Alyssa Chavez [00:00:00]:
Hello, my friend, and welcome back to the Endobelly Girl podcast. I can't believe that by the time this episode airs, it is going to be 2024. I am recording this at the very end of 2023, but by the time this episode airs, it is going to be 2024. And that just blows my mind. Now, I have an episode planned for you guys today. This is actually going to be a two part episode because I was putting it together and realized there was way too much information to pack into just a single episode. I didn't want to overwhelm you all. And me being me, I got super excited and nerded out on the information that I'm going to share with you all today and of course, got a little carried away in the process.
Alyssa Chavez [00:00:50]:
So I've decided for all of our sanity's sake, to go ahead and divide this into a two part episode. So you'll have this part today, and then in a couple of weeks, you'll get to hear part two. So you'll have that to look forward to. So what is this fun that we're going to dive into today? We're going to actually unpack a lot. So I talked about in my last episode, which was all about the life lessons that I personally have learned from being an endowarrior and from my journey that I've had so far. I was talking one of the lessons that I learned about listening to your body's intuition. And it got me thinking that it would be helpful for all of you to share a little bit more information on how to listen to your body's intuition. I think we know all of the obvious things.
Alyssa Chavez [00:01:42]:
Knowing when you're hungry or you're thirsty, or you need to go to the bathroom or it's time to go to sleep. A lot of that stuff is pretty straightforward. And we've been listening to, or maybe sometimes ignoring our bodies for most of our lives here. So we're well aware of that stuff. But part of my, actually, a big part of my learning journey, getting into the field that I'm in now, is learning about signs and symptoms that your body goes through to tell you that there is something out of balance. And the crazy thing is that I feel like so many of these symptoms are just so common in our society that they're often normalized. They're talked about like it's just a normal part of life. You just have to deal with it and suck it up and there's nothing you can really do.
Alyssa Chavez [00:02:32]:
Or maybe you're offered a medication of some sort. That's kind of a bandaid solution. You all know how I feel about those. If you don't, don't love bandaid solutions. Not to say that medications aren't ever warranted. They certainly are. I know there are many medications out there that are life saving, and God bless the people who create those and help to save lives each and every day. But it doesn't mean that a pill is a solution for everything.
Alyssa Chavez [00:03:01]:
And there is so much that our bodies tell us each and every day, signs and symptoms. When you start hearing the list, you're going to realize how many of these you probably experience yourself every single day, or at least on a regular basis. So that's what we're going to dive into today. Now, I did, like I said, decide to break this episode down into a couple of parts. So part one, we're going to go into common digestive issues. That's what we're going to talk about today, especially because this is the Endobelly Girl podcast. So many of you listening probably experience endobelly, which is that crazy bloating that comes with endometriosis. Personally, when I think endobelly, I think of just the general onslaught of digestive struggles that can come along with endometriosis and that are so common.
Alyssa Chavez [00:03:49]:
I've heard statistics saying that upwards of 90%, 90% of people with endometriosis also have digestive issues, and that's a pretty crazy number. There is just no way that that is a coincidence. Not believing it, not buying it, not going to hear that. So we're going to dive into some of these common digestive symptoms that, of course, can happen to anybody, not just endowarriors, but I know that they are very common for people like us. So some of the super common things that I see with my clients coming in are things like low stomach acid. Yes, I said low Stomach acid. I'll dive more into that in a moment. Low digestive enzymes, not breaking down fat.
Alyssa Chavez [00:04:37]:
Well, having dysbiosis, which is an overgrowth of the bad kind of bacteria in your gut. Yeast overgrowth, those are some of the really common things that I see. So we're going to dive into what some of the common symptoms are of these various issues and imbalances so that you can kind of investigate for your own body what might be going on, what you might need to kind of dive deeper into and take a look at so that you can better support your own health. Okay, so, my friend, let's dive in. Now, you are going to see a fair amount of crossover. In other words, one symptom might point to various things. Bloating, for example, is not just caused by one individual issue. There can be many various causes of bloating, and so you'll see some crossover and also just.
Alyssa Chavez [00:05:32]:
Of course, this is not a foolproof method. Looking at symptoms in your body can be super helpful. Definitely not foolproof. And that's why I also like to use functional testing in my practice. I particularly like to use the GI map test as a stool test, and that can help us to. Okay, we have all these symptoms going on in your body. We kind of know where to look, where to begin. But using the GI map can give us an actual concrete picture of what's going on so that we can work on addressing those symptoms that you're experiencing.
