How To Quickly Treat Intestinal Gas
Everyone has problems with intestinal gas from time to time. The intestine makes gas depending on the amount of gas regularly present in the stomach and the food that gets into the colon undigested. It is also determined by how fast food goes through the colon, so it generally comes from the lower intestines. In the majority of cases, excess abdominal gas is from swallowed air. In other scenarios, gas can be from not properly digesting sugary food and foods with polysaccharides.
A little bit of gas is natural and healthy. Chronic gas makes individuals worry about their intestinal health. Symptoms of excess gas include passing gas aka flatulence, burping, belching, or feeling extended in the abdominal area. Thankfully, there are a few steps individuals can take to ease symptoms of intestinal gas.
Reduce High-Fiber Foods
Patients can reduce the quantity of high-fiber foods they consume to eliminate the amount of gas they have and flatulence they deal with daily. While adding fiber to one's diet is an excellent choice for most individuals, some get a significant increase in gas when they do so. Fiber is plant material that isn’t digested by the stomach and gastrointestinal tract.
If individuals eat high-fiber foods for health reasons, such as avoiding constipation or preventing diverticular diseases, they may have to back off from eating as much fiber as they have been taking in to prevent lots of intestinal gas. Individuals can also increase the amount of water they drink, as it may soothe some symptoms. The better the intestinal tract digests fiber, however, the more gas an individual will have. If an individual has lots of intestinal gas with one type of fiber, they should try using another variety to see if their body can digest that fibrous food better.
Reduce Fried Or Fatty Foods
Lowering the consumption of fried or fatty foods is a great help in lessening the amount of intestinal gas patients have to deal with each day. Fatty foods can cause embarrassing gas emissions and physical discomfort too. Fatty foods cause gas by delaying the emptying of the stomach, and eating them can cause bloating, extra gas, and pain in the abdominal region. Once an individual has eaten a diet high in fat, they may belch or pass gas more often as their stomach tries to digest the fat in the food.
Some examples of fatty foods are deep-fried foods, French fries, and processed meats like bacon or sausage. Added fat in a diet slows digestion down so much that individuals may also get acid reflux and heartburn when eating these foods. High cholesterol foods work in the same manner as do fried foods to give individuals gas and cause digestive problems.
Cut Back On Carbonated Beverages
The carbon dioxide from the pop of fizzy water or other carbonated beverage contains a dissolved type of carbon dioxide. Once this carbon dioxide reaches body temperature, it becomes gas in the stomach. Enough gas will eventually gather in the intestines and need to come back out. This is the reason individuals often belch after drinking soda. That gas has to come out somewhere. Unfortunately, individuals may also pass stomach acid and food along with the carbon dioxide gas.
If an individual drinks soda or other carbonated beverages frequently, their body will have a lot of gas to eliminate because their stomach won’t be able to stretch out enough to contain all of the carbon dioxides. So cutting back on carbonated beverages is crucial for patients who wish to reduce their intestinal gas, particularly when they have had issues with it in the past.
Underlying Condition Treatment
Underlying conditions may cause more intestinal gas than usual, so treating the condition in question will, as a result, reduce the amount of gas produced and help patients feel better. Several underlying conditions can cause the passing of gas as well as belching and bloating. Gallbladder problems and gallstones can make individuals more flatulent until the gallbladder issue is treated. Food poisoning symptoms also include flatulence. Taking antibiotics may also give patients gas because the biology of the intestines is disturbed by the medication. Diseases like Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, or Crohn’s disease also have excess intestinal gas as a symptom.
Constipation makes it difficult for an individual to pass feces and causes abdominal gas buildup as well. And finally, some types of cancer may cause an intestinal blockage. If an individual suddenly develops worsening flatulence, they should check in with their doctor to eliminate these severe causes of passing gas. Other health conditions cause gas such as pregnancy, hernias, and Hirschsprung disease.
Supplements
Fiber supplements are somewhat famous for causing gas. Once an individual's body gets cleaned out from excess constipation, this excessive gas problem should slow down considerably. When starting to take a fiber supplement, patients should start at the lowest dose of psyllium or whichever fiber supplement they are using. Use that dosage for one or two weeks.
If a patient is still having issues with constipation, they can increase the dosage until their bowel movements become regular. If an individual is already taking a fiber tablet and has excessive intestinal gas, they should try reducing the amount of fiber supplement. A smaller amount of fiber should help their intestinal tract feel more at ease, and individuals will experience less gas and flatulence too.