Clinical Pearl #1: The Biggest Mistake We Make When Evaluating Chronic Bloating

Chronic bloating is one of the most common complaints in primary care, yet many patients have already tried probiotics, eliminated foods, increased fiber, and still have "normal" test results. So what's being missed?

In this first BridgeWell Clinical Pearl, Dr. Sheri Erwin shares one of the biggest mindset shifts she learned through functional and integrative medicine: symptoms occur in organs, but dysfunction often begins in physiologic systems.

Instead of asking, "What's wrong with the gut?" learn why integrative clinicians ask a different question:

"What physiologic systems could be influencing the gut?"

You'll discover how broadening your clinical reasoning can change the way you approach patients with chronic bloating by considering factors such as:

• Thyroid physiology and gastrointestinal motility

• The gut-brain axis and autonomic nervous system

• Hormonal changes, including perimenopause

• Chronic stress and immune signaling

• Medication effects, movement, and other physiologic drivers

This episode isn't about replacing conventional medicine. It's about reconnecting the physiology you already know into a systems-based framework for clinical reasoning.

Resources Mentioned

📥 Free Guide: The Gut Workup Most NPs Were Never Taught
https://www.bridgewelled.com/gut-guide

🎓 Free Masterclass: The Bloated Patient: A Clinical Reasoning Framework for Nurse Practitioners
https://www.bridgewelled.com/bloated-patient

About The Integrative Clinician by BridgeWell

The Integrative Clinician by BridgeWell is the podcast for nurse practitioners and NP students who want to practice differently.

About The Integrative Clinician by BridgeWell

The Integrative Clinician by BridgeWell is the podcast for nurse practitioners and NP students who want to practice differently.

Hosted by Dr. Sheri Erwin, DNP, MBA, APRN, FNP-C, each episode helps you develop the clinical reasoning, integrative medicine knowledge, and practical skills to care for patients with greater confidence. Whether you're exploring functional medicine, hormones, metabolic health, longevity medicine, or building your own integrative practice, you'll learn how experienced clinicians think and how to apply those principles in your own practice.

BridgeWell Integrative Education is more than education. It's the professional home for nurse practitioners who want to practice differently.

🌉 Learn more at www.bridgewelled.com

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