Hello! Linsy here, and I’m back again to answer a great question from one of our readers!

This week’s question reads:

“Do you have any advice for carbohydrate intolerance/sensitivity? I have been experiencing trapped gas that causes pain in my middle back that circles around to the front of my stomach – and can last for hours! I thought I should start taking digestive enzymes to help break down the carbs and also go on a low-carb diet? Would really appreciate any help!”

I first want to say thank you for reaching out, and what an awesome question this is. Many people have issues digesting carbs, so thanks for bringing up this topic! I’m so sorry for the pain and discomfort you are experiencing.

In my experience, gas and bloating can be caused by diet, food intolerances, stress, etc. Any fungal/bacterial pathogenic materials can also cause gas and leaky gut, but even without knowing the exact cause of the gas, there are a few things I’ve had success with which helped me with bloating, spasming, and occasional gas.

#1: Digestive Enzymes

The first thing that helped me, which the reader mentioned in their question, is digestive enzymes!

Whether it was a carb digestion issue or something else, these helped me A LOT. We actually carry a great digestive enzyme product in the shoppe, one that is NOT contaminated with mold spores (as many are), but Jini recommends that you don’t use enzymes long-term because your body will start to not produce them naturally.

That being said, while I was healing I used enzymes for almost every meal, as I had a huge digestion issue. I took them in the middle of my meal, specifically.

Our reader asked about taking enzymes with carbs, but, as I mentioned, I took them during all of my meals – until I got to a point where my GI was strong enough to handle digestion on its own. So, if you think digesting food is an issue (rather than allergy or intolerance), I personally would incorporate digestive enzymes!

Breaking down foods takes a lot of energy and calories, and carbs themselves can take a lot to process. Digestive enzymes can help break down those macromolecules – because if things aren’t properly digested, they can sit and ferment…causing gas!

The digestive enzymes I mentioned earlier, which Jini offers in the shoppe, comes in capsule form or chewable tablets:

Houston Enzymes Tri-Enza
Houston Enzymes Tri-Enza Pomegranate Lemonade Flavor

#2: Castor Oil Pack

Jini recommends hot castor oil packs to soothe and relieve not only sharp pains..but bloating and gas too! Castor oil (extracted from the castor bean) penetrates deep into the tissues and stimulates the lymphatic system, to get the good stuff in and the bad stuff out.

Jini says it’s best to use castor oil packs with heat, and this honestly was very helpful when I had sharp pains. I used a heating pad with the castor oil protocol, and the heat always helped me with pain. You can read all about how to do the castor oil pack in this blog post, as well as how one of our readers used a castor oil pack to save her sister’s life.

#3: Binders

When I feel like something is stuck or trapped (often experienced with gas or bloating), one thing I actually do is use a binder!

Binders, as you know, are one of my favorite tools – but here’s an interesting fact that a lot of people don’t know. Activated charcoal has been known to relieve gas! Here is an activated charcoal product I think is AWESOME not only because it’s vegan, but it also contains organic coconut in non-GMO capsules.

Coconut is amazing for so many things, and this particular product is specifically advertised for GAS & BLOATING. I highly recommend this product from personal experience to help release the buildup of whatever is causing the gas in the first place – and it’s Jini approved, too!

Charcoal binds to things in the GI that the body isn’t absorbing. Because of this binding, it could pull out the trapped stuff that may be causing the gas in the first place. A good little cleanser from toxins, if you ask me!

#4: Colonic massage

Jini has an instructional video on how to perform a colonic massage on oneself, and I personally LOVE doing abdominal massages when I am experiencing any pain. This massage can help with so many different things, but gas is at the top of the list. Applying that slight pressure can help with any restrictions that may be occurring, help with any blockages, and just gets things “moving” again.

#5: Probiotics

I’m not sure if our reader is supplementing with any probiotics, but probiotics help by balancing the gut flora, therefore reducing gas, bloating, etc…

Jini says the cornerstone treatment to relieve gas and bloating is probiotic supplementation, and that sometimes high dose probiotics alone can resolve gas pain in as little as a week. This really depends on the state of your gut flora, however, and whether or not you have intestinal inflammation or ulceration present – which, if so, can take considerably longer.

Currently, Jini only recommends Natren brand probiotics, as they are the only company she knows of that guarantees a LIVE bacterial species count all the way through to the date of expiration – not just at the time of manufacture!

Now if you decide to use the charcoal and probiotics, these should be taken separately (at least 2 hours away from each other) and both on an empty stomach. And the binder of course needs to be taken with lots of water!

An easy way I do it is to take my probiotics right when I wake up. By the time I finish breakfast 2 hours have passed, so I can take a binder on an empty stomach, wait a while, and then be ready for lunch! Feel free to do this however you would like, and here is a great place to start if you are trying to figure out which probiotics are best for you and how to take them!

Also, see Jini’s video with Dr. Juliet on the Migrating Motor Complex PLUS a short guided meditation to help you get in contact with the microbes in your gut. Highly recommend this!

#6: Managing stress and anxiety

Did you know that stress and anxiety can actually cause trapped gas and pain? The Calm Clinic has a great blog post that breaks down the relationship between anxiety and gas problems. Air swallowing happens during anxiety attacks quite often, as well as hyperventilating, and once in your body, this built-up pressure needs to be released – which causes gas!

Stress/anxiety can prevent our bodies from processing food effectively, causing the food to pass too slowly through your system. This can cause the bacteria in your body to build up and produce excess gas and bloating.

In many of my blogs and videos, I emphasize the need to consume your food in a safe environment. So to our reader, I would also ask the question:

What was going on in your life when you consumed those foods that triggered a response?
What environment were you eating in?

Even if you are eating all the right things, but you are eating them in an unsafe and toxic environment, your body can still process them wrong…

But, no need to fret if stress and anxiety are the key issues with gas, as Jini has a brilliant tool for this – Lazer Tapping! You can join her for a free session at LazerTapping.com, and there is one free session in particular I feel would be most helpful in this case: Releasing Emotions in the Gut.

This is a great place to start if you are looking to find the root issues of your gas and boating, as well as what your body is trying to tell you through these symptoms you’re experiencing.

Additional Resources

Thanks for spending this time with me today! I hope all of this info I’ve shared can be an asset to you along your healing journey.

But before I leave you, I’ve also included a great blog post by Jini with details on a low residue diet, so you can try to incorporate those foods specifically to alleviate symptoms.

Until next time, happy healing – and always listen to your gut!