Pallor and sudden trembling, cold sweats, exhaustion, followed by severe pain in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting. They are symptoms of one congestion, or a digestive block due to a fast and intense thermal shock. “It is true that this condition occurs more frequently in the summerdue to the hot-cold swings and which can also have very serious consequences”. This is clarified by Ivo Boskoski, Gastroenterologist medical director at the Gemelli Polyclinic Foundation in Rome, who adds: “Congestion causes an imbalance in blood circulation and the causes can be various, for example drinking frozen drinks when the body is hot, take a bath in the sea or in the pool while digesting a large meal, move quickly from a warm environment to one in which it is lit the air conditioning“.
For World Digestive Health Day, the expert also sheds light on 9 other myths and hoaxes about the health of our ‘second brain’.
It is true, for example, that stress can negatively affect digestion also because our intestine hosts about 500 million neurons and some intestinal bacteria would be connected to the brain regions responsible for mood and behavior.
It is also true that the intestine is one of the main culprits of the immune system: 80% of the immune cells are found there and often the severity of the symptoms with which the viruses attack can depend precisely on the conditions of imbalance of the intestinal microbiota, i.e. the set of bacteria that populate it.
It is true that excessive weight loss may depend on a food intolerance which makes intestinal enzymes less able to take up important nutrients.
While it is It is wrong to attribute any digestive problems after eating pizza or pasta to celiac diseasebecause in many cases it can only be gluten sensitivity: in this case the disturbances disappear when it is excluded from one’s diet while celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disease that requires precise tests for diagnosis.
It is false that, in case of abdominal swelling, it is better to skip lunch: first of all, the cause must be identified and then a diet established in agreement with a gastroenterologist or nutritionist. It may be useful, in the presence of abdominal swelling, to limit or completely eliminate the intake of simple carbohydrates and to balance the intake of certain types of fruit and vegetables.
It is false that if you go to the bathroom twice you suffer from diarrhoea, according to the guidelines in fact we talk about this disorder if it is necessary to do it 3 or 4 times a day and we must pay particular attention if this happens at night.
Similarly, not going to the bathroom every day does not mean suffering from constipation: according to ministerial guidelines, it can be defined as such if you go there less than 3 times a week.
One of the most common problems in the population are reflux and gastritis, but unlike what many think, the cause is not only in what we eat. Indeed, in many cases, in addition to stress, the intake of non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (or NSAIDs) contributes to playing an important role, which can lead to alterations of the gastric mucosa. Sometimes a bacterial infection can also be the cause of gastritis.
Finally it is undoubtedly true that sugar is one of the main enemies of health in adults and children, however discover its presence in ultra-processed foods not a simple task since these foods they often contain hidden sugar. The suggestion, therefore, is to pay close attention to food labels and the amount of added sugar, when indicated.