Flatulence

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Flatulence

It may be the, er, butt of jokes in junior high school locker rooms, but flatulence is anything but funny when it’s coming from you. (Of course, those on the receiving end are probably not laughing, either.)

Despite the embarrassment, breaking wind isn’t worth getting all huffy about. We all do it, usually between 8 and 20 times a day. Flatulence means just that you have excessive gas in the stomach or intestine, which can result from being sedentary, swallowing air while chewing or having trouble digesting carbohydrates (although other foods can also produce gas, such as dairy products, sauerkraut and artificial sweeteners). Those on a high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables are especially prone to flatulence.

What’s bad about it, of course, is the odor, since trace amounts of methane gas are often released. The bottom line in this rump rumpus: Unless you are feeling pain with your flatulence, try to stop worrying and go with the flow, so to speak. But the natural remedies in this chapter, used with the approval of your doctor, may help relieve excessive flatulence, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... Your flatulence is accompanied by stomach or abdominal pain for more than three days. You have an unexplained weight loss with the gas. Your pain is more severe than you’ve ever had before.

Aromatherapy

This remedy, from Aromatherapy: Applications and Inhalations by San Francisco herbalist Jeanne Rose, chairperson of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, won’t eliminate flatulence, but it will make you more pleasant to be around while the problem runs its course. Drink four ounces of water to which you’ve added a single drop of peppermint essential oil. Rose says that before long, your flatus will have the minty fragrance of toothpaste or breath mints!

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

A mixture of one teaspoon of grated fresh ginger pulp and one teaspoon of lime juice, taken immediately after eating, can prevent excess gas and lower abdominal pain, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Food Therapy

Kombu, a sea vegetable that’s available in most Asian grocery stores and some health food stores, can help neutralize foods that usually trigger flatulence, says Allan Magaziner, D.O., a nutritional medicine specialist and head of the Magaziner Medical Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. “Let’s say you’re boiling broccoli, a food that can cause flatulence in many people. Simply put a little strip of kombu in the pot while you’re cooking. It helps neutralize the gas from the broccoli, so you avoid the flatulence afterward.”

Homeopathy

A 30C dose of Carbo vegetabilis, taken once or twice a day, may stop a sudden, acute attack of flatulence, particularly if it is accompanied by a lot of belching, says Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Edmonds, Washington, and co-author of The Patient’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine. If your flatulence doesn’t subside within 24 hours or two doses of the remedy, she says to consult your medical doctor or homeopath.

Carbo vegetabilis is available in many health food stores. To purchase homeopathic remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

Activated charcoal is great for relieving intestinal gas, according to Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. Her instructions: Put two to three tablespoons of activated charcoal powder in the bottom of a large glass and add a small amount of water (bottled may be best if you’re traveling). Stir slowly with a long-handled spoon to keep the fine powder from flying everywhere, suggests Dr. Thrash. Fill the glass the rest of the way with water and drink through a straw. Dr. Thrash says to use this remedy whenever you have gas, drinking a glass of charcoal water every day until the problem clears. Activated charcoal is available in most health food stores and some pharmacies.

Juice Therapy

The licorice-flavored plant fennel has long been used to help relieve or expel gas, according to Michael Murray, N.D., a naturopathic physician and author of The Complete Book of Juicing. Since fresh fennel has a very strong flavor, Dr. Murray recommends juicing a few sprigs of the herb with apples, pears, carrots or celery and drinking eight ounces of the blend.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

Work the reflexes on your hands or feet for your intestine, stomach, liver, gallbladder and pancreas, says St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Yoga

You can relieve gas by trying the knee squeeze (page 612), says Stephen A. Nezezon, M.D., yoga teacher and staff physician at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Practice this pose whenever needed. Dr. Nezezon also suggests chewing food consciously, concentrating on each bite, to slow down your eating and help digestion.