3+ BOWEL MOVEMENTS A DAY

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Unless a person eats a large amount of fiber, Ayurveda suggests that normally a person will have 1-2 bowel movements per day. 3 or more bowel movements per day could be a sign of malabsorption of nutrients from food resulting from weak digestion....

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Abdominal swelling during menstruation may be due to swelling of the uterus with water or uterine congestion of menstrual blood. Bloating due to gas is a digestive issue.

ACID REFLUX (GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE / GERD, AMLA PITTA)

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If heavy foods like cheeseburgers, burritos and ice cream trigger acid reflux, your stomach acid is probably too weak. Most acid reflux is triggered by...

BAD BREATH

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The body doesn't make foul odors. As blood sugar levels rise, saliva becomes sweet, feeding bacteria in the mouth. Thus, sweet foods cause bad breath. These bacteria produce waste products that have a foul odor. Bacteria will also feed on a thick...

BLOATING / DISTENSION (ANAHA)

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Bloating and distension can come from trapped gas, stagnant stools, uterine swelling during menstruation, or other causes. The gas becomes trapped if the muscles of the abdomen are too tense, if bowel tone is too lax, if peristalsis is asynchronous, or...

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The spot may be bluish or purple.

CONSTIPATION (VIBANDHA)

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How often should you poop? Ayurveda suggests that one bowel movement in the early morning followed by a possible second bowel movement later in the day is appropriate. Your stool should be more or less the shape and texture of a ripe banana, easy to...

CRAVING CRUNCHY FOODS

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Kapha people naturally crave crunchy foods because of internal dampness. In nature, most crunchy foods are drying or astringent. Most processed, modern crunchy foods like chips and bread actually provoke more dampness in the body.

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Stercobilin is the chemical responsible for the brown color of human fecal material. When stool sits in the colon too long, it becomes smaller, drier, and more concentrated, thus darker. You can test colon transit time by eating a cup of well cooked...

DRY MOUTH / TONGUE (XEROSTOMIA)

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Xerostomia, or dry mouth is a subjective feeling that the mouth is too dry. The terms comes from the Greek: Xeros = dry and stoma = mouth. This condition is commonly called pasty mouth or cotton mouth and effects 20% of the population. Lips may stick...

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High fat content may cause stools to float. Stools will appear yellow in this case. Stools may float if the fiber in the stool is high, generally appearing bulky. Stools also float when fermentation aerates the stools.

FOOD POISONING

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Food poisoning is the illness caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with harmful pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Salmonella and E. coli are examples of bacteria that commonly cause food poisoning. Symptoms include abdominal...

FOUL ODOROUS STOOL

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The body doesn't make foul odors. Odorous stool implies food is rotting and fermenting in the gut. Poop starts to rot when it sits too long in the gut (constipation). When you cannot absorb the nutrients from your food (malabsorption, Vata), the...

FOUL TASTE ON TONGUE

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The body doesn't make foul odors. Sweet foods cause a foul taste on the tongue. As blood sugar levels rise, saliva becomes sweet, feeding bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria produce waste products that have a foul odor. Bacteria will also feed on a...

FREQUENT BURPING (ERUCTATION, UDGARA)

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Introduction Everyone burps from time to time. Despite it being somewhat embarrassing, most people don't give burping a second thought. Have you ever stopped to think what your burps might be trying to tell you? Ayurveda has....

FREQUENT HICCUP (HICCOUGH, HIKKA ROGA)

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Hiccup or hiccoughs can result from overstimulation of the vagus nerve after eating hot or spicy foods. A 'burp' trapped by mucus can cause hiccups as well.

FREQUENT NAUSEA

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Nobody likes vomit. Especially other people's vomit. I remember the night my little sister vomited on me while I was sleeping. When my eyes came into focus, I found my sister had not only vomited, she had also passed out. Waking up in a puddle of vomit...

FRUITS CAUSE GAS

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Fructose malabsorption affects up to 30% of the population in western countries. A healthy individual can digest between 25g-50g of fructose per meal. Poor fructose digestion results in gas & bloating, as the fructose is quickly fermented by bacteria...

FULLNESS BELOW BELLY BUTTON

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This symptom describes a feeling of fullness, bloating, or pressure in the center of the body below the belly button, often caused by stagnant decal matter in the lower GI (ileum or rectum). It is easiest to experience while belly breathing, or a...

GAS, IRREGULAR DIGESTION (FLATULENCE, ADHMANA)

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Got a gassy gut? Frequent farting and flatulence isn't just embarrassing, it's also unhealthy. Prompt action is necessary. Passing gas is an important warning sign your body has weak digestion, metabolism, and compromised immunity. Gas is considered a...

