Team Gut Girls

Could Your Upper Bloating Be Gastroparesis? Signs, Testing, and Support Dr. Whitney Baxter, ND, Dr. Christina Carew, ND and Dr. Dominique Vanier, ND discuss gastroparesis as an often missed cause of upper abdominal bloating. Symptoms include: early fullness, nausea, reflux that doesn’t respond to medication, vomiting, and pain above the belly button, describing it as delayed stomach emptying that can be influenced by diabetes, GLP/GIP medications, PPIs, opioids, stress, hormonal cycles, and conditions like dysautonomia/POTS, Ehlers-Danlos, post-viral illness, mold/mycotoxin exposure, and tick-borne disease. They note overlap with functional dyspepsia and histamine-related symptoms, and limitations and long waits for gastric emptying tests (e.g., scintigraphy). Suggested supports include tracking timing/patterns, maintaining routine and nutrition, avoiding excessive food restriction, using smaller or blended meals, screening mental health and micronutrients, considering anti-nausea options, prokinetics and neuromodulators with monitoring, and integrative therapies like CBT, hypnotherapy, breathing, acupuncture, and manual therapy, plus guidance on how to discuss “gastric emptying/motility” with practitioners and use downloadable checklists.

In this Team Gut Girls bloating series episode, Dr. Whitney Baxter, ND with co-hosts Dr. Christina Carew, ND and Dr. Dominique Vanie, ND discuss sugar alcohols (polyols)—the “P” in FODMAP—as a sneaky cause of bloating, gas, loose stools, and abdominal discomfort. They explain these reduced-calorie sweeteners (e.g., xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol, maltitol) occur naturally in some fruits and vegetables and are common in sugar-free gum, candy, baked goods, frozen desserts, jams, and some drinks; a practical label tip is to look for ingredients ending in “-ol.” Polyols are incompletely absorbed in the small intestine, reach the microbiome, and ferment, with tolerance varying by person and quantity, especially in IBS with visceral hypersensitivity. They note reasons for use (texture, moisture, reduced browning, cooling sensation, fewer cavities, lower sugar impact) and summarize that current evidence suggests no harmful microbiome effects and possible prebiotic benefits, advising symptom tracking and discussing concerns with a clinician or dietitian rather than automatically eliminating foods.

Team Gut Girls Hosts - Dr. Christina Carew, ND, Dr. Dominque Vanier, ND and Dr. Whitney Baxter, ND discuss how chronic bloating, heaviness, pressure, constipation, and pelvic pain may be caused by pelvic venous disorders (pelvic venous congestion/insufficiency) rather than the gut, and note it is under-diagnosed, often mislabeled as IBS, and is the second leading cause of pelvic pain lasting over six months after endometriosis, with frequent comorbidity. They explain how pelvic congestion creates blood pooling and pressure (“traffic jam”) that can worsen with standing/sitting, end of day, menstruation, ovulation, pregnancy, and sex, and may include urinary urgency without infection, painful bladder fullness, hemorrhoids, visible pelvic/leg veins, swelling (often left-sided), fatigue, and relief when lying down or with compression. Risk factors mentioned include pregnancy, ages 25–40, hypermobility, POTS/orthostatic intolerance, and possible increases post-COVID/vaccination. Diagnosis may involve ultrasound, pelvic MRI, venography, and referral to interventional radiology; treatment can include stenting or trial injections.

Team Gut Girls naturopathic doctors Dr. Dominique Vanier, ND Dr. Whitney Baxter, ND and Dr. Christina Carew, ND discuss chronic digestive symptoms that persist despite normal tests, focusing on disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs), which affect over 40% of adults and children and include IBS, functional dyspepsia, functional constipation/diarrhea, bloating, reflux hypersensitivity, and more under Rome V criteria. They explain a biopsychosocial model of causes and risk factors (trauma, infection, stress, genetics, early life events, anxiety/depression, sleep, smoking, obesity, surgeries) and myth-bust that bloating isn’t automatically IBS, symptoms aren’t “nothing,” you can have overlapping DGBIs, and the microbiome isn’t the whole answer. Key mechanisms include motility disturbance, visceral hypersensitivity, altered mucosal/immune function, dysbiosis, and altered CNS processing. Practical options discussed include CBT, gut-directed hypnotherapy, diaphragmatic breathing, consistent movement, personalized food strategies, supplements (nervines, demulcents, motility agents), and medications including neuromodulators, plus advocating for collaborative care and referrals.

