Philipsburg Pharmacy St. Maarten - Indigestion and Gas

Indigestion and Gas

Indigestion Indigestion or dyspepsia is not a distinct condition, but it may be a sign of an underlying intestinal disorder such as peptic ulcer, gallbladder disease or chronic appendicitis. Some characteristic symptoms of indigestion are burning in the stomach or upper abdomen, heartburn, abdominal pain, bloating (full feeling), belching and gas, nausea, vomiting, acidic taste, "growling" stomach and sometimes diarrhea. Symptoms of indigestion usually increase in times of stress, and decrease in times of relaxation.
What causes indigestion? A disease or an ulcer in the digestive tract might cause indigestion. However, for most people, it is the result of eating too much, eating too fast, eating high-fat foods or eating during stressful situations. Indigestion is not caused by excess stomach acid. Swallowing excessive air when eating may increase the symptoms of belching and bloating which are often associated with indigestion. Being tired or stressed, smoking or drinking too much alcohol or caffeinated beverages can cause indigestion or make it worse. These factors can also worsen underlying conditions that cause indigestion, such as hiatal hernias and GERD. Emotional stress or other psychological conditions may result in abdominal pain. Sometimes people have persistent indigestion that is not related to any of these factors. This type of indigestion is called functional, or non-ulcer, and is caused by a problem associated with how food moves through the digestive tract.
How is indigestion diagnosed? Because indigestion is such a broad term, it is helpful to provide your physician with a precise description of the discomfort you are experiencing. In describing the symptoms, try to define where in the abdomen the discomfort usually occurs. Simply reporting indigestion as pain in the stomach is not detailed enough for your physician to help identify and treat your problem.
How can indigestion be treated? Because indigestion is a symptom rather than a disease, treatment usually depends upon the underlying condition causing the indigestion. Keep in mind that excess stomach acid does not cause indigestion, so using antacids will not help your indigestion. Often, episodes of indigestion go away within hours without medical attention. However, if your symptoms become worse, you should consult a physician. Avoiding foods and situations that cause indigestion are the best ways to treat it. Changing the following eating habits that cause you to swallow too much air can help relieve indigestion: Chewing with your mouth open Talking while chewing Eating food too fast Drink fluids after rather than during meals, and avoid late-night eating. Try to relax after meals. Avoid spicy foods, smoking and alcoholic beverages. Sometimes aspirin can irritate the stomach lining. If this occurs, switch to acetaminophen (paracetamol). If indigestion is a functional, or non-ulcer condition, your physician may prescribe medications that affect stomach function like motilium or primperan
How can you prevent indigestion? The best way to treat indigestion is to prevent it by avoiding the foods and situations that seem to cause indigestion. Keeping a food diary is helpful in identifying foods that cause indigestion. Here are some other suggestions: Eat small meals so the stomach does not have to work as hard or as long. Eat slowly. Avoid foods that contain high amounts of acids, such as citrus fruits and tomatoes. Caffeine causes the stomach to produce more acid, so reduce or avoid foods and beverages that contain caffeine. If stress is a trigger for your indigestion, re-evaluating your lifestyle may help to reduce stress. Learn new methods for managing stress, such as relaxation and biofeedback techniques. Smokers should consider quitting smoking, or at least not smoking right before eating, as smoking can irritate the stomach lining. Cut back on alcohol consumption because alcohol can irritate the stomach lining. Avoid wearing tight-fitting garments because they tend to compress the stomach, which can cause its contents to enter the esophagus. Do not exercise with a full stomach. Rather, exercise before a meal or at least one hour after eating a meal. Do not lie down right after eating. Wait at least three hours after your last meal of the day before going to bed. Sleep with your head elevated (at least 15cm) above your feet and use pillows to prop yourself up. This will allow digestive juices to flow into the intestines rather than to the esophagus.
What About Gas? Everyone has gas and gets rid of it by burping or passing it through the rectum. However, many people think they have too much gas when they really have normal amounts. Most people produce about one to three pints a day and pass gas about 14 times a day. Gas is made primarily of odorless vapors - carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sometimes methane. The unpleasant odor of gas comes from bacteria in the large intestine that release small amounts of gases that contain sulfur.
