Gas formation in our intestines is an ongoing process. From the point of view of physiology, this is considered quite normal. A pathological phenomenon is an increased gas contamination of the intestine. It occurs with various diseases or an improper diet. A similar phenomenon gives considerable discomfort to a person.
Where do the gases come from?
How does a normal physiological process in the intestine occur? In any of us, when we swallow air, a certain part of it enters the gastrointestinal tract. This contributes to the formation of gases in it under the influence of microorganisms. What happens to this substance further? The digestive system removes part of the gases with the help of belching. Some of their volume is removed through the rectum. A certain part of them is absorbed into the bloodstream.
If we consider the norm, then approximately 70% of the gases in the gastrointestinal tract appear there due to the ingestion of air. How does this happen? Experts have found that with each swallow of a person 2 or 3 ml of air enters his stomach. It is mainly sent to the intestines. The rest comes out of the body thanks to belching. This is what allows us to say that gas contamination of the intestine can be observed in those cases when a person is actively talking during meals. A similar phenomenon can occur when drinking liquid through a tube, as well as while chewing chewing gum.
Intestinal gases are compounds of oxygen with carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen and a small volume of methane. Each of these elements has no smell. But this cannot be said about burping. Why is this happening? The explanation for this phenomenon lies in the sulfur-containing substances that form the bacteria that colonize the digestive tract. With an increase in gas contamination of the intestine, this process is activated with the appearance of this symptom. In addition to belching with an unpleasant odor, a person has bloating. It arises due to the excessive pressure that is formed due to the presence of excess gas in the digestive system.
Causes of pathology
Flatulence is considered an unpleasant condition for every person. But in order to get rid of uncomfortable sensations, it is necessary, first of all, to know about the causes that cause them.
What causes severe intestinal gas contamination? Consider the main factors contributing to the occurrence of this phenomenon:
- The specific composition of the products. If there is a lot of food in the digestive tract, then this by itself contributes to the release of gases during its digestion and exit from the body. But there are also some products that are called irritants. We will talk about them below.
- Growth or decrease in the number of beneficial bacteria. Intestinal gas is manifested with a lack of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Excessive anaerobic microorganisms contribute to the occurrence of bloating.
- The lack of secreted enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion of food. When this factor occurs, the products that enter the body cannot completely break down. This results in the generation of excess volume of gas bubbles. The person begins to heal. A lack of enzymes often causes the development of diseases such as enteritis or pancreatitis.
- Delayed gas exhaust process. The reason for this is too hard feces or parasite infestation. Sometimes bloating is observed in connection with the presence of a tumor of the intestinal mucosa.
- Failures in peristalsis. If the intestinal walls contract very slowly, the waste products obtained after processing by the digestive system of the products do not leave the body and accumulate in it. This causes them to ferment. A similar phenomenon leads to gas contamination of the intestine. At the same time, it begins to gurgle in the stomach, and the stool has a strong unpleasant odor.
- Atmosphere pressure. With its decrease, the gases expand, and their pressure increases. In this regard, a person’s stomach swells.
- Pathology of swallowing function. Sometimes a large amount of gas enters the intestines during meals.
- Malabsorption. Normally, gases should be normally absorbed in the intestines, neutralizing with the participation of the liver. Violation of this process leads to the fact that the gastrointestinal tract begins to clear slightly, which leads to bloating.
Based on the foregoing, it becomes clear that increased gas formation in the intestine occurs under the influence of various factors. Moreover, sometimes when the deviation from the norm is formed, far from one mechanism, but several at once.
Enhanced Gassing Products
In which cases, a person standing up from the table, can feel bloating in the abdomen? Often, symptoms of intestinal gas contamination begin to bother after eating carbohydrate-rich foods. As for proteins and fats, they affect this process much less.
Carbohydrates include raffinose, lactose, as well as sorbitol and fructose. What are these substances?
Raffinose is a carbohydrate found in vegetables such as artichokes and asparagus, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, broccoli and many others. There is it in legumes.
