against authority.
Bone Problems – Deformity: Mental pressures and tightness. Muscles can’t stretch. Loss of mental mobility.
Bowels: Represents the release of waste.
Bowels – Problems: Fear of letting go of the old and no longer needed.
Brain: Represents the computer, the switchboard.
Brain - Tumor: Incorrect computerized beliefs. Stubborn. Refusing to change old patterns.
Breast: Represents mothering and nurturing and nourishment.
Breast Problems - Cysts, Lumps, Soreness (Mastitis): A refusal to nourish the self. Putting everyone else first. Over mothering. Overprotection. Overbearing attitudes.
Breath: Represents the ability to take in life.
Breathing Problems: Fear or refusal to take in life fully. Not feeling the right to take up space or even exist.
Bronchitis: Inflamed family environment. Arguments and yelling. Sometimes silent.
Burns: Anger. Burning up. Incensed.
Bursitis: Repressed anger. Wanting to hit someone. 
Buttocks: Represent power. Loose Buttocks, loss of power.

C

Cancer: Deep hurt. Longstanding resentment. Deep secret or grief eating away at the self. Carrying hatreds. “What’s the use.”
Candida (Candidiasis): Feeling very scattered. Lots of frustration and anger. Demanding and untrusting in relationships. Great takers.
Canker Sores: Festering words held back by the lips. Blame.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Anger and frustration at life’s seeming injustices.
Cataracts: Inability to see ahead with joy. Dark future.
Cellulite: Stored anger and self-punishment
Cholesterol: Clogging the channels of joy. Fear of accepting joy.
Chronis Dis-eases: A refusal to change. Fear of the future. Not feeling safe.
Circulation: Represents the ability to feel and express the emotions in positive ways.
Cold Sores (Fever Blisters): Festering angry words and fear of expressing them.
Colds (Upper-Respiratory Illness): Too much going on at once. Mental confusion, disorder. Small hurts. “I get three colds every winter,” type of belief.
Colic: Mental irritation, impatience, annoyance in the surroundings.
Colon: Fear of letting go. Holding on to the past.
Colitis: Insecurity. Represents the ease of letting go of that which is over.
Constipation: Incomplete releasing. Holding on to garbage of the past. Guilt over the past. Sometimes stinginess.
Coronary Thrombosis: Feeling alone and scared. “I’m not good enough. I don’t do enough. I’ll never make it!”
Coughs: A desire to bark at the world. “Listen to me!”
Cramps: Tension. Fear. Gripping, holding on.
Crying: Tears are the river of life, shed in joy as well as in sadness and fear.
Cysts: Running the old painful movie. Nursing hurts. A false growth.

D

Dementia: A refusal to deal with the world as it is. Hopelessness and anger.
Depression: Anger you feel you do not have a right to have. Hopelessness.
Diabetes: Longing for what might have been. A great need to control. Deep sorrow. No sweetness left.
Diarrhea: Fear. Rejection. Running off.
Dizziness: Flighty, scattered thinking. A refusal to look.
Dry eyes: Angry eyes. Refusing to see with love. Would rather die than forgive. Being spiteful.

E

Ear: Represents the capacity to hear.
Earache (Otitis External/Ear Canal Media/Inner Ear): Anger. Not wanting to hear. Too much turmoil. Parents arguing.
Eczema: Breath-taking antagonism. Mental eruptions.
Edema: What or who won’t you let go of?
Elbow: Represents changing directions and accepting new experiences.
Emphysema: Fear of taking in life. Not worthy of living.
Endometriosis: Insecurity, disappointment and frustration. Replacing self-love with sugar. Blamers.
Epilepsy: Sense of persecution. Rejection of life. A feeling of great struggle. Self-violence.
Eye: Represents the capacity to see clearly past, present, future.
Eye Problems: Not liking what you see in your own life.

F

Face: Represents what we show the world.
Fainting: Fear. Can’t cope. Blacking out.
Fat: Oversensitivity. Often represents fear and shows a need for protection. Fear may be a cover for hidden anger and a resistance to forgive. 
Fat - Arms: Anger at being denied love.
Fat - Belly: Anger at being denied nourishment.
Fat - Hips: Lumps of stubborn anger at the parents.
Fat - Thighs: Packed childhood anger. Often rage at the father.
Fatigue: Resistance, boredom. Lack of love for what one does.
Feet: Represent our understanding – of ourselves, of life, of others.
Female problems: Denial of the self. Rejecting femininity. Rejection of the feminine principle.
Fibroid Tumors and Cysts: Nursing a hurt from a partner. A blow to the feminine ego.
Fingers: Represent the details of life. 
Food Poisoning: Allowing others to take control. Feeling defenseless.
Foot problems: Fear of the future and of not stepping forward in life.
Fungus: Stagnating beliefs. Refusing to release the past. Letting the past rule today.