What Causes Gas?Gas in the digestive tract (that is, the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine) comes from the following two sources: Normal breakdown of certain undigested foods by bacteria naturally present in the large intestine (colon). Air swallowing (aerophagia) is a common cause of gas in the stomach. Everyone swallows small amounts of air when eating and drinking. However, eating or drinking rapidly, chewing gum, smoking or wearing loose dentures can cause some people to take in more air. Burping, or belching, is the way most swallowed air leaves the stomach. The remaining gas moves into the small intestine where it is partially absorbed. A small amount travels into the large intestine for release through the rectum. The body does not digest and absorb some carbohydrates (the sugar, starches and fiber found in many foods) in the small intestine because of a shortage or absence of certain enzymes. This undigested food then passes from the small intestine into the large intestine, where harmless and normal bacteria break down the food, producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and, in about one-third of all people, methane. Eventually these gases exit through the rectum. Foods that produce gas in one person may not cause gas in another. Some common bacteria in the large intestine can destroy the hydrogen that other bacteria produce. The balance of the two types of bacteria may explain why some people have more gas than others. Which Foods Cause Gas? Most foods that contain carbohydrates can cause gas. By contrast, fats and proteins cause little gas. Sugars The sugars that cause gas are raffinose, lactose, fructose and sorbitol. Raffinose is present in large amounts in beans. Smaller amounts of this complex sugar are found in cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, other vegetables and whole grains. The product Beano works specifically to breakdown this sugar. Lactose is the natural sugar in milk. It is also found in milk products, such as cheese and ice cream, and processed foods, such as bread, cereal and salad dressing. Many people, particularly those of African, Native American, or Asian background, have low levels of the enzyme lactase needed to digest lactose. Also, as people age, their enzyme levels decrease. As a result, over time people may experience increasing amounts of gas after eating food containing lactose. Lactaid is one of the products to supplement lactase for better digestion. Fructose is naturally present in onions, artichokes, pears and wheat. It is also used as a sweetener in some soft drinks and fruit drinks. Sorbitol is a sugar found naturally in fruits, including apples, pears, peaches and prunes. It is also used as an artificial sweetener in many dietetic foods and sugar-free candies and gums. Starches Most starches, including potatoes, corn, noodles and wheat, produce gas. They are broken down in the large intestine. Rice is the only starch that does not cause gas. Fiber Many foods contain soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves easily in water and takes on a soft, gel-like texture in the intestines. Found in oat bran, beans, peas and most fruits, soluble fiber is not broken down until it reaches the large intestine where digestion causes gas. Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes essentially unchanged through the intestines and produces little gas. Wheat bran and some vegetables contain this kind of fiber. What Are Some Symptoms and Problems of Gas? The most common symptoms of gas are belching, flatulence, abdominal bloating and abdominal pain. However, not everyone experiences these symptoms. The determining factors probably are how much gas the body produces, how many fatty acids the body absorbs, and a person's sensitivity to gas in the large intestine. Chronic symptoms caused by too much gas are rare. Belching An occasional belch during or after meals is normal and releases gas when the stomach is full of food. However, people who belch frequently may be swallowing too much air and releasing it before the air enters the stomach. Sometimes a person with chronic belching may have an upper gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, such as peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastritis. Flatulence Another common complaint is passage of too much gas through the rectum (flatulence). However, most people do not realize that passing gas 14 to 23 times a day is normal. Although rare, too much gas may be the result of severe carbohydrate malabsorption or overactive bacteria in the colon. Abdominal bloating Many people believe that too much gas causes abdominal bloating. However, people who complain of bloating from gas often have normal amounts and distribution of gas. Doctors believe that bloating is usually the result of an intestinal motility disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Motility disorders are characterized by abnormal movements and contractions of intestinal muscles. These disorders may give a false sensation of bloating because of increased sensitivity to gas. Eating a lot of fatty food can delay stomach emptying and cause bloating and discomfort, but not necessarily