Alyssa Chavez [00:06:06]:
All right, so, first up, as far as issues I wanted to look at today is low stomach acid and also the need for pancreatic enzymes. These two often go hand in hand. It's very rare, if ever, to see one without the other, because they tag team together on breaking down food in your digestive tract. Now, first of all, I have to talk about the low stomach acid thing. I know when I first heard about this, I thought it was crazy, because you hear everywhere about having too much stomach acid, right? There's over the counter and acids that are so common that people take, or proton pump inhibitors, which are common medications that are prescribed, and oftentimes those are prescribed because you're experiencing things like heartburn. And the crazy thing is that oftentimes even a symptom like heartburn or some of the other common symptoms that I'm about to talk about actually are a sign, not that your body has too much stomach acid, but actually that it's not producing enough. And I know that that may sound backwards, but I've seen this time and time again with clients that I've worked with who come into me having heartburn, having acid reflux, symptoms like that, we address stomach acid, and all of a sudden, those symptoms go away, which is pretty crazy. I could probably do a whole episode just on stomach acid.
Alyssa Chavez [00:07:30]:
I have a lot to say about that. It's something that I address pretty much with every client that comes in, or at least take a look at it. Not everybody needs support in that area, but many, many people do. And here's the thing. Your stomach acid is the first line of defense in your body. If pathogens are in your food, if there's bacteria that you don't want in there, even viruses and things like that, your stomach acid is intended to kill that stuff off. But if there's not enough, if the stomach acid isn't there to break things down, well, guess what? Those pathogens can end up further down your digestive line and can cause issues. It can end up contributing to dysbiosis, which is an imbalance of bacteria in your gut that we're going to talk about in a little bit.
Alyssa Chavez [00:08:15]:
It can also just cause you to get sick, period. And then your stomach acid also breaks down food before it gets further down your digestive tract. So when it's out of balance, it can allow in large food particles that can contribute to food sensitivities and even leaky gut. So it definitely has a huge downstream effect if you don't have enough stomach acid and or pancreatic enzymes to break down your food that you're eating. So what are some of those common symptoms of low stomach acid burping about 1 hour after a meal? Heartburn or acid reflux? We just talked about that. Yes, that is actually a symptom of low stomach acid. Mind blown. I know.
Alyssa Chavez [00:09:01]:
Bloating within an hour of eating. Do you ever eat and just get bloated very quickly afterwards? Well, that can be a sign of low stomach acid. Bad breath, a loss of taste for meat. If you just feel averse to meat and don't want it anymore, it could simply be a sign that your body's not breaking it down. Well, you're not producing the enzymes and stomach juices to be able to break it down. So, yeah, you're going to end up having a loss of taste for that. Another common symptom is having a sense of excess fullness after a meal like you eat and you just feel like you have that brick sitting in your stomach, or maybe you feel like skipping breakfast or feel better if you don't eat. In general, those can also be signs of low stomach acid, can also be things like diarrhea or constipation or undigested food in your stool.
Alyssa Chavez [00:09:52]:
If you poop and you have bits of your dinner that you ate yesterday still sitting in there, that can also be a sign that your body's not breaking things down well. So again, a very common issue if you find that you have some of those symptoms, like burping, bloating, not wanting to eat, diarrhea or constipation, heartburn, anything like that. Hey, that just may be a thing for you. That may be something that you need to address. Okay, next up on the list, we're going to look at common symptoms of gallbladder dysfunction, which can also point towards biliary stasis or even a need for liver support. The liver and gallbladder work very closely together. And yeah, the liver has different functions in your body. It also helps with detoxification.
Alyssa Chavez [00:10:41]:
But for the purposes of this portion here, we're going to be talking about specifically your body's ability to break down fats. So we all most likely are eating fat in your diet. I know low fat diets are definitely a trend, although fun fact, not so fun fact really, is that eating a low fat diet can actually contribute to gallbladder dysfunction. Because if your body is not being asked to produce bile to break down fat, it may actually slow down that production to where then when you eat fat in the future, your body doesn't break it down well. So that can actually be one of the common reasons of having dysfunction with the gallbladder is that you just haven't been eating enough fat, period. So if you've been avoiding fat in your diet, stop it. Okay? I can't give individual dietary advice on here. You may need support before you're ready to introduce fat into your diet, but definitely something to consider.
Alyssa Chavez [00:11:45]:
So, signs, symptoms that your body may need support with your gallbladder may need support with that bile flow. Bile production that your body needs support in breaking down the fats that you're eating can be things like having pain in between your shoulder blades. And I know that may sound kind of weird because your gallbladder is definitely not located between your shoulder blades. It's called a referred pain where you may be experiencing issues with the gallbladder, but the pain is referred up in between the shoulder blades. So that can be a common sign that there may be some issues. There could also be things like your stomach being upset by eating greasy foods. Maybe your stool is coming out greasy or shiny or floating stools can also be a sign that your body is not breaking fat down. Well, maybe you have stools that are light or clay colored.
