Free deep dive · 23 pages
Bloating: Beyond Gas
The new science of bloating and visible abdominal distension
Bloating is one of the most common gut complaints and one of the most misunderstood. For decades it was explained as too much gas. The evidence now points to several distinct mechanisms, from visceral hypersensitivity and constipation to visible distension driven by a reflex in the diaphragm and abdominal wall.
This deep dive gives healthcare professionals the questions that change the bloating consultation, the mechanisms behind each pattern, and the language that helps rather than dismisses.
Inside this deep dive
- Bloating versus visible distension: related, but not the same
- The seven questions that change the bloating consultation
- Why bloating is not always just gas
- Abdominophrenic dyssynergia: why distension can be real
- Gut-brain signalling, visceral hypersensitivity and neuroimmune pathways
- What not to say, and better language for patients
Written for healthcare professional education and free for anyone to read. It is general education, not medical advice or a treatment guideline. Speak to a healthcare professional about your own symptoms.
Prefer a shorter read? Fibre and Bloating covers the essentials in plain language.
