Many people have experienced the uncomfortable feeling of excess gas in their stomachs, perhaps following a heavy meal or eating something that doesn’t agree with them. But if excess gas is an ongoing problem for you, it could be a sign of an underlying issue. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) stands out as one of the more common contributors of excess gas and gastric upset seen by doctors today.
According to the American College of Gastroenterology, 10-15% of adults across the US experience IBS symptoms, while only 5-7% have actually been diagnosed with the condition. It’s important to recognize that having excess gas is a distinctive symptom of digestive upset, whether caused by IBS or a separate issue.
Experiencing discomfort from excess gas can significantly impact your everyday life and social interactions. Ignoring these might make you dread each meal or avoid foods you love. So, if you’re facing regular symptoms of bloating and gas production, it’s crucial to understand and manage them for the sake of your overall well-being.
On this page, we will discuss the common symptoms of excess gas and identify the few warning signs that require seeking urgent medical attention. We’ll also explore its common causes, including dietary factors and lifestyle choices, and some of the potential underlying medical conditions.
Additionally, we’ll look at how Neuragenex NFPM can help individuals find relief from the discomforts of excess gas with Neurofunctional Pain Management techniques, without resorting to heavy medications or invasive surgeries.
We hope to provide you with a clear understanding of navigating the challenges of excess gas and gastric upset in a way that aligns with your healthcare goals. Our goal is for you to enjoy your life comfortably without worrying about your every meal.
Let’s start by exploring the identifying symptoms of excess gas and the more serious symptoms that you should be aware of.
Associated Symptoms And Warning Signs Of Excessive Gas
When people have too much gas, it can cause a variety of symptoms. Typically, these lead to a challenging experience of physical discomfort and unease. The headings below discuss the typical signs and symptoms of increased gas production, along with the warning signs that may indicate a more serious problem and require prompt healthcare assessment and intervention.
Common Symptoms
While excess gas may present differently between individuals, it typically affects the large intestine, leading to symptoms such as:
- Abdominal bloating
- Belching
- Flatulence
- Rumbling or gurgling sounds
- Feeling of fullness
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
Warning Signs
Distinguishing between common symptoms and warning signs is crucial for understanding when medical attention is necessary. If you experience any of the symptoms listed below, it’s important to promptly speak to a healthcare provider.
- Severe abdominal pain:Â Intense and persistent pain in the stomach that does not ease with home remedies.
- Persistent bloating:Â Prolonged abdominal bloating, such as over two or three days.
- Blood in stool :Fresh or old (dark) blood in the stool is a concerning symptom of some medical conditions.
- Unintentional weight loss:Â Unexplained weight loss without changes in diet or exercise.
- Changes in bowel habits:Â Significant alterations in bowel movements.
To better understand the many symptoms of excess gas and how they occur, let’s discuss their potential causes in the following section.
Common Causes Of Excessive Gas In The Stomach
A range of factors or underlying health conditions can trigger excessive gas. And just like the symptoms, the underlying causes will vary from person to person.
Dietary Factors
Many foods are known to trigger increased gas production in the stomach and intestines. For example, legumes, whole grains, and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) all contain molecules that humans cannot digest but are instead broken down by gut bacteria, leading to a gaseous by-product. Carbonated beverages, spicy foods, and dairy products can be common culprits, too. Surprisingly, even the way we eat or drink plays a role: how much air we ingest as we swallow affects the amount of gas forced into the digestive system.
Lifestyle Choices
The gut is a highly sensitive and responsive organ that reacts to a wide range of external factors. For a comprehensive and balanced approach to the dynamics of your digestive health, it’s essential to consider your entire lifestyle, not just your dietary choices.
Habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, and chewing gum can introduce extra air into the digestive system, as well as inhibit the efficiency of the intestine’s movements (peristalsis). Additionally, leading a sedentary lifestyle can impact the gut’s optimal digestion patterns and also contribute to excess gas.
