Distended Abdomen

Question
Evelyn
I have struggled with a big bloated belly most of my adult life, and it has gotten worse now that I have reached my fifties.
I am overweight but not obese, and my belly is not 'fat' it is more swollen like a pregnant lady.
It could be genetic as my Dad and uncles looked this way at my age. They both died of colorectal cancer so that is a concern.
I do not over eat-I actually eat around 1500 calories a day which is less than recommended for my size.
I also get lots of cardio.
My doctor doesnt believe it is genetic, or a a medical condition like celiac-all my tests come back clean. I dont think he believes how little I eat and how much I exercise.
My weight is not so much a concern as my bloating.
I tried cutting out all wheat products (celiac) for a month-didnt help.
The only success I had was last summer when I cut out red meat for a few weeks, while consuming the same calories. My belt went in a notch. I fell off the wagon however as all the bbq meat was too tempting.
I am not a big booze drinker but have also noticed that anything with a high alcohol content such as spirits or high alcohol beer also causes bloating-even if I only have a couple. I can drink six Coors lites with no problem.
I also seem to have a problem with dairy and/or fat. My wifes deliciuos scalloped potatos with cheese bloat me up but mashed potatoes are fine.
So, I have determined I am intolerant too red meat and  possibly dairy, and fat.
Doesnt seem to be much info on this particular problem, just lots of info on dairy and wheat intolerance.
Your thoughts appreciated!

Answer
Dear Barry ,

You describe a pathology on which very little information, indeed, exists. It is also a fairly common one, and in 9 out of 10 cases it indicates a sluggish metabolic system, caused by years of  low fibre diet, overindulgence in fats and sugars, and compromising life-style/eating habits. Eat more fibre tends to be the general solution, but we don't exactly know what is causing your distention. I won't be able to prescribe a specific diet for you, because this depends on a better understanding of the root cause - which can be multi faceted and rooted in one or more (energetic) organic imbalances.

Bearing in mind that my expertise is to address  diet from a holistic perspective, I can only try to give you a different angle from which to approach and manage your complaint. This route will find it unhelpful to consider your problem in terms of an intolerance to a specific foodgroup. Your reactions and symptoms would still be consequences of deeper problems. Even if you are thinking along the lines of an irritable bowel, or diverticulosis, you still need to look at a much larger picture.

Your organs should tolerate foods from all five nutritional groups, if not, it means you have become weakened by a disease or you have an imbalanced, lazy or overly neurotic system. Different types of people are affected in different ways, causing similar symptoms, however.

Before we procede you need to consider yourself a dynamic organism with upper and lower poles, roughly divided into a nerve-sense centre and a metabolic centre (there is a middle, too: the heart). This way of looking at the human being also asks you to come to terms with the fact that you are a soul being in a physical vehicle. There is also a Higher Self (I-orginisation) involved, like a big boss.The less power this aspect has over your body, or if it wields a despotic power, the more complaints you will get. It all boils down to a balance between spirit and body.

If it is not fat that is causing the distention, and definitely not a mass or an acute condition (like a blockage in the lymph, bloodvessle or intestine), then  it will have to be gas or fluid. Percussion and palpitation by a doctor ought to tell you a bit more. I am surprised you are not sure what is causing the distention; yet, I will assume the doctor has ruled out unambiguously any defects of your major metabolic organs: I am thinking specifically of  your liver/gall, or pancreas, but also your kidneys and spleen - let's not forget the heart, again, either. Notwithstanding, they can be deemed ENERGETICALLY weak (deficient "Qi" or "Ki", as the Chinese call it). This dynamic influence of organs on the digestive system and the subsequent effect upon our overall health is not to be ignored. We must not wait till pathologies fix themeselves in the the flesh. Indeed, the discomfort of the distention you are experiencing could be just the wake up call you need! Time to reset your inner-outer balance, before a definite pathology will set in. .

