Digestive Difficulties

One of the most common ailments seen in the clinic is digestive dysfunction. Fortunately, the digestion is an area particularly amenable to natural treatment and holistic therapy.

Once it has been determined that the complaint is truly digestive in nature (e.g., not a cardiac problem masquerading as something digestive), then comes the analysis to determine what is the source of the problem. As a holistic practitioner, it is my focus to not only treat the presenting symptoms that are causing discomfort, but also treat the underlying causes of those symptoms.

Let me illustrate this principle with two cases.

Patient X, a 93-year-old female, presented at my office with a chief complaint of "belly" pain and intermittent diarrhea. According to this patient, "everything I eat causes pain, bloating, and spasms." Her pain came on one to two hours after eating, and was felt in the abdomen and intestines. Her condition had been diagnosed by her MD as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but her symptoms were very resistant to treatment, and her condition had gotten steadily worse. Holistic analysis revealed extreme deficiency in this patient. Her digestive organs no longer produced enough enzymes for her to metabolize her food, and her intestinal tract was extremely irritated.
A combination of herbs and digestive enzymes have relieved this patient's pain and helped her digest and enjoy her food once again.

Patient Y, a 41-year-old female, presented at the office with a chief complaint of "uncomfortable stomach." She suffered from extreme gasiness and bloating which lasted anytime from a few minutes to a month. She was addicted to chocolate, sweets, and carbohydrates in general, and felt like she was starving all the time. She had a history of extensive antibiotic use, after which many of her digestive symptoms started to appear. It was apparent from her digestive symptoms as well as others that this patient had a problem with Candida (yeast) overgrowth. An herbal and dietary regimen resulted in a gradual improvement of her symptoms.

If you are suffering from digestive difficulties or have a health issue that is causing you concern and you would like to know if holistic medicine might be of benefit, you are welcome to call me at 858/673-1397 for a free phone consultation.

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Rancho Bernardo Sun/ Diamond Gateway Signature
January 2002