Stomach Gas Problems

While stomach problems can rarely, if ever, be life-threatening, they are embarrassing and create an awkward situation for you and those around you.

Causes of Stomach Gas

The first one is due to swallowing too much air. If while eating, you happen to swallow large gulps of air, the air goes through your food pipe, rather than the wind pipe, causing a build up of gas in the digestive tract. This condition is known as aerophagia and is commonly seen among people. If this air is belched/burped out immediately, then gas can be avoided. However, if it passes into the digestive system, then you will get a bloated feeling in the stomach, till the gas is passed out. Aerophagia is commonly seen among people who talk while eating, have anxiety problems, eat or drink too fast, have loose dentures and those who smoke.

The other cause is overeating. When a person eats more than usual, the body doesn't have enough enzymes to digest it and hence the carbohydrates in the food remain unabsorbed. The unabsorbed carbohydrates enter the large intestine where the bacteria break down the foods, creating, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane in the process. This leads to gas accumulation in the large intestine and stays in there till it is passed out of the rectum in the form of flatulence. Some people who have a low level of food metabolizing enzyme tend to suffer from stomach problems more than others.

These problems may be exacerbated if you consume a certain class of foods. Some common foods which cause gas include

• Beans
• High fiber fruits, vegetables and cereals
• Carbonated drinks
• Dairy products

Treatment

Well it won't disappear in 'thin air'. The first step is to find the exact cause of the gas. Is it due to a digestive problem or are you simply swallowing too much air? Or is it a combination of factors? If it is a digestive problem, you may experience a bloated stomach after eating as an indication. Because if you're swallowing too much air while eating, you may not need any medication at all. All you need is to concentrate at the task in hand at the dinner table. Also, do not eat or chew too fast as it results in a lot of air being swallowed. In addition to this, you could also cut down your smoking as that infuses a lot of hot air into the body.

If the recurrent stomach problems are due to problems in the functioning of the digestive system, you should perhaps reduce your food intake. Particularly, it would be better if you reduced your intake of the gas producing foods outlined above as they are part of a larger problem.

You may also get some medicines prescribed from the doctor which will help eject the gases from the body.

A common way of treating stomach gas was to help eject it by pushing in more gas. So sodas and other carbonated drinks were used to push the gas out of either orifices. But personally, I have found that it only adds to the problem. In my opinion, prevention is the best cure.

Stomach gas problems aren't threatening per se, but recurrences will put a spoke in your social life!