Take care not to omit any minor symptoms in your self-assessment. Rashes, itches, cramps (achy muscles), constipation or flatulence, diahoerrea, foul body odor, hair loss or dry scalp, haemhorroids, excess mucous (nose), swelling (limbs, feet, hands, face, i.e. water retention) and poor circulation (extremities too hot or too cold specifically), intermittantly, periodically or chronically can point better to which "Qi" or energy is weakest. Furthermore, external clues can also be found in how tidy or messy, organised or chaotic your life-style is, dishevelled, unkempt or fastidious your appearance is; and in your socialisation, and work ethic. An overly active gregariousness and bubbly personality, or any bossiness, obsessive compulsion, or any other excessive emotion (anger, anxiety etc) could indicate that you are externalising too much an energy. Other manifestations could point to a lack of soul energy. Either way, the soul needs to be strengthened and the body left to get on with what it needs to do to live.

The digestive process is one way to anchor your soul forces so that they can also work on your spiritual self. This is how what we eat, and how we eat, where we source our food from etc, matters.Our choices should revolve around a health that makes us whole. In this understanding our organs are internalised external world. Complementary medicines, like Chinese Taoist, Ayurvedic, Anthroposophic and traditional (Hahneman) Homoeopathy all explain the elaborate organic systems  with correlations to cosmic and astral (planetary) forces. This in turn relates them to metals and chemical components in plants (phytotherapy), crystals, colours, etc which are used in  naturopathical remedies and treatments, such as for triturations, elixers, herbal teas, dietary measures etc. You might not like to hear it but very often an irritated colon reacts best to art or music therapy; dance, yoga, tai chi, or meditation do nicely too....

Digestion is not only about going from A to B, a passage way inbetween the sensory joys of food and the waste.The process of digestion is a catabolic and an anabolic one. Substance is broken down (made chaotic) and then reorganised into human protein (building blocks). Holistically, this is so to grant us individuality, and freedom. But this aside.

Several things can cause an imbalance. Not only the foods we eat. It is very often a combination, where the mind plays a big part, too. It is well known that if you eat with things on the brain (worries, problems) or with distractions calling energy to the head (tv, reading, arguments at the table) you are going to get indigestion or even burn your food less efficiently (causing weight gain). Most significantly, you will not have managed your life- and soul energy properly. With most of it stuck in the brain, you will have deprived the lower pole of the power it needs to digest in an entire manner. Digestion is very much about bringing to completion in a (creative) transformative (or transsubstantial) way. Without this process in place, food remains poorly decomposed, badly absorbed or starts to feel alien (creating an allergy or intolerance). You have to allow for a certain force of will to settle down into the abdominal region and get to work there.

This explains the customs of blessing before dinner; creating a safe and pleasant environment, table setting and table manners even; also, taking a walk to work up an appetite before dinner; preparing food with undivided attention (not just a quick pop into the microwave) etc. All these things stimulate the metabolic-limb region, shifting the energy into the right direction. Eating on the go is therefore a real no-no; and fast food (even a BBQ) has obvious problems attatched to it. Conscious chewing is a part of the digestive process. But even before food enters the mouth (the beginning of the alimentary tract) the other senses stimulate the liver and prepares it to process the food.When the liver fails to do its work, bloating can occur, or skin problems will errupt. Headaches, depression and sleepiness are also symptoms of a liver at under-capacity. All in all, it is crucial that food looks good (colourful!), smells interesting, has varied flavours (do not eschew bitter, sour, and earthy sweetness), and varied texture. The kidneys are especially taxed by one sided protein intake.