G

Gallstones: Bitterness. Hard thoughts. Condemning. Pride.
Gas: Gripping. Fear. Undigested ideas.
Gastritis: Prolonged uncertainty. A feeling of doom.
Genitals: Represent the masculine and feminine principles. 
Genitals – Problems: Worry about not being good enough.
Glands: Represent holding stations. Self-staring activity. 
Glandular Problems: Poor distribution of get-up-and-go ideas. Holding yourself back.
Gout: The need to dominate. Impatience, anger.
Gray Hair: Stress. A belief in pressure and strain.
Growths: Nursing those old hurts. Building resentments.
Gum Problems: Inability to back up decisions. Indecisive about life.

H

Halitosis: Rotten attitudes, vile gossip, foul thinking.
Hands: Hold and handle. Clutch and grip. Grasping and letting go. Caressing. Pinching. All ways of dealing with experiences.
Hay Fever: Emotional congestion. Fear of the calendar. A belief in persecution. Guilt.
Headaches: Invalidating the self. Self-criticism. Fear.
Heart: Represents the center of love and security.
Heart - Heart Attack: Squeezing all the joy out of the heart in favor of money or position. Feeling alone and scared. “I’m not good enough. I don’t do enough. I’ll never make it.”
Heart - Heart Problems: Longstanding emotional problems. Lack of joy. Hardening of the heart. Belief in strain and stress.
Heartburn: Fear. Fear. Fear. Clutching Fear.
Hemorrhoids: Fear of deadlines. Anger of the past. Afraid to let go. Feeling burdened.
Hepatitis: Resistance to change. Fear, anger, hatred. Liver is the seat of anger and rage.
Hernia: Ruptured relationships. Strain, burdens, incorrect creative expression.
Hip: Carries the body in perfect balance. Major thrust in moving forward. 
Hip Problems: Fear of going forward in major decisions. Nothing to move forward to.
Hives: Small, hidden fears. Mountains out of molehills.
Hodgkin’s Disease: Blame and a tremendous fear of not being good enough. A frantic race to prove one’s self until the blood has no substance left to support itself. The joy of life is forgotten in the race of acceptance.
Hyperactivity: Fear. Feeling pressured and frantic.
Hyperthyroidism: Rage at being left out.
Hypoglycemia: Overwhelmed by the burdens in life. “What’s the use.”
Hypothyroidism: Giving up. Feeling hopelessly stifled.

I

Impotence: Sexual pressure, tension, guilt. Social beliefs. Spite against a previous mate. Fear of mother.
Incontinence: Emotional overflow. Years of controlling emotions.
Indigestion: Gut-level fear, dread, anxiety. Griping and grunting.
Infection: Irritation, anger, annoyance.
Inflammation: Fear. Seeing red. Inflamed thinking. 
Influenza: Response to mass negativity and beliefs. Fear. Belief in statistics.
Ingrown Toenail: Worry and guilt about your right to move forward.
Insomnia: Fear. Not trusting the process of life. Guilt.
Intestines: Represent assimilation and absorption.
Itching (Pruritus): Desires that go against the grain. Unsatisfied. Remorse. Itching to get out or get away.

J

Jaundice: Internal and external prejudice. Unbalanced reason.
Jaw Problems: Anger. Resentment. Desire for revenge.
Joints: Represents changes in direction in life and the ease of these movements.

K

Kidney Problems: Criticism, disappointment, failure. Shame. Reacting like a child.
Kidney Stones: Lumps of undissolved anger.
Knee: Represents pride and ego. 
Knee Problems: Stubborn ego and pride. Inability to bend. Fear. Inflexibility. Won’t give in.

L

Laryngitis: So mad you can’t speak. Fear of speaking up. Resentment of authority.
Left Side of Body: Represents receptivity, taking in, feminine energy, women, the mother.
Leg: Carry us forward in life.
Leg Problems – Lower: Fear of the future. Not wanting to move.
Leukemia: Brutally killing inspiration. “What’s the use?”
Leukorrhea: A belief that women are powerless over the opposite sex. Anger at a mate.
Liver: Seat of anger and primitive emotions. 
Liver Problems: Chronic complaining. Justifying fault-finding to deceive yourself. Feeling bad.
Lump in the Throat: Fear. Not trusting the process of life.
Lung: The ability to take in life. 
Lung Problems: Depression. Grief. Not feeling worthy of living life fully.
Lupus: A giving up. Better to die than stand up for one’s self. Anger and punishment.
Lymph Problems: A warning that the mind needs to be recentered on the essentials of life. Love and joy.