Alyssa Chavez [00:12:38]:
That can also be a sign. Nausea, having dry skin or itchy or peeling feet, having a headache over your eyes, having gallbladder attacks. Having your gallbladder removed is definitely a sign that you need gallbladder support. If you do not have a gallbladder in your body, which would only have happened if you had it surgically removed, you would know you definitely need support. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to who have had their gallbladder removed and were sent home with no further support for their body. Breaking down fat. And I personally think that's a little nuts. In truth, we do need.
Alyssa Chavez [00:13:16]:
Your gallbladder does do something, and so if you're having it removed, which sometimes is necessary, okay. But you need to be able to support your body after the fact. So if that's been a thing for you, that's definitely something to look at. Also, having pain under your right rib cage, and that is actually where your liver and gallbladder are located. So that's not the referred pain. That might be actual pain where your liver and gallbladder are located. So those are some of those common signs and symptoms that I see related to gallbladder dysfunction. Biliary stasis, need for liver support along the way to help break down fats in your body.
Alyssa Chavez [00:13:55]:
So if that's something that sounds familiar, if some of those symptoms are something that you're experiencing on a regular basis, then that may be a sign that you need deeper support. Okay, next up, need for small intestine support. So these are signs and symptoms that are showing that your small intestine needs a little love, and that can mean a variety of things. There's not just one possible issue that could come up with your small intestine. It could be something like dysbiosis, because your small intestine actually shouldn't really have very much bacteria. The bacteria. When you hear the word microbiome, which refers to all of the microorganisms that live within your gut, those really should be more in your large intestine, in your colon. So if there's an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine, known as sibo or small intestine, bacterial overgrowth, that can definitely contribute to a lot of these symptoms that I'm going to talk about.
Alyssa Chavez [00:15:00]:
It can also be something like candida, which is an overgrowth of yeast in your body and can definitely have some symptoms as well. Or also could be something like leaky gut, where there's large food particles making their way through your intestine and into their bloodstream and causing issues that we're going to talk about in a second. So these symptoms that I'm talking about can point back to any of those things. It's not like it's a one stop shop, so to speak. So some of those signs and symptoms that can show a need for support of your small intestine can be food allergies or sensitivities or intolerances that can often point back to that leaky gut kind of thing. It could also be something like abdominal bloating, one to 2 hours after a meal. So we talked about bloating within an hour of eating can point towards having that low stomach acid, the need for pancreatic enzymes, abdominal bloating one to 2 hours after a meal can point more towards a need for intestinal support. Sorry, the small intestine support.
Alyssa Chavez [00:16:08]:
So it's so interesting how the same symptom, but at a different time in relation to your meal, can point towards different issues and imbalances. So interesting, at least to me, but this is what I do for a living, so it's probably good that it's interesting to me. I hope it's interesting to you as well, since you are listening to this podcast. All right. Another common symptom of small intestine, a need for small intestine support. Are having specific foods make you tired or bloated? Are there certain foods that you eat that you know you will leave you feeling tired or bloated afterwards? That can be another sign. Do you commonly have sinus congestion or a stuffy head? And I'm not talking about like when you have a cold, we all get sick once in a while and experience those symptoms, but more if it's kind of an ongoing, regular thing to have sinus congestion and a stuffy head. Do you crave bread or noodles? That is actually a very common sign of candida, of a yeast overgrowth.
Alyssa Chavez [00:17:10]:
If you feel like you just can't get enough bread or noodles, which can definitely be a problem if your body doesn't love gluten, do you experience alternating constipation and diarrhea? Do you ever feel spacey or unreal? That's another very common symptom of yeast overgrowth. So super interesting stuff. Again, if you're experiencing those things, might be time to kind of take a look at that and get some deeper support for yourself. All right, and next up, which covered the small intestines. So of course our next stop is going to be the large intestine. So again, with a large intestine, when we're talking about these symptoms, they can point back to a wide variety of issues in your large intestine. So that can again be dysbiosis, where you have more of the bad gut bugs living in there than the good gut bugs. There's like a hostile takeover happening within your gut.
Alyssa Chavez [00:18:08]:
It could also be something like parasites or again, that yeast overgrowth, candida, happening in your large intestine. So a lot of different things can be going on if you're experiencing some of these symptoms. So I'll go through those. Does your anus itch? That can definitely be a sign that you need support in your large intestine? Do you have a coating on your tongue? Like, if you stick your tongue out, does it kind of have that thick white coating to it? Do you ever feel worse in a moldy or musty place? Do you have fungus or yeast infections anywhere in your body? So I'm talking about yeast infections down there. I'm talking about fungus on your toes. I mean, it can pop up anywhere in your body and actually point back towards that yeast overgrowth in your large intestine. Do your symptoms worsen when you have sugar or alcohol? That can also be a sign that you need support in your large intestine. Do you experience constipation or diarrhea? Do you experience irritable bowel type symptoms? Do you ever have blood or mucus in your stool? Do you have foul smelling gas? Do you have bad breath or strong body odors? Do you have lower abdominal cramping? Do you have dark circles under your eyes? These are all symptoms that can point back towards your body needing support in your large intestine.
