7 September 2008 No Comment

After 11 years of suffering, I think I’ve finally found the answers to my problem. I’ve had this noisy, embarrassing, gurgly, gassy, bloated stomach, and nothing I have tried has helped enough to where I think I’m “normal” again. The prescriptions, homeopathy, hypnotism, nutritional supplements and special diets didn’t help. Or rather, they helped but not satisfactorily.

I started this website because I knew that there are other people who suffer from the same digestive issues as me. It’s such an embarrassing thing that we don’t usually talk to anyone about it. I searched on the internet and found 42 pages of forum postings from people who didn’t know what to do. There were people who suffered even longer than me, and people who had only suffered for a few months. But still, I knew that it wasn’t “normal.” I knew that it wasn’t just gas that could be solved with a few digestive enzymes or some indigestion medicine. I knew that these symptoms were caused in part by my head. I’m self-critical, hard on myself, and I expect too much from myself, more than I would expect from anyone else. This criticism created stress manifested in my digestive system.

I did the strict Candida diet after my nutritionist told me that Candida yeast was present in my body. (It’s present in everybody’s body, but it was an overgrowth in mine.) After doing the diet and taking some recommended herbs, I still wasn’t feeling the way I was hoping to feel. I decided to attack my nervous stomach with all of the products Nature’s Sunshine carries to combat nervousness. And after only a week on these new products, I noticed a huge change in my body. However, school wasn’t going to start for another week or so. I didn’t want to start celebrating until I put myself to the test. Until I was in a situation that normally caused my stomach to act up and it was calm, I didn’t want to tell anyone how good I was feeling.

On my first day of school (after being out for 12 years), I went to the bathroom about five times before leaving the house. I didn’t feel great, but I hoped that I would be fine once I got to class. I had a rough morning bringing my son to his first day at preschool and wasn’t relaxed. (If you’ve had a toddler going to school, you know that it’s not always easy those first few days…or weeks.) My stomach was nervous, but I was surprised to find that once I was in class, I was fine. No noises for two hours of chemistry lecture. I couldn’t believe it! I was relieved and excited — elated. No being distracted by a gurgly stomach; I could pay attention to the lecture rather than worrying and sweating about people hearing the noises my stomach was making.

I wanted to write about my success right away, but I thought it might be a fluke. I went to lab two days later. I was nervous, but less than on the first day. And I was fine, even though I had to sit between two people. I sat in the back by the hood, which had a fan that’s on all of the time. That was calming, but I was still surprised that I was doing okay. I then went to lecture. And another lab. And another lecture. And my stomach was fine. Hooray!

Okay, here’s my secret. I want you to try it if you think you may have the same problem as me. Of course I’m an affiliate of Nature’s Sunshine. But after what the products have done for me, I’m a convert. I’ve tried other products, and they didn’t help. I even tried other Nature’s Sunshine products with far less success. If you don’t want to try these products that have helped me because you think I’m just keeping this website to make some money, then that’s fine. You can try something else. I only want to share what has worked for me. And because it’s worked for me, I want to share it. I want you to get better and to not suffer from a noisy gut. I know how debilitating it is. I was afraid of going back to school — not because the classes would be too hard, but because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to make it through lecture without worrying about my stomach.

I did the Candida diet and the Para-Cleanse. The diet definitely helps, but I cheat much more now that I’ve found these different products and have no adverse reaction. Although, it helps to eat gluten-free and to avoid alcohol and ice cream. You can do the cleanse or not. You may want to follow the Candida diet and just try the products I’m going to recommend for nervousness. If it works for you, please let me know. If you don’t think that the products are enough, you could try doing the Para-Cleanse (two boxes: 10 days on, 10 days off, 10 days on, and start about three days before the full moon) and being strict with the Candida diet like I did. I also take several products, but I’m going to pare this down to the ones I think are doing the most good for me. I don’t want you spending hundreds of dollars unless you have to. Let me be your guinea pig.

So we’re at gluten-free diet…. Avoid sugar, alcohol, dairy (except raw goat milk cheddar and good yogurt) and preservatives. I also take the Nervous Fatigue Formula, Chinese TCM Concentrate. I take one in the morning and one in the evening. I think this is the product doing the most good, but it’s probably a combination of things. I also think the Intestinal Soothe & Build is really helping, so I’m going to keep ordering that one. I also think the GC-X does good. GC-X supports the intestine and may help with gas and bloating. I take Psyllium Hulls Combination every day and haven’t found another product as good as this one. On the days when I have class, I take Nutri-Calm. I don’t know if this product helps or not, but sometimes it helps me to take something so that I feel like I’m doing something. This product may not be necessary for you.

I take several other products, but these are the ones that I think really help my gut. I also take four of the Probiotic Eleven every morning, and this must help, too. I like that there are several kinds of probiotics in this formula. The things I take nourish my gut or keep it from spazzing out when I’m under stress. I was taking digestive enzymes for awhile, but I didn’t find that it made much of a difference. I don’t think I can eat a plate of spaghetti and feel good afterward, no matter how many enzymes I take.

I hope that this post helps you. I’m extremely satisfied with the way my health is improving and in the changes I’ve already seen in my well-being. I’d forgotten how it felt to not feel gassy and bloated after eating. It’s amazing to eat and just feel satiated. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment. But remember, I’m just like one of you guys; I’m not a doctor or nutritionist or anything like that. This information is only meant to inform and not to cure any disease.