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Cutting-edge information and tips for creating health in all areas of life – wellness, nutrition, fitness, attitude, and relationships

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January 16, 2025

Managing IBS: When Almost Everything You Eat Gives You Gas or Stomach Pain

There’s so much confusion and misinformation about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Most of it comes from the fact that symptoms vary from one person to the next and doctors don’t really know what causes it. IBS is a painful condition that affects the large intestine causing what seems like constant abdominal pain, gas and diarrhea. While most people have mild to moderate symptoms, for some it’s a debilitating condition. It affects nearly 20 percent of the population and is the second most common reason why people miss work and school (the number one excuse is the common cold). IBS has no visible signs like inflammation, polyps or tumors, so it’s diagnosed by a process of elimination. And while the symptoms can be treated with diarrhea medication, laxatives, nerve pain medication and antibiotics, they can also be managed with dietary and lifestyle changes. Figure Out Your Triggers Tracking your diet and keeping a food journal is the easiest way to figure out which foods give you stomach pain or gas. Most “attacks” happen right after meals, so it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out what’s causing your symptoms. Keep in mind that there are also non-food triggers, the most common is stress. If you think some of your symptoms are caused by stress, it’s time to explore stress reduction methods like counseling and exercise. Eat a Low FODMAP Diet Research has shown that a low FODMAP diet provides relief for more than half of IBS patients. FODMAP refers to Fermented…

A certain kind of peace comes from knowing yourself, being comfortable in your own skin, and liking yourself. How well do you know yourself? Are you living your life or the life someone else expects you to live? Self-awareness requires soul searching. So here are five great tips for getting to know yourself better so…

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Maybe life hasn’t gone to plan. And maybe some of your big dreams faded many Christmases ago.   And maybe, just maybe, you feel a bit like George Bailey from It’s A Wonderful Life, where you woke up this morning wishing you had never been born. But if you had never been born, think of all…

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Can you believe it’s Christmas next week? The year has flown by. For many people, it’s been a tough year. Let’s face it, the past two years have been challenging and given rise to feelings of guilt and regret over failed relationships, missed opportunities, or not having the chance to say “goodbye” to loved ones.  What are…

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When you improve your mood, you improve your life. And it makes you feel much better about yourself, too! Plus, you’ll have more friends because people will be less inclined to avoid you like they do a threatening letter from the IRS.  A hopeful, optimistic mood makes everything about your life better. Here are some…

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Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas. No wonder people gain about a pound each year on average during the holiday season. That it’s just one pound is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.  One pound. Not so bad, right? Our clothes still fit, kind of. But seven or eight years from now (and eight or nine accumulated pounds later), it…

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Sometimes, life just hurts. And while the holiday season fills many people with gratitude and warm fuzzies, for others, it seems to make their pain worse, and their hearts feel a little colder.  If you’re someone who feels on top of the world and abundantly blessed, you don’t need to finish reading this post; enjoy…

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To unlock your best life, you must overcome self-doubt and start believing in yourself, which requires inspired action on your part. Here are some ideas to get you started and boost your self-confidence. Identify Where Your Self-Doubt First Started Did your self-doubt begin in childhood or an unhealthy relationship? Was it triggered by something you…

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Everyone wrestles with self-doubt from time to time, even “successful” people who look like they have it all together. Self-doubt isn’t the problem. Letting it control you is the issue. How much does self-doubt influence your thoughts and decisions? Does it rule your life? Consider these strategies for defeating self-doubt once and for all.  Find…

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Negative thinking fuels self-doubt. You can either let negative thoughts steal your happiness or condition yourself emotionally to manage them when they charge into your mind. Use one of these nine strategies the next time negative thoughts pop into your mind. Shift. Your. Focus – You’re going to have negative thoughts. But instead of fighting…

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Regardless of whatever you’re going through, the only person who must believe in you is you. So what if every other person on the planet doesn’t believe in you? Is it essential to your happiness and success? No! Would it be nice? Yes! Defeating self-doubt begins with YOU believing in YOU! And guess what, if…

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Self-doubt takes a real toll on your life, especially on self-esteem. Knowing the source of self-doubt makes it possible to recover from it and strengthen your self-confidence and self-worth in the process.    Here are some common sources of self-doubt. Learned Behavior and Limiting Beliefs in Childhood Parents and caregivers that struggle with self-doubt often…

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It’s easy to doubt yourself. You second guess important decisions. You wonder if you’re going in a healthy direction. You don’t know if you have what it takes to create the life you desire. On and on it goes. Occasionally doubting a decision or a choice is one thing; everyone has those moments, but living…

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