too much gas. Abdominal pain and discomfort Some people have pain when gas is present in the intestine. When gas collects on the left side of the colon, the pain can be confused with heart disease. When it collects on the right side of the colon, the pain may feel like the pain associated with gallstones or appendicitis. How Is Gas Treated? The most common ways to reduce the discomfort of gas are changing diet, taking medication and reducing the amount of air swallowed. Diet Your doctor may tell you to eat fewer foods that cause gas. However, for some people this may mean cutting out healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains and milk products. Your doctor may also suggest limiting high-fat foods to reduce bloating and discomfort. This helps the stomach empty faster, allowing gases to move into the small intestine. Unfortunately, the amount of gas caused by certain foods varies from person to person. Effective dietary changes depend on learning through trial and error how much of the offending foods one can handle. Nonprescription medicines Many over-the-counter medicines are available to help reduce symptoms, i.e products with simethicone and activated charcoal. Digestive enzymes, such as lactase supplements, actually help digest carbohydrates and may allow people to eat foods that normally cause gas. Gas-X, Ovol, Infacol, Antacids, such as Mylanta and Di-Gel, all contain simethicone, a foaming agent that joins gas bubbles in the stomach so that gas is more easily belched away. However, these medicines have no effect on intestinal gas. The product is safe and you may have to take 80 to 200 mg for an effect. Activated charcoal tablets may provide relief from gas in the colon. Studies have shown that intestinal gas is greatly reduced when these are taken before and after a meal. The usual dose is two to four tablets taken just before eating and one hour after meals. The enzyme lactase, which aids with lactose digestion, is available in liquid and tablet form without a prescription (Lactaid ). 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. Beano, a over-the-counter digestive aid, contains the sugar-digesting enzyme that the body lacks to digest the sugar in beans and many vegetables. The enzyme comes in liquid form. Three to 10 drops per serving are added to food just before eating to break down the gas-producing sugars. Beano has no effect on gas caused by lactose or fiber. Prescription medicines Doctors may prescribe medicines to help reduce symptoms, especially for people with a motility disorder, such as IBS. Promotility or prokinetic drugs, such as domperidon (Motilium) and cisapride (prepulsid), may move gas through the digestive tract quickly. Although gas may be uncomfortable and embarrassing, it is not life-threatening. It is also not possible for gas to create pressurepoints outside the intestinal tract, therefore can not be hold responsible for headaches, shoulderpain or backpain as often expressed in the pharmacy. The main symptoms If you often get trapped wind, then you'll probably experience one or more of these four symptoms. And they're not always easy to cope with in social situations: your stomach is bloated, so it looks and feels uncomfortably distended you need to break wind a lot your stomach is noisy and rumbly you burp frequently What's happening to your body? Trapped wind is nothing more than a build-up of gas in your stomach and lower intestines. But it can be uncomfortable and it's quite often embarrassing, so scroll down/click on the links on the left to see what you can do about it. The main causes It's quite natural for our digestive systems to produce gas. The problem starts when an excess builds up and you can't get rid of it. There are four main reasons why this might be happening: you are eating the kinds of foods that can lead to an increased amount of gas being produced during the digestive process. Typical problem foods are beans, onions cauliflower and root vegetables. you may have the wrong levels of bacteria in your gut, which means your stomach finds it hard to break down certain types of food. By having to work harder, it produces an excess of gas you are drinking too many carbonated drinks and adding extra gas to your digestive system you gulp your food or drink which leads you to swallow too much air How to avoid If you often experience trapped wind, then you've probably learnt to accept that you have a ‘windy system'. It's probably more likely to be something you've eaten or the way you eat that's causing the problem. Here are a few hints on how you can reduce the amount of gas in your system: try to avoid the foods that cause you a wind problem. If you can't pinpoint which foods might be causing it, try and keep a note of what you've eaten and then cut them out, one by one. It can often be a case of trial and error for a while eat a varied diet so that you can keep the natural bacteria in your gut balanced - this will help your stomach digest food more effectively cut down on fizzy drinks - and try to sip them rather than gulp them eat more slowly and chew your food well. Food that travels through your system when it's not properly digested is more likely to cause flatulence.