“I remember taking my son to his soccer practice. I felt bloated again, as if there were buckets of air stuck in my digestive tract. The only way to get relief was to burp. That was of course not pleasant and quite embarrassing, so I kept my distance from the other parents who were standing at the field. Normally I would always have a chat, but now I isolated myself. I realized that my stomach problems were increasingly affecting my life and I was disappointed about that.”
“The complaints started about two years ago. The bloating suddenly came on. It felt very bad. Not painful, but it was as if my throat was being squeezed by too much gas. A bit like that feeling when you eat a lot very quickly. drinks soft drinks and a farmer is bothering me. And I had that all day.
After a few weeks I contacted the doctor by telephone. He found it annoying for me and said that I probably swallowed too much air while eating. I was advised to eat more slowly and avoid carbonated drinks. But I didn’t drink soda or eat in a hurry at all. I couldn’t do anything with that home, garden and kitchen advice. The complaints persisted and when I went to the consultation hour, I was told the same thing again. I just had to learn to live with it, was the message.”
Near despair
“Sometimes the bloating would be less bad or even gone for a few days. Then I would hopefully think that I had gotten rid of it, but unfortunately it always came back. More and more often, in fact. I was close to despair. Planning my days became increasingly difficult and I avoided appointments, even with friends. I was afraid that I would get that bloated feeling again and that I would be burping all the time. Fortunately, I worked from home as a self-employed person – an office job would not have been sustainable. It seemed like something was fermenting inside me, a really bad feeling.”
“I couldn’t accept that it would always remain this way. There had to be something to do about it, right? I am interested in alternative medicine and have been following an orthomolecular therapist on Instagram for some time. I sent her a message explaining my complaints and she had experience with that.
I knew I had to pay for the treatments out of pocket because I don’t have additional insurance, but I was at my wits’ end and decided to give it a try. I went for a consultation and was told that I had to rigorously adjust my diet: I had to avoid gluten from now on, as well as cow’s dairy products, certain types of fruit and vegetables, plus beef and pork.”
No scientific evidence
“My blood and stool were examined and based on this I was prescribed supplements that helped my irritated intestines to recover. Within a few weeks I noticed a difference. My complaints reduced drastically, the bloated feeling had almost disappeared. The therapist also advised an extra blood test to check my vitamin B12 level. Because all this had already been documented, she advised me to do this through my GP. But when I knocked on the door, I came home to a rude awakening.
The GP was pleased that I had less problems with my stomach and intestines, but added that he did not want to cooperate with a blood test. “I don’t want to be a toy between regular care and an alternative medicine for which there is no scientific evidence,” she said. I was overwhelmed by this reaction, which I had not expected at all. I had already invested so much into getting better, and now I was hit with the lid. I left the practice taken aback.”
“I didn’t feel taken seriously by the doctor. Also because there was no further discussion possible, let alone collaboration with my intestinal therapist. Instead, I received a lecture. Somehow I understand the GP; she has to deal with a high work pressure and no time to look at other options. And this does not only apply to my doctor, only few doctors are open to this.
They are probably driven crazy by all the ‘internet doctors’: people who google their complaints and then think they know better. But a different response to my request would have been nice. I hope this will change. I absolutely trust regular care, but it would be nice if more could be learned from each other and there was more cooperation with alternative medicine.”
“My treatment cost me hundreds of euros, but it was worth it to me. It is a pity that this is not feasible for everyone. People who cannot afford this sometimes suffer from their health problems for an unnecessarily long time. Fortunately, I was able to call on this help. I struggled with this for over a year and a half, in retrospect far too long.”
Relief
“Never again will I so easily accept the doctor’s advice and be fobbed off. I am so happy that I took this step. I still strictly adhere to the nutritional instructions. Only very occasionally, when stressed, I have I still suffer from belching and feeling bloated. But those severe attacks have disappeared like snow in the sun. I don’t need any more proof. A world has opened up for me and I have my social life back. What a relief.”
The names in this article have been changed for privacy reasons.
Orthomolecular therapy
Orthomolecular therapy is part of naturopathy. Orthomolecular therapists want to achieve so-called ‘optimal concentrations’ of nutrients in a person’s body. These amounts should support and promote all body processes. Orthomolecular therapists often recommend a diet tailored to the individual.
In general, organic products are recommended and products with E numbers are discouraged. High doses of vitamins and minerals are recommended with this diet. These doses often far exceed the recommended daily allowances (RDA).
‘Usefulness insufficiently demonstrated’
However, a healthy and varied diet already provides sufficient vitamins and minerals to maintain good health and prevent chronic diseases. The scientific consensus is also that the usefulness of high doses of vitamins and minerals has not been sufficiently demonstrated.
Scientific research does not show that orthomolecular therapy helps to reduce complaints or cure diseases. In addition, supplements containing high doses of antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and vitamin E, may potentially increase the risk of cancer.
Source: Voedingscentrum.nl
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