Stomach Pain and Bloating

Stomach pain is often caused due to a multitude of reasons. In fact, frequently, any abdominal pain is blamed on our poor stomach! However, stomach pain (which is often due to dyspepsia), accompanied by bloating (excessive production of gas) is a common complaint seen in many patients. This stomach pain and bloating often aggravates after eating. Thus, constant stomach pain and bloating is not a disease but a symptom in itself, which may be in fact be an indicator of an underlying disease.

Causes Of Stomach Pain And Bloating
Here are some abdominal bloating causes:

• Dyspepsia: Dyspepsia means indigestion. Due to various reasons, indigestion in any part of the stomach or the alimentary canal could lead to stomach pain and bloating.
• Excessive Ingestion of Protein Rich Food: Certain food groups, while being digested result in the production of gases, as byproducts, in the intestines and colon. These protein rich food groups include beans (including kidney beans, lima beans, black beans), legumes, broccoli and soy products. Although these are very good for health and rich in proteins, they should be eaten in moderation.
• Sudden Excessive Ingestion of Fiber: Young women who are on a dieting spree tend to ingest excessive fiber rich foods, in a bid to lose weight, while maintaining a high protein diet. This may lead to stomach pain and bloating.
• Lactose Intolerance: Certain people lack the enzyme lactase, which makes them lactose intolerant. Thus, if they ingest milk or milk related items, they end up experiencing severe bloating. Know more about lactose intolerance symptoms.
• Other Underlying Diseases: Severe stomach pain and bloating may be a symptom of some other underlying disease, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease or even colon cancer. Normally lower stomach pain and bloating is a sign seen in intestinal inflammation or intestinal obstruction.
• Stress: Too much stress may take a toll on your digestive system, by impairing normal functioning of the alimentary canal, thus, leading to stomach pain and bloating.

Treatment Of Stomach Pain and Bloating
Let us now learn how to reduce bloating and its remedies.

• Moderate Exercise: A little bit of exercise goes a long way in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Infrequent bouts of stomach pain and bloating can be mitigated or possibly even eliminated by daily exercising.
• Change in Diet: People complaining of excessive bloating while on a protein diet, need to cut down on protein rich products for a while, till the alimentary tract can get conditioned to the change in diet. People suffering from rare bloating and mild indigestion or stomach aches, can try detox diets, like the 'General Motors' diet or the lemon water diet, to eliminate any toxins that may be present in the body.
• Avoid Milk Products: For all those lactose intolerant people, ingesting milk products could fill you up with enough gas to render you air borne! So try to avoid pure milk products. Try substituting milk products with soy products.
• Reduce Ingested Air: As unusual as it may sound, certain activities lead to extra ingestion of air, like smoking, chewing on gum, gorging on sweets and candies and drinking carbonated drinks. For a patient with a constant complaint of stomach pain and bloating, all these things are a complete no-no.
• Visiting the Doctor: If there is constant and severe stomach pain and bloating, to such an extent that it disrupts daily activities, then it is advisable to go and see a doctor and get the tests done, so as to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem, because, as stated earlier, stomach pain and bloating are mere symptoms, which could be pointers towards a serious underlying disease.

You can also learn more about stomach ache causes and stomach ache remedies. Thus, these were the causes and treatment options related to stomach pain and bloating.