Underlying Medical Conditions
These various digestive disorders can lead to excess gas production and uncomfortable symptoms:
- Irritable bowel syndrome: IBS is a very common disorder affecting the large intestine. IBS symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits can be due to excess gas production.
- Metabolic dysfunction:Â Conditions that impact the metabolism may disturb the digestive process, potentially leading to an imbalance in gas production within the gut.
- Lactose intolerance:Â Lactose is a sugar found in dairy products. If you are unable to digest lactose, this sugar can ferment in the intestines and generate gas production.
- Allergies:Â Certain food allergies may trigger an immune response in the digestive system, causing pain, inflammation, and potentially contributing to excess gas.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are health conditions that involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract lining. It often leads to poor digestion, gurgling, and excess gas.
- Functional dyspepsia:Â This condition causes persistent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen and can disrupt normal digestion and contribute to excess gas.
- Bowel obstruction:Â A bowel obstruction is a serious condition where the intestines become blocked. A blockage hinders the normal flow of gas and fecal matter, which can lead to further accumulation and discomfort.
- Celiac disease:Â This autoimmune disease is triggered in some individuals when they consume gluten. It can cause significant inflammation that damages the small intestine, impacting the digestive processes and potentially causing excess gas.
Recognizing these common causes and associated conditions can help you identify when something in your digestion doesn’t feel right. Early detection allows you to seek appropriate treatments that improve your symptoms sooner. Next, let’s discuss how healthcare professionals evaluate and diagnose digestive upset.
Diagnosis And Evaluation
Gaining a diagnosis and addressing uncomfortable symptoms early can significantly improve the impact gastric upset has on your overall health and well-being. Managing symptoms appropriately may also prevent potential complications associated with serious medical conditions.
Here is a list of some things you can expect a doctor to investigate throughout your initial appointments.
- Medical history: Your doctor will begin by thoroughly exploring your presenting complaint. They will ask about your current symptoms, frequency, how long they have been a problem, and any factors that may trigger or worsen them.
- Physical examination: A physical examination of your abdomen will help your doctor assess for signs of abdominal distress. They may press lightly to check for abnormalities such as swelling or hardened areas that may indicate certain health concerns.
- Blood and stool tests: Simple blood and stool tests provide important insights such as inflammation levels, signs of infection, bacteria balance, and potential nutritional deficiencies. These tests can provide early indications of any underlying conditions.
- Imaging studies: Specific imaging tests such as X-rays or MRI scans provide detailed images of the abdominal organs and digestive tract, helping to identify structural issues, accumulation of excess gas, or signs of swelling.
- Endoscopic procedures: These procedures are conducted by specialists, utilizing special cameras that thoroughly explore and assess the structural integrity of the digestive tract:
- Upper endoscopy: provides detailed images and information about the esophagus, stomach, and upper part of the small intestine.
- Colonoscopy: provides detailed images and information about the large intestine (or colon).
A thorough evaluation will help your doctor gain a better understanding of your condition, enabling them to recommend the most suitable treatments to ease any uncomfortable symptoms you may be experiencing. In the next section, we will discuss these treatment options in detail and provide you with valuable insights into their differences.
Conventional Treatment Options To Manage Excessive Gas In The Digestive Tract
Your doctor may recommend or prescribe a range of conventional treatments to manage excessive gas. Learning about some of these treatments can help you make informed decisions about how to effectively approach your symptoms, allowing you to choose an option that best suits your lifestyle.
Natural Remedies
For mild symptoms, you may consider incorporating soothing options like peppermint or chamomile tea, both known for their digestive benefits, which may ease digestive discomfort.
Anise, caraway, coriander, and fennel are some spices recognized for their gas-relieving properties and are easily available at your supermarket. You can try adding these to your cooking to help ease the discomforts associated with heavy meals. Additionally, turmeric is famously celebrated for its anti-inflammatory qualities and is thought to contribute to overall digestive well-being.
