Gas and Gas Pains Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Contrary to popular belief, gas doesn’t mean that something is terribly wrong with your stomach. In fact, an average adult passes gas 12-20 times a day. Surprised? Passing gas is just your body’s way of getting rid of the excess gas in the digestive system. But that’s not when the trouble starts. If there is a build-up of gas in the stomach or the intestines, and there is a difficulty in expelling it, you may begin to feel uncomfortable. Most of the times, such discomfort causes pain. Gas pain can also be caused by eating foods that produce gas, thus increasing the gas content in your stomach, which might be difficult to get rid of. However, it is not necessary for gas problems to be caused by food habits only. Digestive system disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome can also cause gas pain. Here’s a clearer idea of what this problem is about.
Symptoms
While passing gas doesn’t by itself call for trouble, you should consider getting treatment if you experience one or many of the symptoms frequently. These include – a noticeable increase in the size of your abdomen, passing gas, burping, abdominal cramps, a feeling of pressure in the stomach, bad breath, a coating on the tongue, lack of appetite, spasms, lower back pain, shortness of breath and diarrhea.
Sometimes, gas can also be trapped in the chest. When gas is trapped in the chest, the symptoms resemble that of heart attack, including a heavy feeling in the chest, bloating and belching. A person experiencing this might also have an uneasy feeling of not being able to breathe.
Causes
Gas can be collected in the digestive system in many ways. One of them is during digestion. Digestion is the process of breakdown of food. As this happens, it is possible for gases like Oxygen, Carbon dioxide, and Methane to get accumulated in the digestive tract.
Another prominent reason is that we swallow air while eating or drinking. But it should not cause any problems because this is a very common occurrence. Painful gas, however, is a matter of concern and if you are experiencing it, you should immediately consider getting treated. Painful gas can be caused by one’s dietary preferences and lifestyle. High-fiber food items like lentils, raisins, cabbage, apples, beans, and whole grains increase gas production in the stomach. Though these food items are extremely necessary to regulate body functions, excessive consumption causes flatulence. Lactose and sugar intolerance can also cause gas pain. These when consumed by someone allergic, remain undigested in their body leading to the formation of gas.
 In all other unlikely cases, it can be caused by any medical conditions. Possible ailments are Crohn’s disease, constipation, peptic ulcers, and ulcerative colitis.
There are several methods to ease the discomfort caused by gas, including home remedies.

Taking care of your diet
You should avoid gas forming foods that can trigger the already present symptoms. Milk, dairy products, artificial sweeteners, and carbonated drinks can also increase gas production in the stomach. Lactose intolerant people should avoid consuming dairy products. Instead, they are advised to take Calcium supplements.
Medication
Drugs with antacids such as Anti-gas, Mylanta, Phazym and Maalox are few of the recommended ones to take during gas pain. However, no drugs should be taken unless prescribed by a physician.
Applying Heat
Place a heating pad or hot water bottle on your stomach when you are experiencing a bout of gas pain. The warmth will ease the discomfort and let the gas pass through the intestine.
Changing lifestyle
Avoiding smoking, avoiding drinking through straws, eating and chewing each meal slowly and avoiding chewing gum are some habits that you can incorporate in your lifestyle for a noticeable decrease in discomfort. Take some time out and include walking or yoga after meals in your daily routine. They help the gut muscles to relax for the gas to pass through the digestive tract easily.
Other remedies
There are multiple options to cure gas pain, and most of them are often available in the kitchen!
•    Tea- Herbal-tea works wonders to relieve you of gas pain and improve your digestion at the same time. Drinking a cup of chamomile tea, ginger tea, peppermint tea or anise tea can be very effective.
•    Caraway seeds- They help provide relief from indigestion, gas and cramps, all while simultaneously improving digestion. Add them to your meals to experience the benefits. Especially do so when you know that your food has other ingredients that’ll cause gas.
•    Cumin seeds- It not only helps to provide relief during gas pain but helps the digestive processes run efficiently. A refreshing way to consume this is by drinking jal jeera. It contains not only cumin seeds but other spices with medical benefits, such as pudina, fennel seeds, and black pepper among others. If you don’t find any at the house, go to your nearest store to grab a few sachets of Gas-O-Fast.

They have an array of flavors including everyone’s favorite jal jeera! Have a few handy to fight gas problems anytime!  
The next time you face any problems related to gas, Gas-O-Fast is definitely a recommended solution.