Digestive Problems
PULSE+ Dietitian for Digestive Problems
Do you experience uncomfortable digestive symptoms throughout the day that disrupts your routine? Do you feel frustrated that you have tried everything to manage your symptoms, but experience no relief?
At PULSE, our registered dietitian can help you to better manage your digestive health and break down the science behind it.
Our Clients’ Typical Results
Significant reduction in symptoms of digestive issues after one month
Improvement in overall gut health after three months
Better mood, energy level and quality of life
What You Will Gain
Essential dietary knowledge to manage your condition
Discover your unique trigger foods or eating patterns linked to your digestive issues
Knowledge of what, when, and how much to eat to prevent triggering symptoms
Our Clients’ Typical Results
Significantly reduced pain & digestive symptoms
Clarity in identifying trigger foods
Greater success in reintroducing foods without triggering symptoms
You will also learn
Able to enjoy a wider variety of foods than previously
Improved energy levels
Developing healthier lifelong dietary habits
Common Symptoms of Digestive Problems
- Stomach discomfort / pain / cramps
- Diarrhoea
- Heartburn
- Acid reflux
- Gas / bloating
- Constipation
- Gastric
DIfferent types of digestive conditions would have different symptoms. The symptoms also vary from mild to very severe.
Unless these conditions are controlled, they can cause long-term discomfort or other health problems. Stress can often aggravate symptoms too; such as in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
The good news is, many digestive conditions can be managed through dietary changes. Symptoms can often be related to specific foods or nutrients that can be identified in a consultation with our dietitian.
How Can a Dietitian Help with Digestive Problems?
First consultation
Nutrition & lifestyle assessment
Review of your medical history and digestive symptoms, as well as an evaluation of your eating patterns, lifestyle habits and nutrition profile.
Diagnosis
Identification of your key nutrition problems and how they are connected to the presenting problem. This may include identification of triggering foods, problematic eating patterns, or other nutritional issues.
Personalised meal plan
You will get a personalised eating plan tailored to your condition, health goals, needs and lifestyle. A copy will be emailed to you post-session. One follow-up email is also included.
Our dietitian will set clear weekly goals on making dietary changes to your condition, such as changing your meal times to moderating certain foods.
You may also receive nutrition education and advice for your condition
Subsequent consultation(s)
Review
To make lifelong and sustainable changes, you will need to meet with a dietitian for follow-up visits so that they can coach you and help you navigate obstacles — change is never easy!
Follow-up visits will focus on:
- Review of your progress and discussion of any challenges faced.
- Adjustment of your treatment plan (or meal plan) based on your current needs.
- Referral to additional resources to help address your specific challenges.
What if I also have other conditions?
A qualified dietitian has undergone extensive training and accredited certification for managing a combination of medical conditions through medical nutrition therapy. So, if you have more than one medical condition, our dietitian will be able to prioritise and focus on the most important nutrients.
Case Study
Client M (male, 50s) started experiencing digestive issues after he contracted COVID.
Symptoms
Severe bloating and abdominal pain after meals
Sensitive to onion, garlic, dairy, bread, soy milk, some veg and fruits
Experienced ‘motion sickness’ (described as feeling like he is swaying on the spot) before a meal or after a heavy meal
Lost ~3kg weight due to insufficient calorie intake as M could not eat as much due to condition
Felt frustrated and helpless
Faced difficulties working because of discomfort
Severe bloating and abdominal pain after meals
Sensitive to onion, garlic, dairy, bread, soy milk, some veg and fruits
Experienced ‘motion sickness’ (described as feeling like he is swaying on the spot) before a meal or after a heavy meal
Lost ~3kg weight due to insufficient calorie intake as M could not eat as much due to condition
Felt frustrated and helpless
Faced difficulties working because of discomfort
Consultation
During the medical nutrition consultation, our dietitian found that:
- M had started to restrict many foods because he was not sure which foods triggered symptoms.
- Ate little because of pain stemming from the amount of gas in his stomach if he ate bigger portions
- As a result, he lost ~3kg weight in a few months
Intervention
As the gut can be influenced by many factors, including illness, environment, lifestyle, meal portions and certain foods/drinks, our dietitian embarked M on a personalised plan that helped to target his sensitive gut and prevented him from further weight loss.
His fear of eating and food anxiety was also addressed with the dietitian explaining to him which foods to avoid during this sensitive phase.
The dietitian also recommended a different brand of probiotics as M had tried taking probiotics before but found it ineffective
Results: 3 weeks later
Bloating reduced by 90%
M no longer has fear of eating foods
Bowel movements became more regular with new probiotics
Lower frequency of constipation
No more ‘motion sickness’
Appetite returned with his much improved digestion
Bloating reduced by 90%
M no longer has fear of eating foods
Bowel movements became more regular with new probiotics
Lower frequency of constipation
No more ‘motion sickness’
Appetite returned with his much improved digestion
Review and Maintenance
At his second monthly follow-up, our dietitian assessed that his sensitive gut had indeed improved. Thus, his treatment focus shifted to maintaining a healthy gut. This was done by increasing his meal portions to include a balanced diet rich in fibre foods. A new food list was also given to M to let him trial out once-sensitive foods, now that his digestion has improved.
After three sessions, M no longer experiences bloating on a regular basis, and we were able to encourage M to continuously trial out once-sensitive foods, such that he no longer has any fears of eating the ‘wrong’ foods. His probiotic intake was also reduced to one time a day for maintenance.
Meet our Dietitian
Senior Clinical Dietitian
Dietitian Adelyn Khoo
Prov. Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD), Dietitians Australia
Bachelor of Nutrition & Dietetics, Adelaide
Languages: English, Mandarin, Malay
Adelyn has over 9 years of experience as a dietitian, having seen 3000+ clients for medical nutrition therapy sessions for various issues, from weight loss, weight gain, high cholesterol, heart disease, fatty liver, hypertension, (pre-) diabetes, gut health, IBS & digestive issues, sports nutrition (muscle gain), osteoporosis, fertility, maternal nutrition and more.
Adelyn’s experience working alongside traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physicians at PULSE also gives her the unique expertise in integrating TCM with medical dietetics. She is able to help incorporate clients’ TCM diagnosis and recommendations into their nutrition plan.
Rather than simply instructing clients what to do, Adelyn believes in focusing on what the client wants to achieve and empowering them to make the right choices to reach their health goals.
Begin journey to a healthier, happier you
Book your appointment with a PULSE+ dietitian today
Book appointment
FAQ
The consultations will be held at PULSE+ Allied Health Clinic at Camden Medical Centre (Orchard Blvd MRT). Each consultation session is typically 45 – 60 minutes to be held at a monthly interval. Note that if you have travel plans or other matters, the frequency of the session can be flexibly extended
Record a 3-day food diary before the session. This is a list of everything you are eating and drinking for the last 3 days, so that the dietitian is able to get an idea of your food habits and eating patterns.
Think about your goals and write out any questions that you would like to ask during your session.
The required number of sessions would vary by each patient’s condition, lifestyle and other factors. As a general guide, 2 to 3 sessions are usually needed for general IBS management.
If you are embarking on a low FODMAP diet, however, which is more complex and require detailed guidance for the re-introduction phase, 10 to 12 sessions may be needed.
A qualified dietitian has undergone extensive training and accredited certification for managing a combination of medical conditions through medical nutrition therapy. So, if you have more than one medical condition, our dietitian will be able to prioritise and focus on the most important nutrients.
Have more questions?
Visit our AskPULSE portal to ask our PULSE+ Allied Health specialists or PULSE TCM Physicians any questions about your health or our services.
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