I have been having problems with digestion lately. God knows what is wrong, but symptoms are clear enough. I get puffed up during the day. My belly looks like a beach ball by the evening. I fart all night long, and in the morning I have diarrhea. This has been going on day after day for a week or so, and I am getting pretty tired of it. As well as ever angrier about the whole thing. Some sort of imbalance in my intestinal flora and fauna is the most likely cause of my problems. One heat wave after another might have contributed to it, for the little buggers love heat. Thus I have decided to starve them. I will eat as little as I possibly can. All the microbes in my intestines will get is beer and wine. When I told my beloved about my decision this morning, we laughed at the buggers’ prospects. Only the alcoholics among them will have a chance to survive. Cheers!

Addendum I (August 27, 2012)

One more time, I have been cured on my own medical intuition. My stomach is not puffed up any more. I do not fart all night long and end up with diarrhea in the morning, either. Although my belly would benefit from more fasting, I am back to normal. And I feel pretty good about it. If only people would trust their own intuitions and become their own doctors. Nay, shamans!

Addendum II (November 12, 2015)

Fasting is a pretty good trick, and it has deep roots. Not surprisingly, every major religion prescribes it on a regular basis. When it comes to intuition, medical or otherwise, it is always a good idea to go back to the oldest tricks in the book. As for the alcoholics among the little buggers in my belly, I have tamed them, too. And how. Now I drink in moderation, as the inane expression goes, and it helps a great deal with my belly. One way or another, I have not been to a doctor for quite a while. I can only hope that this is how I will keep going as I get ever longer in the tooth. Step by step, I am becoming my own shaman for true.