M

Menopause Problems: Fear of no longer being wanted. Fear of aging. Self-rejection. Not feeling good enough.
Menstrual Problems: Rejection of one’s femininity. Guilt, fear. Belief that the genitals are sinful or dirty.
Migraine Headaches: Dislike of being driven. Resisting the flow of life. Sexual fears. (Can usually be relieved by masturbation).
Miscarriage: Fear of the future. “Not now-later.” Inappropriate timing.
Mono, Mononucleosis (Pfeiffer’s Dis-ease, Glandular Fever): Anger at not receiving love and appreciation. No longer caring for the self.
Motion Sickness: Fear. Bondage. Feeling of being trapped.
Mouth: Represents taking in of new ideas and nourishment.
Mouth Problems: Set opinions. Closed mind. Incapacity to take in new ideas.
Multiple Sclerosis: Mental hardness, hard-heartedness, iron will, inflexibility.
Muscles: Resistance to new experiences. Muscles represent our ability to move in life

N

Nails: Represent protection.
Nail Biting: Frustration. Eating away at the self. Spite of a parent.
Narcolepsy: Can’t cope. Extreme fear. Wanting to get away from it all. Not wanting to be here.
Nausea: Fear. Rejecting an idea or experience.
Neck: Represents flexibility. The ability to see what’s back there. 
Neck Problems: Refusing to see other sides of a question. Stubbornness, inflexibility. 
Nephritis: Overreaction to disappointment and failure.
Nerves: Represent communication. Receptive reporters.
Nervous Breakdown: Self-centeredness. Jamming the channels of communication.
Nervousness: Fear, anxiety, struggle, rushing. Not trusting the process of life.
Nodules: Resentment and frustration and hurt ego over career.
Nose: Represents self-recognition.
Nose - Bleeds: A need for recognition. Feeling unnoticed. Crying for love.
Nose - Runny: Asking for help. Inner crying.
Nose - Stuffy: Not recognizing the self-worth.

O

Osteoporosis: Feeling there is no support left in life. Mental pressures and tightness. Muscles can’t stretch. Loss of mental mobility.
Ovaries: Represent points of creation. Creativity.
Overweight: Fear, need for protection. Running away from feelings. Insecurity, self-rejection. Seeking fulfillment.

P

Pain: Guilt. Guilt always seeks punishment.
Palsy: Paralysing thoughts. Getting stuck.
Pancreas: Represents the sweetness of life.
Pancreatitis: Rejection. Anger and frustration because life seems to have lost its sweetness.
Parasites: Giving power to others, letting them take over and life off of you.
Parkinson’s Dis-ease: Fear and an intense desire to control everything and everyone.
Peptic Ulcer: Fear. A belief that you are not good enough. Anxious to please.
Phlebitis: Anger and frustration. Blaming others for the limitation and lack of joy in life.
Pimples: Small outbursts of anger.
Pinkeye: Anger and frustration. Not wanting to see.
Pituitary Gland: Represents the control center.
Plantar Wart: Anger at the very basis of your understanding. Spreading frustration about the future.
Pneumonia: Desperate. Tired of life. Emotional wounds that are not allowed to heal.
Premenstrual Syndrome: Allowing confusion to reign. Giving power to outside influences. Rejection of the feminine processes.
Prostate: Represents the masculine principle. 
Prostate Problems: Mental fears weaken the masculinity. Giving up. Sexual pressure and guilt. Belief in aging.
Psoriasis: Fear of being hurt. Deadening the senses of the self. Refusing to accept responsibility for our own feelings.
Pubic Bone: Represents genital protection.

R

Rash: Irritation over delays. Immature way to get attention.
Respiratory Ailments: Fear of taking in life fully.
Rheumatism: Feeling victimized. Lack of love. Chronic bitterness. Resentment.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Deep criticism of authority. Feeling very put upon.
Right Side of Body: Giving out, letting go, masculine energy, men, the father.
Root Canal: Can’t bite into anything anymore. Root beliefs being destroyed.
Rounded shoulders: Carrying the burdens of life. Helpless and hopeless.

