Severity and bloating: causes, treatment, diet

Sensations of heaviness in the abdomen and bloating are very unpleasant, interfere with a full life. There are several reasons why such sensations arise. The most common causes of heaviness and bloating are listed below.

Lactase deficiency

Usually in old age, the body begins to poorly digest the lactase contained in cow's milk. If bloating and heaviness in the abdomen first appeared after 50-55 years, it is better to abandon cow's milk, you may also have to abandon other dairy products.

Flatulence

Flatulence caused by the use of products leading to increased gas formation. Some people do not tolerate foods such as legumes, cabbage, products that use yeast. These products cause increased fermentation of gases, which is why bloating appears. Sometimes the amount of gas in the intestines increases after eating fruits immediately after the main meal.

Irritable bowel syndrome

Some people have an increased sensitivity of the intestinal receptors, due to which gas formation, rumbling in the abdomen may appear unexpectedly. To get rid of this condition, you will have to radically revise the diet and lifestyle.

Allergy

Allergy sufferers may experience discomfort in the abdomen after taking products that cause allergic reactions: skin rashes, rhinitis. In this case, it may be enough to abandon the products that cause allergies.

Bad eating habits and poor diet

If you eat too quickly, swallowing food in large pieces, air may enter the stomach, which then causes unpleasant sensations. Heaviness in the abdomen also often appears in people who are used to drinking cold water during or immediately after a meal. And it is also worth considering the individual characteristics of the body. Some people have an individual intolerance to certain foods or a combination of certain foods with each other can cause bloating.

Neurosis

Sometimes some mental disorders cause a digestive system disorder, which is why abdominal pain, heaviness, bloating and other unpleasant sensations appear.

Bowel obstruction

Bowel obstruction caused by various diseases of the colon (tumors, cysts, polyps, impaired intestinal motor activity), lead to gas retention and, as a consequence, bloating.

Dysbacteriosis

Intestinal dysbiosis also causes gas retention in the body. In addition, bloating can indicate various diseases of the stomach, intestines, gall bladder and bile ducts, and liver.

What to do from heaviness and bloating in the stomach?

These problems are symptoms of many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or isolated syndromes that cause discomfort and require a strict diet and medical correction.

To consolidate the effect and increase the effectiveness of diet therapy, a medical correction of this condition is carried out, which includes such main areas:

1. Enterosorbents are used to quickly stop the symptoms of the disease. They can be used as first aid. Often, patients self-medicating make a mistake and use only these drugs in further treatment, the effectiveness of which is minimal.
2. Treatment of the underlying disease. Enzyme preparations (Pancreatin, Mezim Forte, Creon) are involved in the breakdown of food components in the small intestine and thereby facilitate the digestion process.
3. Normalization of motor-evacuation activity of the intestine with the help of medical support for motility (prokinetics - “Motilium”), acceleration of gas evacuation from the intestine.
4. Stabilization of the intestinal biocenosis (restoration of normal microflora by taking probiotics). Monocomponent probiotics (“Acylact”, “Bifidumbacterin”, “Lactobacterin”), multicomponent (“Linex”) and combined (“Bifiform”) can be used in treatment regimens.
5. Antiflatulents (carminative drugs), which help to remove accumulated gas in the intestines.
6. Biologically active additives ("Orliks").
7. Enterosorbents (activated carbon, "Enterosgel") - used only as first aid drugs. They actively absorb excess gas, harmful substances and toxins. We must not forget that the most important drawback of activated carbon is its ability to absorb and remove useful trace elements from the body.

Will Mezim help with bloating and heaviness after eating? Definitely yes. This drug eliminates all the negative symptoms that indicate a disease. You can take it for preventive purposes.

Separately, “Festal” should be highlighted. What helps this drug? It effectively and quickly solves the problem of discomfort, and also helps the digestion of food intake. But these are not all the qualities of the drug. What does “Festal” help from? From flatulence, to prepare for the diagnosis of the digestive tract and in diseases of the pancreas.

In modern treatment regimens include "Orlix" - a dietary supplement. It contains alpha-galactosidase, which prevents the entry of carbohydrates into the colon in an unsplit form, where they undergo bacterial cleavage with the formation of gases. Based on this, Orlix is ​​a remedy for heaviness and bloating that relieves gas-associated symptoms and thereby eliminates the patient’s discomfort.

If the cause of excessive gas formation in the intestine was enzymatic disorders, then the combination agent Pancreoflat (Abomin) is the drug of choice in the treatment of such patients. This medicine is for stomach discomfort, heaviness and bloating. In addition to the fact that the drug has proteolytic, amylolytic and lipolytic activity, it contains dimethicone, a substance that contributes to the change in the surface tension of gas bubbles in the intestine. Bubbles burst, and free gas is removed from the intestines.

