Lactose intolerance is also a form of enzyme deficiency, when there is not enough lactase to break down lactose, it leads to poor digestion of dairy products. Lactose intolerance can be tested with a breath test, or with a 2-week dairy-free trial, followed by reintroduction to watch what happens.
A temporary solution to this problem is to take digestive enzymes with your meals, and avoid dairy products if you have lactose intolerance. However, it is important to get to the root of the problem, and address imbalances to encourage the body to produce enough enzymes on its own.
8. Other causes of dysbiosis – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or parasites
It is very common to have an imbalance of organisms in the intestinal tract, and in addition to yeast as discussed above, many people also have pathogenic bacteria and even parasites in their digestive tract. It’s likely that if you’ve traveled recently (especially to Asia, Africa, or South America), but even eating out you can pick up parasites. With this type of digestive imbalance, there is also usually diarrhea, weight loss and fatigue.
There are precise bacterial overgrowth and parasite tests with a complete stool analysis (those from American laboratories are the best) to find precisely what is growing. Treatment is then much simpler once the microorganism(s) has been identified.
Overview
In conclusion, there are many causes of bloating that a naturopath looks for, and it is usually a problem that can be treated. It’s not normal to need to loosen your pants every night after dinner, or to be too heavy at the end of the day to go out and hang out with people. I hope this brief article has given you a starting point for improving your digestive health!
