Digestive Health Quiz

Posted by Clear Medicine Blog on 23rd Sep 2024

Does Your Digestive System Need Some Work?

Use this simple questionnaire to determine how your digestive system is functioning.

Question	Yes/No?	A “Yes” Response Could Indicate . . .
Do you have less than one bowel movement per day?		This characterizes constipation, which could be linked to poor motility, food allergies, stress, low stomach acid, low fibre intake, low probiotics, dehydration and more. It could be related or linked to low serotonin production in the gut.
Do you ever have stools that are black in color?		This indicates bleeding higher up in the bowel (like an ulcer) or iron supplementation.
Have you ever noticed bright red blood in your stool?		This indicates bleeding in the lower part of the bowel (like fissures or hemorrhoids).
Have you ever noticed mucus in your stool?		This can indicate inflammation in the bowel or fat malabsorption.
Are your stools overly narrow?		This can indicate inflammation in the bowel.
Do you have a tendency towards loose stools or diarrhea?		This can indicate inflammation in the bowel, food allergies, stress, parasites or bacterial imbalance.
Do you have strong-smelling gas?		This may indicate your body is not digesting protein, you have an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, or you have consumed a food your body is sensitive to.
Do you experience excessive gas regardless of what you eat?		This can indicate a deficiency of stomach acid or pancreatic enzymes, or an overgrowth of harmful bacteria. It can also be caused by stress. Become your own detective: if your symptoms go away when you’re on vacation, you have your answer.
Do you experience abdominal bloating regardless of what you eat?		This may indicate a deficiency of stomach acid or pancreatic enzymes, or a bacterial imbalance.
Do you have heartburn, indigestion or reflux?		This can indicate a deficiency of stomach acid or pancreatic enzymes, as well as food sensitivities.
Do you have recurring nausea?		This can be a sign of a deficiency of stomach acid or pancreatic enzymes. It could also be stress-related or linked to low serotonin production in the gut.
Do you have abdominal pain or cramping?		This could indicate inflammation in the bowel due to stress, food sensitivities, bacterial imbalance, deficiency of stomach acid or enzymes, or leaky gut.
Do you notice food in your stools (besides corn—which is normal)?		This can indicate a deficiency of stomach acid or pancreatic enzymes or rapid transit time. A sign HCL supplementation is needed.

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, your digestive system needs some work and you should atleast begin with a probiotic supplement like Clear Flora and follow the anti-inflammatory diet outlined inthe two week Hormone Diet Detox. Ideal bowel function is one bowel movement after each meal, three times per day—but the minimum should be one per day. If you are experiencing less, you’re constipated. In addition, you should be free of gas, bloating, heartburn or indigestion. The perfect bowel movement should be well-formed and float. It should be free of food particles and mucus and not be overly narrow. Mucus in, or covering, the stool may suggest inflammation of the bowel, as does narrow stools. If you have strong-smelling gas, it may suggest a deficiency of the enzymes necessary to properly digest protein (indicating a need for Clear Digest) or an imbalance of healthy gut flora (that is, yeast or harmful bacterial overgrowth or parasitic infection that can be assisted with Clear Microbiome).

If you wake in the morning with a nice, flat stomach but look five months pregnant by the day’s end, your digestion also needs some help. If you feel you can’t take protein powders because they upset your digestion—no matter what the source of protein (hemp, pea, whey, rice, pumpkin)—then you most likely have a deficiency of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid or HCL) or pancreatic enzymes, or an overgrowth of harmful bacteria in your gut that will also be worse when (or if) you are deficient in stomach acid. It’s actually not that you can’t take protein powders; your body just needs a fix so you can digest the right one for you. Yes, it is true that you can have a food sensitivity to one or more types, but if you react to all protein supplements, it’s not a food issue, but rather a problem with the microbiome, digestive enzymes or low stomach acid.

Maybe you have abdominal tenderness? It can be yet another indication that your bowels could be inflamed, and you need to consider your food choices, bacterial balance (like supplementing the good flora and ridding harmful bacteria and yeast), replacing enzymes and stomach acid and state of the digestive tract wall (otherwise known as leaky gut).