2024-07-26 18:31:16
“There is always gas in the digestive tract. They appear there when we swallow a little air while eating and drinking, the other part is formed during the digestion of food substances.
The problem arises when this gas is produced too much and as a result unpleasant symptoms appear: abdominal pain, bloating, feeling of fullness.
If bloating is a common complaint that lasts for a while, I always recommend seeing a doctor and looking for the cause of flatulence. Once the real cause is removed, this unpleasant symptom will no longer exist,” comments Kristina Šnirpūnienė, a pharmacist at Gintarinės vaistinės.
It is important to chew food properly
One of the most common causes of bloating is intolerance to certain foods. Short-term bloating can be caused by legumes such as beans, peas, soybeans, various types of cabbage, dried and raw fruits, carbonated drinks, even black bread. According to the pharmacist, people usually know the foods that make them feel bad after eating them, and try not to consume a lot of them.
Fennel, cumin, and dill teas are suitable for short-term abdominal bloating. If digestion is also disturbed, these herbs can be additionally mixed with chamomile, wormwood, peppermint. If you want a quick reduction of accumulated gas, simetigast, activated carbon can help,” says K. Šnirpūnienė.
Another very common cause of flatulence is constipation. In this case, according to the interlocutor, it is necessary to find out and eliminate the causes of constipation, change the diet, and possibly additionally take the necessary drugs that stimulate intestinal peristalsis.
“Few people know this, but bloating can also be caused by improper chewing of food. Digestion begins in the mouth, where carbohydrates begin to be broken down, and it is here that the food must be broken down in such a way that, once it enters the stomach, there are no difficulties in further digesting it. If a person eats in a hurry, chewing poorly, or if he cannot chew properly because he has no teeth or wears inappropriate dentures, then such badly chopped food is more difficult to digest and this can lead to bloating,” explains the pharmacist.
Abdominal bloating in babies and young children is also related to food and the formation of intestinal microflora. K. Šnirpūnienė says that babies’ stomachs are bloated the most in the first 3-4 months of life, the bloat is also accompanied by colic – this is related to the formation of intestinal microflora.
In such cases, symptomatic treatment with simetigast, special homeopathic suppositories, drops intended for babies containing various herbs that reduce bloating can be applied. However, if the bloating has lasted for a long time, the child also has a lot of diarrhea, sometimes has diarrhea, vague rashes appear, does not gain much weight, you need to consult a specialist. One of the most common diseases diagnosed is an allergy to some food product, it can also be lactose intolerance, celiac disease – gluten intolerance,” she advises.
There may be side effects of the medication
According to K. Šnirpūnienė, there are many diseases of the digestive tract that also cause bloating: lack of liver enzymes, pancreatic diseases, poor drainage of bile into the intestine caused by diseases of the gallbladder or its absence, irritable bowel syndrome, viral and bacterial intestinal diseases , dysbacteriosis and others.
As an example, she cites a case where a woman was suffering from severe abdominal bloating, the cause of which was dyspepsia, a syndrome that causes discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen. A woman who came to the pharmacy complained of flatulence, lack of appetite and difficult digestion for about a month. She told the pharmacist that she had been treated for increased acidity a few years ago, but she did not associate her current condition with dyspepsia, as she had no stomach pain or sour taste in her mouth.
Flatulence and a feeling of heaviness in the stomach are sometimes the only symptoms of dyspepsia. In such cases, first of all, the acidity of the stomach is adjusted with drugs prescribed by the doctor, and digestive enzymes are prescribed. As an additional measure, simetigast can be prescribed at the beginning of treatment, after which it is no longer needed. In this case, the aforementioned fennel, cumin, and chamomile are suitable herbs, but wormwood and peppermint are not recommended,” says the pharmacist.
Flatulence can sometimes occur as a side effect of the drugs used, because many drugs can have side effects specifically on the digestive tract.
“Most painkillers increase stomach acidity, antibiotics cause dysbacteriosis, which can cause not only diarrhea, but also flatulence, some cardiological drugs can have a negative effect on digestion and at the same time cause flatulence. Therefore, if flatulence occurred after starting to take a new drug, one should check whether it is a side effect of the drug,” says K. Šnirpūnienė.
2024-07-26 18:31:16