Belly Like a Balloon Every Time You Eat? The Real Reason for Abdominal Distension and Gas Through 'Accumulation and Gathering'

The discomfort patients feel is often not simply a matter of lacking digestive enzymes. Modern medicine interprets the 'accumulation and gathering' of Donguibogam through functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, and the gut-brain axis. Rather than merely being connected, our brain and gut communicate closely like a high-speed information highway, functioning as if they were one body. The gut is even called the second brain because it contains more nerve cells than any other organ outside the brain. When psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, or depression arise, the brain secretes stress hormones like cortisol, which directly influence intestinal motility and sensitivity through the gut-brain axis. The gut reacts sensitively: peristalsis becomes irregular, digestive enzyme secretion decreases, and food fails to digest properly, lingering in the intestines for too long. Gut microbiota then ferment these food remnants and produce excessive gas, which causes the intestinal barrier to distend, leading to abdominal distension, bloating, and sometimes pain. Furthermore, the gut microbiota balance plays a critical role in intestinal health. Beneficial bacteria and harmful bacteria live in balance within our intestines, but westernized diets, overuse of antibiotics, and chronic stress disrupt this microbial balance. When harmful bacteria become dominant, leaky gut syndrome can occur as intestinal permeability increases. As a result, endotoxins enter the bloodstream, triggering a systemic inflammatory response and affecting the autonomic nervous system, which can further aggravate digestive hypofunction. In addition, over 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut; when gut health deteriorates, mood is also affected, leading to feelings of depression, which can worsen indigestion. It is difficult to break this intricate chain simply by taking a digestant.