Lactose is a natural disaccharide. It is present in milk, as well as in products containing it. This ice cream and bread, breakfast cereals and so on.
Fructose is a carbohydrate found in many vegetables and fruits. Use this substance in the preparation of juices and soft drinks. Fructose is used almost everywhere. It serves as a filler in the formulation of many drugs.
Sorbitol is a carbohydrate found in fruits and vegetables. It is widely used in the preparation of dietary products to sweeten them instead of sugar.
What other foods increase gas contamination of the intestines? Bloating can cause starch. It is part of most Slavic favorite dishes prepared using potatoes, corn, wheat and peas. The only product that does not provoke bloating is rice.
It is worth paying attention to dietary fiber. They are components of almost all products. Such fibers are soluble and insoluble. The first of them are called pectins. They swell in water and form a gel-like mass. Such fibers are present in beans, oats, the city, and are part of many fruits. They enter the colon in an unchanged state. Here pectins also break down, forming a gas. As for insoluble fibers, they pass through the digestive tract, practically unchanged. That is why they do not cause increased gas formation.
Nutrition with gas contamination of the intestine involves minimizing or completely eliminating the use of irritant products.
Clinical manifestations
What are the symptoms of gassing? Changes in the composition of the microflora, gastrointestinal diseases, or the result of malnutrition are manifested in a person in the form of a sensation of bloating and rumbling in the abdominal cavity, frequent belching of air, and the discharge of gases with a very unpleasant odor. Also, signs of gas contamination of the intestine are heartburn and nausea, loss of appetite. Flatulence is often accompanied by impaired stool. Moreover, it can be expressed either by constipation or diarrhea. As a rule, after bowel movements, as well as other manifestations of the pathology, they temporarily subside. And only after a certain period of time they arise again.
If there is a gas contamination of the intestine, what to do in this case? When the signs of pathology are disturbed quite often, a person needs to see a doctor. Indeed, first of all, it will be necessary to identify the cause of the disorder, since flatulence is sometimes a sign of serious ailments of the digestive system.
There are several other symptoms of increased flatulence. They are associated with the occurrence of excessive pressure on the diaphragm and with concomitant pathology of nervous disorders. These symptoms include:
- burning in the area of the heart and its rapid heartbeat;
- the occurrence of arrhythmias;
- shortness of breath
- sudden changes in mood;
- fatigue;
- weakness.
The symptoms described above are far from always a sign of excessive gas formation. Sometimes they are regarded by a specialist as the development of other, more serious ailments of the digestive tract.
Clinical manifestations of the disease in children
Excess gases are formed not only in adults. Sometimes children suffer from this pathology. In addition to internal pressure in the abdomen, a feeling of heaviness in the abdominal cavity and spastic pains, a similar condition in babies is accompanied by unpleasant belching, hiccups and increased sweating. After the successful passage of gases, these symptoms immediately disappear.
I would especially like to note flatulence in an infant. Indeed, by virtue of his age, the baby is not yet able to explain to parents what exactly is bothering him. Close people should determine the gas content of the intestines in an infant by their subjective and objective signs. During such colic, the baby begins to worry, act up, twitch its legs and cry unceasingly.
Flatulence treatment
How to get rid of gases in the intestines? The causes of the pathology that should be identified by a specialist will allow you to determine the correct course of treatment. Independently, to eliminate uncomfortable conditions, drugs can be used that contribute to the restoration of microflora in the intestine, as well as enzymes and healing herbs.
Folk healers recommend preparing decoctions of caraway, barberry, fennel or chamomile. They will eliminate bloating. In addition, the pharmacy will definitely recommend preparations for gas contamination of the intestine. Among them are Linex and Hilak-Forte, Espumisan, and Mezim-Forte. The composition of these drugs includes enzymes or beneficial bacteria, which, getting into the intestines, contribute to the restoration of natural microflora. Such active ingredients improve digestion and destroy microbes that cause gas bubbles in the digestive tract.
