Well don’t be scared. Abdominal bloating isn’t so serious. It is a condition wherein the belly appears to be swollen (distended) and you always feel tight and full, either you eat that much or not. Bloating can also be accompanied by symptoms such as stomach cramps along with belching and pain, also conditions of diarrhea, difficulty in breathing and pain in the lower back. In this article we will cover home remedies that will help you get rid of abdominal bloating and gas but before that lets take a quick look at what can cause Abdominal Bloating.
Causes of Abdominal Bloating
- Swallowing of air
- Condition of constipation
- Gastroesophagal reflux (GERD) or acid reflux.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IRS
- Lactose intolerance and problems of indigestion
- Overeating
- Bacterial growth in the small bowel
- Ascites and tumors
- Ovarian Cancer
- Celiac Disease
- Weight Gain
- Complication in the pancreas i.e. Pancreatic Insufficiency
- Gastric dumping syndrome or rapid gastric emptying
- Gas-producing foods
- Visceral foods
- Splenic-flexure syndrome
- Mensturation
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome and ovarian cysts
- Alvarez’s Syndrome: Bloating of unknown or psychogenic origin without excess of gas in the digestive tract
- Massive infestation with intestinal parasites (e.g., Ascaris lumbricoidies).
Home Remedies To Get Rid of Abdominal Bloating:
Fennel Seed To Treat Bloating: Fennel seed work as a wonder when suffering from digestive problem like abdominal bloating due to its carminative, pain-reducing property, diuretic and anti microbial property. It is also helpful in relieving the bloating by relaxing muscular spasm in the digestive tract.
Chewing of fennel seed is beneficial after a meal or hot fennel tea works great when suffering from abdominal bloating. Crush a tsp of fennel seed and add it to a cup of water to prepare fennel seed tea. Put the powder in boiling water, cover and keep it aside and drink it after cooling it.
Ginger-An Effective Remedy For Abdominal Bloating: Ginger is another wonder herb easily available at our home which is beneficial in treating abdominal bloating. Ginger contains active ingredients such as gingerol and shogaols which are pungent compounds that are helpful in reducing the inflammation caused in the intestine and relaxing the intestinal muscle.
Put 5 to 6 julienne ginger into a cup, add honey or lemon juice and then pour some hot boiling water into it. Cover and keep aside for about ten minutes and drink it.
Pumpkin-To Prevent Abdominal Bloating: Pumpkin happens to be helpful in preventing abdominal bloating. Sounds rather unusual! But it is true, because pumpkin contains Vitamin A, Fiber and Potassium which is helpful in digestion. A cup of pumpkin in your meal is good and helpful for proper digestion and prevents abdominal bloating. Steam it or bake it or broil or include it in your daily cooking, pumpkin is good for abdominal bloating.
Peppermint Provides Relief From Bloated Feeling in the Abdomen: Peppermint contains menthol oil, which has an anti-spasmodic effect on muscle of the digestive tract. There are certain compounds in peppermint that relaxes the smooth muscles in the stomach by helping the food to pass through the stomach easily and quickly. It helps to relieve spasms in the gastrointestinal tract, bile duct and gall bladder.
You can chew on fresh peppermint leaves for relief from bloating or can make peppermint tea by boiling the leaves for 10 to 15 mins and drink it.
Tips to Prevent Abdominal Bloating
- Avoid smoking.
- Stay away from chewing gums and carbonated drinks. Avoid foods with high levels of fructose or sorbitol.
- Try and avoid foods that can cause flatulence such as turnips, beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and lentils.
- Avoid milk and other milk products containing lactose.
- Avoid some carbohydrates which contain fructose, also known as FODMAPs.
- Do not eat too quickly.
- Abdominal Bloating is not a serious condition but still should not be ignored. If the swelling doesn’t go off easily, you should consult your doctor. Might be there is some serious issue, you never know.