Alyssa Chavez [00:19:33]:
I know a lot of these are no fun. They're definitely things that you may want to do something about if you're having foul smelling gas all the time. Yeah, it may be something that you want to take a look at. And I've been there, mind you, I can't believe I'm talking about this publicly on a podcast, but here we are. I've definitely experienced that foul smelling gas. I had a lot of issues with my large intestine when I was first starting this work that I've gotten into. And I can't tell you how life changing it has been to bring my body back into balance and not have those symptoms anymore. Boy, does it bring me a lot of relief.
Alyssa Chavez [00:20:11]:
All right, my friend, so that's what I had planned for today. I know that that's a lot of symptoms that we covered. So we were talking about symptoms of low stomach acid and or need for pancreatic enzymes. We took a look at common symptoms of gallbladder dysfunction. We took a look at symptoms of a need for small intestine support and large intestine support. Super interesting stuff. Now, I know that this has been a lot of information today. You may be listening to this episode while you're driving or on a walk or something and maybe didn't have time to sit down and go through this list of symptoms as may have thought about what's going on in your body as you're going along.
Alyssa Chavez [00:20:57]:
But I wanted to create a little resource for all of you so that you can sit down and look at, okay, where in my body might I need support? So I've created, basically, it's just a simple little checklist. May you need support with the stomach acid, gallbladder, small or large intestine, the stuff that we cover today. And basically you can go through those symptoms that we talked about, kind of check off what might be an issue for you. And you can kind of gauge, okay, if I'm checking every single box for this particular area, that may be something I need to look at. If I'm checking seven or eight out of ten, that may be something to look at, whereas if it's only maybe one symptom on the list, maybe that's less of an issue for you. So can give you a little bit of an interesting perspective. I am going to put the link for that in the show notes where you can download that checklist for free and kind of see what's going on in your unique body. So you can look for that in the show notes.
Alyssa Chavez [00:21:54]:
And just as a reminder, the stuff that we're talking about here, I know it may seem like a lot, like I covered quite a few symptoms today, but at the end of the day, this is just the tip of the iceberg. That's why I'm going to have a part two where I'm going to cover a lot more things like your vitamin and mineral need, blood sugar, essential fatty acids, some of those very common nutrients and other imbalances that may happen in your body. So there will be a part two that will be helpful for that. I'm actually going to put that stuff on the checklist you're going to receive as well. So if you are listening to this before part two has come out, that's totally fine. You can still go through the checklist. And then as you're listening to part two in a couple of weeks, when that one comes out, you can kind of cross check that with the checklist that you have used, and then you can kind of look. Okay, do you notice any patterns for yourself? Are there any areas where you feel like you could use more support? And of course, your next question probably is, okay, but then what in the world do I do about this? And of course, like anything, I would love to give you a super simple answer.
Alyssa Chavez [00:23:02]:
Like, if you have low stomach acid, do this. If you have issues with your small intestine, do this. But it's just very individual. It's not the same for everybody. It's very unique. It's very bio individual, and that's okay. So I'm going to link to episode three in the show notes where I talk about what I do, which is working in functional nutrition and how it helps to resolve things just like this. So if you'd like to kind of listen in and see what this type of work is, how it might be able to help you, I will go ahead and link to that.
Alyssa Chavez [00:23:35]:
I also have a lot of great stuff coming your way in this year. I would say the coming year, but by the time this episode airs, it will already be 2024. So in this year, I have a lot of wonderful things coming your way that I am working on that can be very helpful as well. If you are just wanting to dive in and resolve some of these symptoms and issues that you're experiencing as soon as possible, you can also, at any point in time, schedule a free virtual consultation with me. And I always link that in the show notes. It's there on every episode. So just wanted to let you all know that that is a thing. I offer a free 30 minutes consultation where we can kind of just talk through what's been going on with you, how I may be able to support you through functional nutrition and see if that may be something that will be of benefit for you.
Alyssa Chavez [00:24:27]:
So that's all I have for you today, my friend. I hope that you enjoy. I will put that link to the free checklist in the show notes so you can download that and kind of take a look on paper without having to sit there and write a million notes as you're listening to this episode. So I hope that that is helpful, and I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your week, and I will talk to you all next week. Much love. Bye.