GREEN STOOL

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Green poop is caused by a bright green fluid called bile, secreted by the liver. Bile helps you digest fat and helps you absorb fat soluble vitamins. It is also an intestinal lubricant that softens the stool. Your stool is initially green in your...

GURGLING NOISES

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Gurgling noises indicate the presence of gas or fluids. Easy to digest foods, massage, stretching, and appropriate use of laxative should help to eliminate the stagnant gas and fecal matter.

INDIGESTION / UPSET STOMACH (DYSPEPSIA, AGNIMANDYA)

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Indigestion is often the first warning sign of imbalance. The diet should be modified to avoid foods that are difficult to digest and that cause digestive upset. See

INTESTINE LUMPY / LIKE A ROPE

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The intestines may be lumpy when cramped, or when fecal matter is stuck in the colon.

LESS THAN 1 ELIMINATION A DAY

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Stagnant stool sitting in the digestive tract may begin to putrefy, releasing irritating toxins. Moving the bowels flushes the toxicity. Mild or intermittent constipation can cause a buildup of toxins, making you anxious or emotionally unstable....

LONG, LARGE STOOL (LINCOLN LOG)

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The satisfying daily release of a long, large lincoln log stool indicates adequate soluble and insoluble fiber in the diet. The fiber absorbs moisture which increases the size of the stool. Constipation accompanied by a long, large stool can...

MALABSORPTION

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Malabsorption is the inability to absorb nutrients from food. The problem may be general, or specific to a certain nutrient. Some common types include fat, carbohydrate, protein, fructose, bile, iron, vitamin A, D, B12 or vitamin K...

NERVOUS STOMACH / BUTTERFLIES

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Introduction When you experience a "nervous stomach," a looming sense of uneasiness overwhelms your abdomen, right to the pit of your gut. You get that familiar "uh-oh" feeling, even in situations where the threat is minimal, or...

ORANGE / RUBBERY STOOL

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The bile of man and carnivorous animals is of a deep orange-red color, turning to greenish-brown by decomposition of its coloring matter. The bile pigment of man and carnivora is chiefly the reddish form called bilirubin. It is insoluble in water but...

PALPABLE MASS IN ABDOMEN

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A moving palpable mass in the abdomen could signify the presence of gas or impacted fecal matter. An immovable mass could indicate tissue changes. Either way, this condition should be reviewed by a medical doctor. Enema and purgation therapy may be...

RABBIT PELLET / HARD LUMPY STOOL (SCYBALOUS STOOLS)

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Small, hard stool indicates either dryness in the colon or that the stool is sitting in the colon for too long. Hard, dry stools are considered to be a sign of constipation. When stool sits in the colon too long, it begins to rot. The rotting stool...

SALTY CRAVINGS

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The body craves salt when it wishes to retain water. Swelling, inflammation, and edema draw fluids out of circulation and can actually increase salt cravings.

SAUSAGE SHAPE STOOL WITH CRACKS ON SURFACE

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Cracks on the surface of a stool indicate moderate dryness of the stool and dehydration. The stool may be sitting in the bowels for too long. As the stool sits in the bowels, the intestines continue to absorb water from them, making the stool into a...

SINKING STOOL

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Sinking stool is a sign of a rich, heavy diet. Ice cream often makes the stool sink. When food sits in the bowels too long, the stool may become hard and dense. Easy to digest food, mild digestives and fiber should be used to clear the digestive tract.

SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION (GASTROPARESIS, MANDA AGNI)

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Do You Have the Sluggish Digestion Blues? Friends don't let friends eat Twinkies(tm). My neighbor's kids, astounded by my 15 year Twinkie fast, somehow convinced me to eat one. Against my better Ayurvedic judgment, I indulged in this former...

SMELLY GAS

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Gas is a sign of toxicity in your body. When you eat food and it doesn't digest well, it ferments in you gut. As the food rots it starts to smell. When food is poorly digested, toxins enter your bloodstream. This heavily taxes your liver and kidneys-...

SOFT STOOL

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When stools are soft, you lose vital fluids and electrolytes. When stools are soft, there is often poor absorption of foods. You may feel drained & tired. The longer your stools are soft, the more your ojas will be depleted. Stools become soft for...

SOME CRACKS ON TONGUE

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Cracks on the tongue often indicate tissue distress of the digestive tract, including inflammation, degenerative changes, toxicity of the colon, etc.

SOUR CRAVINGS

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Sour cravings are a frequent desire to eat sour food. Sour is one of the six fundamentals tastes in Ayurveda. In balanced quantities, the sour...

STEADY, STRONG DIGESTION

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Pitta individuals have strong digestion and good production of enzymes. They get hungry on time and are irritable when meals are late. When their stomach is empty it feels irritated. Pitta individuals may overeat. Over time, Pitta digestion wanes and...