First Name: Samesh
Medical Diagnosis: Paralysis
Age: 45
Geographical location: India
Male
Gastrointestinal (GI) motility refers to the movement of food from the mouth through the pharynx (throat), oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestines and out of the body. The GI system is responsible for digestion.
I first met Samesh through social media in 2015. It is amazing how a common interest pulls people together across geographical boundaries. He was fun to chat to. He told me that he had been a very active person all his life, who strongly believed life has no limits. He still believes the same, though his activities are partially hindered by the limitations he experienced after a life-changing event. I am grateful to be able to share his amazing story.
Despite doing his best to keep himself busy and active, and taking care of his health with diet and exercise, Samesh developed some seriously debilitating gut problems in 2009, suffering from extreme bloating, discomfort and severe pain in the lower/upper abdomen area. All doctors pointed towards his sedentary life style as a cause and prescribed medication to improve his gut motility. This initially gave him some relief, but sadly it didn’t last for long. It was horrible, he explained: ‘I suffered almost every day, and it further confined me, limiting my activity, which in turn made me feel depressed and helpless.’
At this point, Samesh decided that he needed to tackle this problem himself. He came across a study on fermented foods and sourdough. He learned that bloating and discomfort could be exacerbated by FODMAPs, and that sourdough breads are a healthy option. As he was already into baking bread, he changed the way he baked to a sourdough process, but not before following a gluten-free diet for three months. This did help in reducing problems, although didn’t get rid of them entirely.
After his gluten-free period, Samesh tentatively tried approaching sourdough according to the way I teach: the BALM Protocol. Samesh says: ‘This was when I really noticed a change. Over a period of time, I realised that there was no unusual bloating in my abdomen, no unusual discomfort, and everything gradually was [more] manageable than before. My problems with my abdomen were partly because of my immobility and partly food related, [and] I have successfully managed to bring it to a manageable condition with the introduction of sourdough bread. I have continued to use sourdough breads in my diet for many years now, and overall I feel healthy with no severe stomach-related problems. I am now on zero medication for my stomach-related issues, and I have been able to resolve it with a combination of a good diet, including sourdough breads, and exercise. This is such an amazing feeling, and I have continued my journey with more research on sourdough breads. I now use various healthy grains in my sourdough breads. This is such an amazing feeling. I have continued my journey and connected to you, Vanessa.’
