Gastroparesis can lead to symptoms, including: upper abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, fullness, early satiety, belching, and in some cases, regurgitation. It occurs when the stomach isn’t working as well as it should be, and as a result, food doesn’t leave the stomach at the right pace. It’s important to make sure there aren’t any physical or mechanical obstructions leading to slow motility. For example, if your stomach doesn’t empty well because you have cancer in your stomach, that could block the exit of food from the stomach and might explain your gastroparesis-like symptoms. Always work with a physician to ensure you get the correct tests for a solid diagnosis. Some of the more common known causes of gastroparesis include diabetes, spinal cord injury, gastrectomy, or certain medications that block nerve signals. One of the common underlying themes in some of these conditions is nerve or nervous-system-related dysfunction. In the case of diabetes, experts believe that chronically elevated blood sugars are associated with a higher risk of neuropathy. Oxidative stress and dysfunction of the nervous system contribute to the development of gastroparesis. If nothing shows up in the procedure, you may be referred for a gastric emptying scan2. This is when you eat a meal tagged with radiolabeled isotope so the radiologist can determine what pace the food leaves the stomach. If it doesn’t empty quickly enough, you could be diagnosed with gastroparesis. Remember, this is all a matter of how much your stomach can take based on how fast it can move. If you try to fill your stomach faster than it can empty, then you’re going to have a problem. So go slowly when filling the stomach in order to give it more time and less stress to empty. 3 Hopefully, as your symptoms improve, you can liberalize your eating patterns and food choices. It can be helpful to work with a dietitian skilled in helping people with gastroparesis. Some people also consider food sensitivity testing to see if it might offer some insight into how they can optimize their dietary choices. Because of the brain-gut axis8, modifying some of the chemical messages from the brain may support the state of the gut. In my practice, I often employ mindfulness, breathwork, and meditation as part of that treatment plan. Singh is currently the Director of Integrative Gastroenterology at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute at UC Irvine. He is also currently a voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSD in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health; prior to this, he has been a Clinical Assistant Professor at UCLA and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Singh is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and many other societies. He is actively involved in the American Gastroenterological Association. He is one of the editors of the textbook of Integrative Gastroenterology, 2nd edition (a Weil Series text) and has written several book chapters and articles. He is dedicated to guiding his clients toward optimal wellness every step of the way, using the most cutting edge technologies to design highly personalized precision based protocols. Towards this end, he founded Precisione Clinic and wrote the book Rescue Your Health to bring the best in preventive medicine to his clients.
