«Flatulence: introduction, causes and diagnosis
"Food and flatulence
Flatulence therapy is based on the "elimination of the causes that generated it."
Natural remedies
In phytotherapy, carminative medicinal plants are used, capable of preventing the formation of gas in the intestinal tract or favoring its expulsion. Among all, the best known is fennel, very useful for moderating fermentation and promoting the elimination of excess gas. Cumin, anise, chamomile, mint, lemon balm and angelica are also typical plant drugs with carminative action.
Chewing and other Remedies
To combat aerophagia, it is necessary to re-evaluate the role of good chewing and the need to eat meals in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Chewing enough and allowing the right time for digestion is therefore a basic requirement to facilitate digestive processes.
If flatulence is associated with meteorism, taking antacids thirty minutes after meals may be useful. The effectiveness of activated charcoal and other drugs with adsorbing properties is controversial.
Recently, alpha-galactosidase-based supplements have also been put on the market, useful for counteracting the formation of intestinal gas from non-digestible oligosaccharides.
Diet
In most cases, the most effective therapy is dietary therapy. The typical diet involves the reduction of legumes, cabbage, flour and all other foods that facilitate the formation of gas, in favor of others that favor its absorption. More generally, in case of flatulence it is useful to eliminate foods commonly associated with food intolerances such as milk and foods rich in gluten or fructose. Also beware of dietary products containing polyols such as sorbitol.
An often overlooked aspect concerns the variety and balance of nutrition. The diet is in fact important to keep the bacterial flora in optimal conditions; if it is too rich in certain foods and poor in others, the risk of creating changes in microbial populations, with consequent meteorism and flatulence, is quite high.
Drugs and Digestive Enzymes
In persistent cases, intestinal antibiotic therapy (indicated in case of bacterial contamination of the small intestine) and supplementation with digestive enzymes (indicated in the presence of pancreatic problems) can be used. The use of probiotic foods instead has the purpose of rebalancing and strengthening the bacterial flora of the colon. Before taking these products, however, it is advisable to consult a doctor.
Lactic ferments, for example, could complicate the bacterial contamination syndrome and therefore have an effect opposite to what was hoped for. These products could in fact further strengthen the bacterial flora of the colon, favoring its ascent into the small intestine and causing symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and constipation.
