4 cures for flatulence

If your flatulence is out of control, it may be time to try one of these cures.

Excess gas is a classic symptom of food sensitivities. Eliminating suspect foods from your diet and watching for changes in flatulence is an easy way to check if this is the case, but the only way to be truly sure is to get tested by your medical practitioner.

• Depending on the causes of the sensitivities, you might have to avoid those foods entirely or just for a short period, after which your sensitivities might ease.
• You can also be born with an intolerance for gluten, which is present in wheat and several other grains.
• Flatulence is one of the milder symptoms associated with a gluten intolerance, and the only real solution is to avoid foods that contain gluten.

Most people have trillions of good bacteria in their intestines. The so-called friendly flora help break your food down and synthesize some of the nutrients your body needs. When intestinal bacteria are out of balance, excess flatulence can result; taking a probiotic supplement with live cultures can help restore balance and reduce the gas.

If your body doesn't produce enough digestive enzymes, you get gas as the partially digested food moves through your intestines.

• Taking supplemental enzymes —available in chewable and pill forms —may help your body break down food better, eliminating flatulence.
• One particular enzyme issue merits its own mention: you can be born with lactose intolerance, which means your body does not produce enough of the enzyme lactase to digest the sugars in milk, or you might develop it as the result of illness, an injury, or as part of the natural aging process.
• If you're lactose intolerant, your options are to stop eating foods containing dairy, and try dairy-free alternatives for foods such as cheese, milk and ice cream, or take lactase supplements.

Getting plenty of fibre is crucial for keeping your intestines healthy. It's also an important component of cardiovascular health, but if you suddenly go from a small amount of fibre to a lot, your body will produce gas in an effort to adjust.

• Ease the transition by slowly increasing the amount of fibre in your diet, giving your body time to adjust.

Whatever you call it, intestinal gas is a fact of life, but certain dietary habits and hereditary conditions can cause excess flatulence.

If you're suffering, get checked out since he fix for excess gas might be as simple as taking a dietary supplement or adjusting your eating habits.