Folk remedies
Treatment of gas contamination of the intestine in some cases can be carried out using natural recipes. The most popular of them are:
- Camomile tea. To receive it, take 1 tbsp. l raw materials and pour it with 250 ml of boiling water. The mixture is infused for 30 minutes. Take the drug half a cup twice a day before meals.
- Cleansing enema. It is prepared by adding chamomile infusion in 2 l of water. They put an enema twice a day in the morning and in the evening. The course of receptions is 2-3 days.
- Juice of cucumber pickle or sauerkraut. They should drink half a glass on an empty stomach.
- Tea with milk (slightly salted). They drink it in small sips on an empty stomach.
- The infusion of garlic. For its preparation, take 2 cloves of vegetable, 1 tbsp. salt, a little dill and a few leaves ripped from a bush of black currant. Raw materials are poured into 2 liters of water and insisted day. Take in a volume of half a glass before meals.
To eliminate flatulence, it is useful to eat grated carrots on an empty stomach. A rather effective drug will be an infusion made from red mountain ash.
The use of herbs
What natural remedies can eliminate excess gases, alleviating the condition of the body?
In their list:
- Infusion made from parsley roots. 1 tbsp. l 100 ml of boiling water is poured into the raw material and infused for 30 minutes. The drug is filtered and taken 30 minutes before meals 1 tbsp. l Folk healers recommend the use of fresh parsley. This plant is an excellent prophylactic in flatulence.
- Dill water. This tool can be purchased at the pharmacy or prepared yourself. It will take 1 tsp. dill seeds, which should be chopped, filled with 250 ml of boiling water and left for 60 minutes. After the drug is infused, it is filtered and taken three times a day, 1/3 cup before meals (for 30 minutes).
- Infusion of clover herb. For him, take 1 tsp. raw materials, which are filled with 250 ml of chilled boiled water. Insist the remedy for 4 hours. Take it before meals in ¼ cup.
Preparations for flatulence for adults
The main drugs with which you can stop increased gas formation have already been listed above. Consider their main characteristics.
So, the treatment of flatulence with the use of enzyme preparations (for example, Mezim-Forte) allows you to facilitate the digestive process in the small intestine. How does this effect occur? The enzymes that make up such drugs break down the trace elements found in the intestine and also contribute to their absorption.
The drug "Espumisan" destroys gas bubbles, contributing to their removal.
An auxiliary agent for flatulence is "Hilak forte." The composition of this drug contains fatty and organic acids. These elements support the normal microflora of the digestive tract, while increasing the growth of "good" bacteria.
A drug that has a local effect is Smecta. This tool absorbs excess gases, and then removes them from the body.
Linex contains live bacteria. Once in the intestines, they begin to multiply, inhibiting the activity of pathogenic flora.
In some cases, with bloating take enterosorbents. They absorb and remove harmful substances from the body. The best known of these is activated carbon.
How to get rid of gases in the intestines? The causes of bloating, which the doctor will identify during the examination, should be taken into account when prescribing the course. Most likely, the patient will need to follow a diet, excluding fried, fatty foods, as well as legumes from the menu. Depending on the reasons, this list may also include dairy products.
Sometimes flatulence occurs due to a mechanical barrier located in the intestine. In this case, you can not do without surgical treatment.
Ridding children of flatulence
The course of therapy that will be prescribed by a doctor to a small patient also depends on the cause of the pathology. So, the doctor can adjust the diet of the baby. In addition, gases from the intestines are removed when using prokinetic drugs, as well as funds recommended by traditional medicine (tinctures of dill and caraway seeds). All this will enhance the digestion of food, reducing the processes of fermentation and decay.
To eliminate and remove gases from the body of the child, antifoam agents and anterosorbents are used (for example, activated carbon). To eliminate a meteorite, a small patient will benefit from the herbal preparation of the German company Iberogast. Its complex composition will lead to increased digestion and will remove excess gases.