These natural remedies offer a gentle approach to managing excess gas and could help you find relief easily through common pantry ingredients.
Medications
Many medications are designed to alleviate gas symptoms. For example, simethicone works by reducing gas bubbles to provide relief from discomfort. Alternatively, those who struggle with dairy products may consider lactase supplements like ‘Lactaid’ that assist in the digestion of lactose.
The enzyme alpha-galactosidase assists in the breakdown and digestion of complex carbohydrates, minimizing large amounts of gas production. Additionally, prescription medications, such as antispasmodics, may be beneficial for individuals managing an over-active gut with IBS-related symptoms.
For severe or persistent cases, doctors may prescribe probiotics, antibiotics, or motility agents, depending on each individual’s needs. Ultimately, these medication options aim to target the specific causes of excess gas and promote comfort throughout everyday digestion.
Now, let’s turn our attention to exploring an alternative pain management solution which offers enduring relief from the discomfort associated with painful digestion and excess gas.
We Manage Gas Pain With The Neuragenex NFPM Protocol
We offer a specialized Neurofunctional Pain Management protocol designed to effectively manage the painful symptoms associated with conditions related to painful symptoms of excess gas and gastric upset.
This innovative approach focuses on stimulating the nervous system to mitigate inappropriate pain signals as well as enhance overall well-being. The Neurofunctional Pain Management techniques include a specifically designed protocol that incorporates the following modalities:
Electroanalgesia
Electroanalgesia is a pain management technique that uses high-pulse electrical current to ease pain, boost blood circulation, improve mobility, and induce...
IV Therapy
IV nutritional therapy, or intravenous therapy, involves administering vital nutrients directly to the bloodstream through an IV. This type of treatment bypasses the digestive system, allowing for maximum absorption and utilization of nutrients by the...
Lifestyle Counseling
Lifestyle counseling is an approach to managing chronic pain that involves identifying, assessing, and modifying lifestyle factors contributing to an individual's pain. For example, lifestyle factors such as nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep quality...
Read More About Excess Gas In The Stomach Lifestyle Counseling
Conditions Where We Can Help Manage Painful Gas and Digestion
Our protocol is proudly a non-pharmaceutical, non-chiropractic, and non-surgical solution to pain management. It can help manage digestive discomfort caused by medical conditions such as those listed below.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Pain Treatment
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common condition that affects the stomach, intestines, and digestive system. Although sometimes mild, the chronic disorder can cause painful cramps and bloating, which can be incredibly disruptive for those...
Crohn’s Disease Pain Treatment
Crohn's disease is a debilitating condition that can cause pain and inflammation in the digestive tract. Neuragenex NFPM provides a non-invasive, non-chiropractic solution for managing Crohn's symptoms, which include abdominal pain, cramping, and...
Metabolic Dysfunction Pain Treatment
When your body’s metabolism doesn’t work as it should, you may struggle with a larger waistline, battle gastrointestinal issues, and be at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. And, often, metabolic disorders occur...
You Deserve A Sense Of Ease In Your Stomach
Experiencing persistent painful digestion from excess gas can restrict a person’s quality of life and even be a sign of various underlying medical conditions. While symptoms and causes can vary widely between individuals, effective relief from pain and discomfort is possible.
Your well-being is our top priority, and we encourage you to tune in to your symptoms and seek a professional medical evaluation for painful digestion. With an early diagnosis and an appropriate pain management plan, you can find relief and improve your overall quality of life.
While natural remedies and prescription medications can help, Neurofunctional Pain Management techniques offer an alternative approach to managing the discomfort associated with IBS and digestive symptoms without the need for ongoing medications or surgical procedures.
Our team of experienced medical professionals are here to help. Contact us today to learn more about Neurofunctional Pain Management and how we can assist you in your journey to enjoying your food without worrying about painful symptoms.
Are you experiencing gas pains accompanied by other stomach-related symptoms?