WHOLISTIC COUNSELOR
 

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BLOATING
Gas aka flatus, burping and bloating are all normal conditions. Gas is made in the stomach and intestines as the body breaks down food into energy. Gas and burping may be embarrassing and bloating which is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen can be uncomfortable.

Belching or burping 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 however some people produce more gas than others. It is normal to pass gas over ten (10) times a day. Although this may be embarrassing or be annoying, excess intestinal gas usually is not a cause to worry about a serious health condition.

COMMON CAUSES OF GAS AND BLOATING INCLUDE

1. 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.

2.  Foods & Beverages.

3.Changes In Hormone Levels especially for women who have bloating right before their periods because their bodies retain fluid.

4.  Medicine.

5.  Medical conditions such as Crohn’s disease.

 

EXCESSIVE PRODUCTION OF GAS

Excessive production of gas by bacteria is a common cause of intermittent abdominal bloating/distention. Bacteria can produce too much gas in the following three (3) ways;

1.   The amount of gas that bacteria produce varies from individual to individual.

2.  There may be poor digestion and absorption of foods in the small intestine allowing more undigested food to reach the bacteria in the colon.

3. Bacterial overgrowth can occur in the small intestine. Under normal conditions the bacteria that produce gas are limited to the colon. In some conditions these bacteria spread into the small intestine. When the bacteria spread occurs food reaches the bacteria before it can be fully digested and absorbed by the small intestine. Therefore the bacteria in the small intestine have a lot of undigested food from which to form gas. This condition in which the gas producing bacteria move into the small intestine is called bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine.

 

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