Please call 911 immediately if you are having chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, sudden weakness or numbness, or if you think you have a medical emergency.

Flatulence (Gas) Treatment

Experience has shown that the most common ways to reduce the discomfort of gas are changing diet, taking medicines, and reducing the amount of air swallowed.

Self-Care at Home

Flatulence is most often related to diet, and sometimes to those habits that cause you to swallow air. You can begin by trying to remove the problem foods from your diet. For many people, this is a trial-and-error procedure.

This may take some careful observation to notice what foods cause increased gas. Keep a food diary and note excess passage of gas. Any of the gas-producing foods can be removed from your diet one group at a time until you see relief.

Examples are:

• Beans
• Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, onions
• Fruits such as pears, apples, peaches
• Whole grains such as bran
• Soft drinks and fruit drinks
• Milk and milk products
• Packaged foods with lactose such as cereal and bread
• Dietetic foods,sugar-free candies, and gum containing sorbitol

• If this method does not work, a more restrictive approach is to start with a very limited number of safe foods, and add one new food every 48 hours in order to determine what food or food group causes difficulty. If the offending food is found, then you can avoid eating that food or be prepared for its consequences.
• If you suspect lactose intolerance is the problem, remove all dairy foods from your diet for 10-14 days to assess the effect on flatulence (using a diary). The enzyme lactase, which aids with lactose digestion, is available in liquid and tablet form without a prescription (Lactaid, Lactrase, and Dairy Ease are familiar brand names). Adding a few drops of liquid lactase to milk before drinking it or chewing lactase tablets just before eating helps digest foods that contain lactose. Also, lactose-reduced milk and other products are available at many grocery stores (Lactaid and Dairy Ease).
• If odor is a concern, there is some reported success with charcoal filter undergarments.
• If belching is a problem, you should avoid the behaviors that cause you to swallow air, such as chewing gum or eating hard candy. Eat slowly. Make sure your dentures fit properly if you wear them.
• In general, avoid overeating because this contributes to flatulence as well as obesity. Limit high-fat foods to reduce bloating and discomfort. Your stomach will empty faster, allowing gases to move into the small intestine.

Medical Treatment

The goal of treatment of flatulence is to reduce gas and odor. Medical intervention includes treatment with antibiotics if bacterial overgrowth of the gastrointestinal tract is suspected or evidence of parasitic infection is seen.

• Some promising studies have investigated feeding nonoffensive strains of bacteria to push out the bacteria that are offensive, although no established treatments are available at this time.
• Regulation of bowel function is essential. Constipation should be treated with increased dietary fiber or certain laxatives.
• In cases where anxiety causes you to swallow air, your doctor may suggest you seek mental health counseling to change habit patterns.

Flatulence  Flatulence Treatment  Gas Treatment  gas 

Gas (flatus), burping, and bloating are all normal conditions. Gas is made in the stomach and intestines as your body breaks down food into energy. Gas and burping may sometimes be embarrassing. Bloating, which is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, can make you uncomfortable. Although many people think that they pass gas too often or have too much gas, it is rare to have too much gas. Changing what you eat and drink can sometimes cut down on gas and relieve discomfort caused by gas.

Belching or burping (eructation) is the voluntary or involuntary, sometimes noisy release of air from the stomach or esophagus through the mouth. Burping 3 to 4 times after eating a meal is normal and is usually caused by swallowing air. Other causes of burping include nervous habits or other medical conditions, such as an ulcer or a gallbladder problem. In some cultures, a person may belch loudly after eating to show appreciation for the meal.

All people pass gas, but some people produce more gas than others. It is normal to pass gas from 6 to 20 times a day. Although this may embarrass or annoy you, excess intestinal gas usually is not caused by a serious health condition.

Common causes of gas and bloating include:

• Swallowed air. If swallowed air is not burped up, it passes through the digestive tract and is released through the anus as flatus. Excessive air swallowing may cause hiccups.
• Foods and beverages. The amount of gas that different foods cause varies from person to person.
• Constipation. This can cause bloating but generally does not increase gas. For more information, see the topics Constipation, Age 11 and Younger or Constipation, Age 12 and Older.
• Medicines or nutritional supplements. Both prescription and nonprescription medicines, as well as dietary supplements, can cause bloating and gas as side effects.
• A medical condition, such as a bowel obstruction or Crohn's disease.
• Changes in hormone levels. It is common for women to have bloating right before their periods because their bodies retain fluid.

Dyspepsia is a medical term that is used to describe a vague feeling of fullness, gnawing, or burning in the chest or upper abdomen, especially after eating. A person may describe this feeling as "gas." Other symptoms may occur at the same time, such as belching, rumbling noises in the abdomen, increased flatus, poor appetite, and a change in bowel habits. Causes of dyspepsia can vary from minor to serious.

Occasionally, a person may dismiss serious symptoms, such as symptoms of a heart attack, as "just gas or indigestion."

Review the Emergencies and Check Your Symptoms sections to determine if and when you need to see a doctor.

Belching  bloating  burping  flatus  gas