FLATULENCE : Causes, Symptoms and More

It is gas formation in stomach and intestine.

CAUSES:

• High fiber diet – beans, vegetables, fruits and grains.
• Partially digested food on which bacteria can grow and produce gas.
• Constipation.
• Ingestion of air in the digestive tract while eating / drinking – when eating too quickly, while drinking through straw, smoking, and while eating chewing gums.
• Infection of digestive tract may increase the gas production.
• Obesity.

SIGN AND SYMPTOMS: 

• Bloating of abdomen.
• Pain in abdomen.
• Audible passage of air – as belching from mouth or as flatus from rectum.
• Gas can be offensive.

DIETARY MANAGEMENT: 

• Go for a walk after meals, but not do brisk walking.
• Eat slowly and chew food properly.
• If gas is offensive, limit intake of proteins like- meat, eggs.
• Limit intake of high carbohydrates – rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc.
• Avoid pulses and fibrous vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower.
• Avoid cheese, beans, alcohol, soy sauce, carbonated drinks – coke etc.
• Avoid fried and spicy food.
• Add little garlic and asafetida in your diet – helps in digestion and prevents gas formation.
• Take plenty of fluids.
• Avoid over eating, frequent small meals are advisable.
• Curd and butter milk may help to change the intestinal flora.
• If over weight reduce weight.

CONSTIPATION

Difficulty in passing stool or passes once in 2 / 3 days, stools can be hard or soft is termed as constipation. Even ineffectual urge or a sensation of incomplete stools can be termed as constipation.

CAUSES: 

• Modern life style – not eating enough and drinking little water, lack of exercise.
• Emotional or psychological problems.
• Sedentary life.
• Eating too much of meat and dairy products.
• Chronic abuse of laxatives.
• Bottle fed babies.
• Pregnancy.
• Certain drugs like antacids, iron, calcium, blood pressure medications.
• Certain digestive tract diseases.
• School going children are shy to tell teacher, and later develops a habit to ignore the urge.
• Cooking in aluminum, iron vessels.

SIGN AND SYMPTOMS: 

• Stools every 2nd or 3rd day.
• Difficulty in expelling feces from rectum.
• Painful evacuation of feces.
• Pain sometimes remains for hours after passing stool.
• Hard stools.
• Occasional blood in stool due to fissure, fistula or piles.

DIETARY MANAGEMENT: 

• Drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day.
• Eat high fiber diet – whole grains, bran, oat, green leafy vegetables, peas, beans, potatoes, raw vegetables, salads, dried fruits and fresh fruits.
• Eat fruits and vegetables with the skin.
• Avoid food that can cause constipation like pomegranate etc.
• You can take one spoon isabgul (fiber, Psyllium) in water before retiring to bed.
• Walk after every meals.
• Drink 2- 4 glasses of warm water every morning.
• Limit intake of laxatives.

NOTE

• Do not suppress the urge to pass stools.
• Get a regular time fixed to the toilet.