In children's practice, “Plantex” is widely used - a plant-based drug containing fennel fruits and fennel essential oil. The drug simultaneously prevents the accumulation of gases in the intestines, stimulates efficient digestion and enhances peristalsis. An important feature is that it is not recommended for patients with lactase deficiency and galactosemia.

With isolated flatulence syndrome, the drug of choice is Espumisan, the active substance of which is the surface-active simethicone. The duration of the course of treatment is selected strictly individually. An important advantage of the drug is the safety of use during pregnancy and during breastfeeding.

Psychological support, consultation of a psychologist, psychotherapist, if the patient associates his condition with prolonged stress and anxiety. Medical correction of the psychological component is selected by a specialist and includes antidepressants.

The implementation of all recommendations contributes to a quick recovery and a reduction in the courses of drug treatment.

Alternative treatment

A feeling of heaviness and bloating (flatulence) are characteristic of most diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. With this symptomatology, in addition to drug therapy, doctors note the high effectiveness of folk, proven experience, means and methods of solving this problem. Folk recipes, as a rule, have a mild effect and therefore are used to treat both adults and children.

Among the most commonly found in medical sources of folk remedies, you can focus on the following:

1. Perhaps the most popular medicinal plant, which is used for gastric and intestinal pathologies, is chamomile. A decoction of chamomile flowers relieves inflammation, cramping, pain, normalizes the functioning of the entire digestive tract and, important for our topic, effectively fights flatulence. Due to the simplicity of preparation (1 teaspoon of the mixture is brewed with a glass of boiling water), this folk remedy leads in terms of its availability and ease of use.
2. Similar to the above properties, also has a medicinal plant mint. In addition to heaviness and bloating, peppermint helps with reflux and nausea. For the broth, you need 2 tablespoons of the crushed plant, pour 1 cup of boiling water, insist for half an hour. It should be noted that for mild forms of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, a form such as medicinal teas with the addition of a mixture of chamomile and mint is used.
3. Freshly squeezed raw potato juice is well known for its ability to combat heaviness and bloating. This folk remedy has the property of eliminating toxins, therefore, it copes well with flatulence.
4. Prevents fermentation processes and helps to quickly and efficiently digest ginger food. This spice is used in various forms: in raw form, added to tea, used in the form of dried powder, which is used as a spice.
5. A decoction of carrot seeds helps to get rid of excessive gas formation. Sometimes carrot seeds, crushed into powder, are simply washed down with water during manifestations of reflux and bloating.
6. The so-called "dill water" helps remove excess gases from the body and relieve intestinal cramps. A few spoons of dill seeds are poured into a glass of water and warmed over a fire. Very often, such dill water is used for bloating in small children.

Diet

First of all, the main direction of treatment for gravity and bloating is diet. Such patients need the advice of a nutritionist. He individually compiles the menu, taking into account age-related features and the functional state of the gastrointestinal tract.

Each patient must follow the basic principles of diet therapy of this condition:

1. Exclusion from the diet of foods that enhance the processes of fermentation and gas formation (sorrel, cabbage, grapes, all legumes, carbonated drinks, etc.) containing coarse fiber.
2. The exclusion of dairy products (in the case of primary or secondary lactase deficiency).
3. Compliance with food hygiene (eating in a relaxed atmosphere, thoroughly chewing, avoiding conversations with food, prevention of aerophagia).
4. Avoid taking fluids with meals. Drinking fluids only in between meals. Fractional food intake - often, but in small portions, up to 5-6 times a day.

Products that are primarily banned:

1. Legumes (lentils, peas, beans).
2. Fresh grapes and raisins.
3. Fresh pastries (yeast).
4. Whole milk, cream and ice cream.
5. Apples, dried fruits and chocolate.
6. All carbonated drinks.
7. Fatty meats (pork, lamb, duck) and fish.

The list of products that are recommended to be introduced into the diet daily:

1. Vegetables (beets, carrots and pumpkin).
2. Black bread (yesterday's baking).
3. Prunes, pomegranates and apricots (in the absence of allergies).
4. Greens and vegetable salads.
5. All cereals (except for pearl barley and millet).

Recommendations

Recommendations of nutritionists:

1. Dishes are steamed. Thus, the products retain their beneficial properties and pleasant taste.
2. Increase the amount of daily fluid used up to 2.5-3 liters (this can be water without gas, infusions of chamomile, peppermint and St. John's wort, unsweetened tea, dill water, fennel teas). Patients with heart and vascular diseases are not recommended to increase the amount of fluid.
3. Eating apples only in baked form.
4. With severe symptoms of severity and flatulence, it is necessary to arrange unloading (rice diet) and consume boiled rice without salt within one day.
5. Compliance with all dietary recommendations, walks in the fresh air, self-massage and a positive climate in the family will help to quickly achieve the desired result and live a full life.