Flatulence

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Flatulence

Theoretically, flatulence should leave us unruffled. It's just excessive intestinal gas in the stomach or intestine. Flatulence's famous sidekick, of course, is the aroma you might like to blame on somebody else. The trouble is, look around for someone to blame, and whoops, they've all disappeared.

The odor of flatus actually comes from trace gases that make up less than 1 percent of intestinal gas. Unfortunately, humans turn positively bloodhound when it comes to perceiving intestinal gas. We can detect this odor in amounts as low as 1 part per 100 million.

Flatulence can be painfully embarrassing as well as plain old painful, and it happens a lot. Eight to 20 gas elimination episodes a day is normal, and there are times when you may have even more. If you are sedentary, have premenstrual bloating, have difficulty digesting carbohydrates or have just gone on a brand-new high-fiber diet, an ill wind may be blowing your way. Problems digesting milk and dairy products can also create a problem with gas. (See page 000 for more information about lactose intolerance.)

Here's some degassing advice from the experts.

Befriend Those Offenders...Gradually Do you love beans? Crave broccoli? Champ at the bit for the first fresh ears of corn every summer? All these high-fiber foods can cause gas problems--but so can a lot of less fibrous, fattening foods such as cream, ice cream and pastries. If you happen to be a gassy gourmet, monitor your reaction to these foods known to be the biggest offenders. Apples Apricots Baked beans Bananas Bran cereals and muffins broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Citrus fruits Corn Cream Cucumbers Dried beans Dried peas Eggplant Ice cream Ice milk Kohlrabi Lentils Lima beans Milk Oats Onions Pastries Peaches Pears Potatoes Pretzels Prunes and prune juice Radishes Raisins Rutabagas Sauerkraut Sorbitol and mannitol (artificial sweeteners) Tomatoes Wheat bread Wheat germ

Rock in the breeze. Try rocking in a rocking chair! It's been found to relieve painful gas buildup in women who've just had a cesarean section delivery, reports Helen Ptak, Ph.D., director for research at the University of Southern Mississippi's College of Health and Human Sciences in Hattiesburg. "And it works for other people as well," she adds. The rocking stimulates the nervous system and may exert a little pressure on the abdomen, which makes it easier to pass gas. "But you can't just rock. You need to put your feet on the floor and put some 'wham' in it," says Dr. Ptak.

Take time for tea. Peppermint, spearmint, anise and caraway contain oils that settle the stomach, according to William J. Keller, Ph.D., professor and head of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics at Northeast Louisiana University School of Pharmacy in Monroe and secretary of the American Society of Pharmacognosy. "Herbal tea is a good form to take them in," he says. And they taste good. Spearmint and peppermint teas are readily available in the tea section of your supermarket; anise and caraway may require a stop at the health food store.

Zero in on the culprit. "One vegetable in the salad might be responsible for a disproportionate portion of discomfort," says Bruce Yaffe, M.D., a gastroenterologist affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. We all want to get more fiber in our diet, but some of those high-fiber foods are real gas promoters. To find out which ones balloon into problems, "start with a simple lettuce and tomato salad," Dr. Yaffe suggests. Then over a period of time, meal by meal, add the new vegetable ingredients one at a time. That way, you can find out which of the veggies is the troublemaker.

"Some people are particularly bothered by onions, or garlic, or peppers, but not beans," points out W. Steven Pray, Ph.D., R.Ph., professor in the Southwestern Oklahoma State University School of Pharmacy in Weatherford. "We're all different."

Bean Busters You Can Bank On After all the fuss (and fumes), why do you want to bother with beans anyway? Because they're high in fiber, low in fat, extremely versatile in recipes and absolutely delicious! There are a number of ways to minimize gas problems and still eat beans. Bruce Yaffe, M.D., a gastroenterologist affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, recommends that you eat only small portions of beans at any one sitting. And don't mix them with other gassy foods in the same meal or recipe. Here are some other ways to lower the bean impact. Try gentler beans, such as split peas, limas and lentils, before gradually introducing yourself to others. Among the mildest are Anasazi beans, which are sweet, mealy and excellent for baking. You can find them in most health food stores. Beans are less likely to cause a problem if you soak them for four to five hours or overnight, then drain, rinse, and cook in fresh water. Be sure to cook them thoroughly. Try canned beans in your recipes (they're usually well cooked). The oh-so-healthy soybean can pack a powerful intestinal punch. So enjoy the benefits of soybean products such as tofu or soybean curd instead of gas generators. Most of the hard-to-digest sugars are washed out of the way with the whey in processing.

Remember the two Ps. Think posture and position. If you have a problem with gas, you should probably be eating your meals when you're sitting at the table, not when you're lounging or lying down. "When you drink or eat lying down," Dr. Pray says, "the gas in your stomach cannot escape." Slouching can cause problems, too, so watch that posture.

Breathe air, don't swallow it. "Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and don't gulp," says Dr. Yaffe. The reason? "When you gulp, you swallow air, and swallowing air will only make things worse." Chewing gum, ill-fitting dentures and sucking on hard candy can also cause you to swallow a lot of excess air, he says. To avoid those gulps that go to gas, steer clear of carbonated beverages and beer. And it's another reason not to smoke.

Dry up that drip. "The most important thing I've discovered in my medical career," says Dr. Yaffe, "is that postnasal drip often leads to air swallowing and increased gas production. People who have mucus in the backs of their throats are always swallowing." (For tips on postnasal drip, see page 000.)

Give bravos for Beano. Beano, a product introduced in 1990, lets people with gas problems befriend the bean again. The food enzyme in Beano breaks down indigestible sugars found in gas-producing vegetables and legumes. "I've had people come to me with tears in their eyes after trying Beano," says Dr. Pray. "They can eat foods they haven't eaten in 20 years." Take three to eight drops of Beano with the first bite of food (beans especially) and you may feel a lot more comfortable afterward.

Reach for simethicone for a sigh of relief. For persistent discomfort or fathomless flatulence, there are a variety of over-the-counter medications containing simethicone, such as Gas-X, Mylicon Gas and Phazyme-95. A defoaming agent, simethicone "relieves symptoms of bloating, pressure and fullness due to gas," says Dr. Pray.