S

Sagging Lines: Sagging lines on the face come from sagging thoughts in the mind. Resentment of life.
Scabies: Infected thinking. Allowing others to get under your skin.
Sciatica: Being hypocritical. Fear of money and of the future.
Scleroderma: Protecting the self from life. Not trusting yourself to be there and to take care of yourself.
Seasickness: Fear. Fear of death. Lack of control.
Seizures: Running away from the family, from self, or from life.
Senility: Returning to the so-called safety of childhood. Demanding care and attention. A form of control of those around you. Escapism.
Shin: Represents the standards of life. Breaking down ideals.
Shingles: Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Fear and tension. Too sensitive.
Shoulders: Represent our ability to carry out experiences in life joyously. We make life a burden by our attitude.
Sickle Cell Anemia: A belief that one is not good enough, which destroys the very joy of life.
Sinus Problems: Irritation to one person, someone close.
Skeleton: Crumbling of structure. Bones represent the structure of life.
Skin: Protects our individuality. A sense organ.
Skin Problems: Anxiety, fear. Old, buried guck. I am being threatened.
Slipped Disc: Feeling totally unsupported by life. Indecisive.
Snoring: Stubborn refusal to let go of old patterns.
Solar Plexus: Gut reactions. Center of our intuitive power.
Sore Throat: Holding in angry words. Feeling unable to express self.
Sores: Unexpressed anger that settles in.
Spasms: Tightening our thoughts through fear.
Spinal Curvature (Scoliosis Kyphosis): The inability to flow with the support of Life. Fear and trying to hold on to old ideas. Not trusting life. Lack of integrity. No courage of conviction.
Spinal Meningitis: Inflamed thinking and rage at life.
Spine: Flexible support of life.
Spleen: Obsessions. Being obsessed about things.
Sprains: Anger and resistance. Not wanting to move in a certain direction in life.
Sterility: Fear and resistance to the process of life or not needing to go through the parenting experience.
Stiff Neck: Unbending bullheadedness.
Stiffness: Rigid, stiff thinking.
Stomach: Holds nourishment. Digests ideas. 
Stomach Problems: Dread. Fear of the new. Inability to assimilate the new.
Stroke: Giving up. Resistance. Rather die than change. Rejection of life.
Stuttering: Insecurity. Lack of self-expression. Not being allowed to cry.
Sty: Looking at life through angry eyes. Angry at someone.
Swelling: Being stuck in thinking. Clogged, painful ideas.

T


Teeth: Represent decisions.
Teeth Problems: Longstanding indecisiveness. Inability to break down ideas for analysis and decisions.
Teeth - Root Canal: Can’t bite into anything anymore. Root beliefs being destroyed.
Teeth - Impacted Wisdom Teeth: Not giving yourself mental space to create a firm foundation.
Testicles: Masculine principles. Masculinity.
Tetanus: A need to release angry, festering thoughts.
Throat: Avenue of expression. Channel of creativity.
Throat Problems: The inability to speak up for one’s self. Swallowed anger. Stifled creativity. Refusal to change.
Throat - Sore: Holding in angry words. Feeling unable to express the self.
Thrush: Anger over making the wrong decisions.
Thymus: Feeling attacked by life. They are out to get me.
Thyroid: Humiliation. “I never get to do what I want to do. When is it going to be my turn.”
Thyroid - Hyperthyroid: Rage at being left out.
Tics, Twitches: Fear. A feeling of being watched by others.
Tinnitus or Ringing in the Ears: Refusal to listen. Not hearing the inner voice. Stubbornness.
Toes: Represent the minor details of the future.
Tongue: Represents the ability to taste the pleasures of life with joy.
Tonsillitis: Fear. Repressed emotions. Stifled creativity.
Tumors: Nursing old hurts and shocks. Building remorse.

U

Ulcers: Fear. A strong belief that you are not good enough. What is eating away at you?
Urethritis: Angry, emotions. Being pissed off. Blame.
Urinary infections: Pissed off, usually at the opposite sex or a lover. Blaming others.
Uterus: Represents the home of creativity.

V

Vaginitis: Anger at a mate. Sexual guilt. Punishing the self.
Varicose Veins: Standing in a situation you hate. Discouragement. Feeling over-worked and overburdened.
Venereal Dis-ease: Sexual guilt. Need for punishment. Belief that the genitals are sinful or dirty. Abusing another.
Viral Infections: Lack of joy flowing through life. Bitterness.
Vitiligo: Feeling completely outside of things. Not belonging. Not one of the group.
Vomiting: Violent rejection of ideas. Fear of the new.
Vulva: Represents vulnerability.

W

Warts: Little expressions of hate. Belief in ugliness.
Warts - Plantar: Anger at the very basis of your understanding. Spreading frustration about the future.
Weakness: A need for mental rest.
Whiteheads: Hiding ugliness.
Wisdom Tooth, Impacted: Not giving yourself mental space to create a firm foundation.
Wounds: Anger and guilt at the self.
Wrist: Represents movement and ease.

Y
Yeast Infections: Denying your own needs. Not supporting yourself.

This partial list was taken from the book written by Louise L. Hay titled "Heal Your Body A-Z". The information can also be found in her book titled "You Can Heal Your Life"

Find out what your body is trying to get your attention about!