In this Team Gut Girls episode, Drs. Whitney Baxter, ND, Dr. Christina Carew, ND and Dr. Dominique Vanier, ND discuss bloating and the popularity of IgG food sensitivity tests, contrasting them with IgE allergy testing and explaining that IgG reflects a delayed immune exposure signal rather than an immediate, potentially dangerous allergic reaction. They distinguish food intolerance as malabsorption/fermentation (e.g., lactose, fructose, fructans; low-FODMAP concepts) rather than an immune response. They review a 2026 IBS literature review (13 studies, ~900 patients) where IgG-based elimination diets often improved symptoms, but note major study limitations and risks of broad restriction, fear, and malnutrition. They highlight concerns about test accuracy/reproducibility and cite European, Canadian, and American guidelines recommending against IgG testing for diagnosing food allergy/intolerance, suggesting antibodies may reflect oral tolerance. They advocate systematic evaluation (rule out celiac and true allergies, time-limited, planned eliminations with reintroduction, and avoiding unreliable testing (including hair-based tests).

On The Team Gut Girls Podcast, Dr. Whitney Baxter, ND, Dr. Christina Carew, ND, and Dr. Dominique Vanier, ND explain how fermentable carbohydrates called FODMAPs (oligosaccharides, disaccharides like lactose, monosaccharides like excess fructose, and polyols) can worsen bloating, pain, distension, diarrhea, and urgency by drawing water into the colon and fueling bacterial fermentation, especially in IBS and visceral hypersensitivity. They review evidence originating at Monash University showing symptom and quality-of-life improvements, note limited bloating-only trials, and compare low FODMAP to the stricter Specific Carbohydrate Diet. They debunk myths that low FODMAP must be permanent, that FODMAPs are bad for everyone, or that it “cures” bloating, emphasizing short-term, guided use with reintroduction and personalization to identify thresholds. They discuss risks (constipation, weight loss, nutrient gaps, disordered eating) and recommend practitioner/dietitian support, tracking, and using reliable resources like the Monash app.

In this episode, we’re diving belly-first into bloating — specifically the kind linked to SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), when bacteria (or even fungi) set up shop where they shouldn’t and start throwing a gas-producing party in your small intestine. Think: hydrogen, methane, hydrogen sulfide… and a whole lot of discomfort. We break down: - Why you might look 6 months pregnant by 6 p.m. -The sneaky triggers behind SIBO (PPIs, antibiotics, GLP-1s, stress, surgery, hormones, infections, pregnancy, endometriosis, gallbladder removal — the list goes on) - Why symptoms can look like constipation, diarrhea, reflux, early fullness, fatigue, brain fog, skin flare-ups, and even nutrient deficiencies - Common myths — including why gas doesn’t automatically mean SIBO, and why a negative breath test doesn’t always tell the whole story - Practical things you can start now: meal spacing, walking after meals, belly breathing, and avoiding food fear Most importantly, we zoom out and ask the bigger question: Why is your gut vulnerable in the first place? Because SIBO may be the smoke — but it’s not always the fire. Come curious, leave empowered — and maybe a little less bloated. Because better gut health changes everything.

Dr. Christina Carew, ND, Dr. Dominique Vanier, ND and Dr. Whitney Baxter, ND discuss how common bloating is and how it can stem from many conditions, including non-digestive causes. They emphasize clarifying what patients mean by “bloating,” differentiating subjective bloating from visible abdominal distension, and gathering detailed descriptions (location, hardness, pain, gas, and impact on daily life). Key assessment questions include timing (morning vs after meals vs later day), duration and onset, recent triggers (illness, travel, pregnancy, antibiotics, crash diets, medications), eating behaviors (speed, talking, gum, carbonated drinks), bowel habits and incomplete evacuation, and gas odor. They review non-gut contributors such as menstrual cycle issues, endometriosis, PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, pelvic cysts/fibroids, vascular congestion, motility disorders (including GLP-1 medications, diabetes/gastroparesis), gallbladder/liver issues and ascites, and even diaphragm dysfunction. They caution against unguided elimination diets and note red flags warranting evaluation, including bleeding and possible GI, ovarian, or colorectal cancers, previewing future episodes on investigation and what’s normal.   Chapters 00:00:00 Why Bloating Is Common 00:22:00 Defining Bloating vs Distension 00:03:57  Patient Questions Checklist 00:06:58 Constipation and Gas Clues 00:07:46 Hormones and Pelvic Causes 00:09:57 Other Organs and Medications 00:12:32 Food Triggers and Elimination Diets 00:16:11 Fiber Nuance and Travel Changes 00:18:04 Red Flags and When to Investigate 00:19:32 Series Preview and Wrap Up