The amount of calories you count is of lesser importance in your case, perhaps, than the bulk you eat. (Your count, though, sounds rather low for a man your age, which could also point to a problem, to do with a healthy, consistent relationship between inner and outer worlds.) What you should realise is that if not enough substance is ingested, everything slows down: you need to keep the bowels busy, to keep your excess head energy in check. If you do not eat enough fiber or would  predominantly live off high protein (astronaut type) food, the waste matter will not find its way through the large intestine quick enough and rotting processes will result (causing gas). Meat, too, does not stimulate this movement. Ideally you should have one bowel movement every day. Drinking water helps. Alcohol dries the system out and hinders. It does more to compromise the metabolic system on a complex level, which I cannot go into here. Adding bran or eating prunes or dried apricots, or figs, or especially flaxseed oil daily can work as a mild laxative. Chamomile tea can also work in a remedial way, soothing any inflammation, which such distention generally does cause the intestine.

Processed wheat and sugar constipate. Cheese and milk can cause a lot of nasty slugs: always combine well to make an alkaline diet (websites galore on this topic). Cutting out dairy all together may not be necessary: indeed, a serving of semi-skimmed yoghurt, or a lacto-bacteria drink (pro-biotics) daily is highly recommendable.  For the rest tons of raw salad should become staple. Go easy on heavy raw foods, incl. coleslaw if it gives you too much wind. There are ways of making such foods more digestable (carrawayseed, sauerkraut/fermentation). Check out how you react to beans, for some it could be too much of a good thing. Then start off with lentils (for a tasty shepherdess pie with pot barley and walnuts, add carrots, and parsley root or parsnips, serve with  peas etc etc. lots of yummy recipes out there.  Healthfood cookery books or vegetarian cuisine will take you there.)

It is a bit too concise to say merely that a weak or unchecked will becomes manifest in metabolic disturbances, with all the knock on effects in the surrounding organs - but it kind of does coin it for you. This will power first and foremost can be trained up by increased self-awareness or conscious effort. Hence the benefits of  sticking to routines, rhythms and disciplined meals. Sharing and caring  (family meals but also growing your own veg, or some watercress even) can already bring a new sense of rule to your metabolism. Holism works on a microscopic level, too.

Exercise has to connect you to nature or the earth (counters on machines are not so ideal). Pottering about and housework, hobbies such as carpentry or gardening all help rebalance.A kind of mental hygiene is imperative: organise your thoughts, set yourself challenges, reprioratise and review your life-goals. And don't forget to connect all that with the middle-man: your feeling. Again by taking an interest in good quality food, shopping at markets, taking a cookery course, or becoming environmentally aware etc, you do that fairly naturally. The aim is not to achieve something or reach a goal, but feel comfortable along the way.

We all fall off the wagon, but this is so that we can get back on and become spiritually stronger. We have bodies from which to learn lessons. Standing above your desires and getting to know what you really need (to become better and be a better person) is what mid-life really asks us to step up to.

A final thought regarding genetics.
They say meat and processed, fatty foods, additives and artificial flavourings etc contribute as trigger-factors of colon cancer. This is predominantly, from a holistic perspective, because cancer is linked to the spirit's incapacity to take full ownership of one aspect or other of life's rampant energy (cancer is prolific, unincorporated cell growth). Sometimes this cannot be helped, with poisonous carcinogenics an unavoidable threat to the human species (most of them man-made though....). Sometimes we provoke a situation through ignorance or incompetence (wrong choices). Excess or insufficiency are results of a lack of self-knowlege. On a holistic note, we can only exhort: know yourself! Know your digestive system, understand it as a dynamic processing plant. You must serve it and not just treat it like a tool that came with the flat pack body.

The genetic aspect is incidental: a weak spot can be aggravated by bad habits or poor self-knowledge. Your body is meant to show up your spiritual flaws. Genes do not predetermine a disease, just enable its development. Be aware that you can subconsciously programme yourself  and end up making (wrong or lazy) life-style choices in accord. Use the genetic information to make positive changes that strengthen first and foremost your awareness, and then subsequently your organism.

I encourage you to keep observing yourself and asking yourself what your body really needs. Plus, I  challenge you to enjoy wholesome foods which help you build up a healthy inner dynamic. Keep the inner and outer in balance and also let the mind (soul) prevail over matter.

Wishing you all the very best,
Kindest Greetings,
Evelyn  

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