I had a patient once that told me he had such a problem with “gas” that he didn’t dare go to any social events and wouldn’t even consider getting back into the dating game. He wanted my help. I did a thorough “History and Physical” exam and discussed his diet. He seemed very fit and healthy except for his “GI” issues. He did confess to eating a lot of broccoli, cooked cabbage, apples, and dried fruit. I told him that each of those foods could be his problem. Different people react differently to certain foods but the above mentioned foods are notorious for causing excess gas. I asked him if he used any “gas-x” type medications. He said he did not as he didn’t really know enough about them. He also admitted taking Motrin often to relieve a relatively minor headache. The NSAID’s are also something that causes excess “gas.” I told him to switch to Tylenol (after making sure he didn’t have any sign of liver disease) and to go on a “Gas and Bloating Prevention” Capsule.This is a food enzyme that helps prevent gas before it starts. Simethicone is another anti-gas medication. I explained both of these over the counter medications and told him to take the “enzyme” type capsule in the morning and the “simethicone” type capsule before supper. I also changed his diet so that he was not eating so many of the “gas” producing foods. I saw him back in four weeks and he was thrilled with the results.
By the way, flatulence is totally normal and if you never “passed gas” you would be in trouble. But it is manageable and since we (and many animals) pass gas naturally, we should just say, “Excuse me” and move on.
I heard a joke about this years ago that females are worse than males at passing what is called, “SBDs.” This stands for “silent but deadly.” I’m not sure this is true but males love to tell this.
You might want to take precautions concerning your flatulence problems ahead of some event that is important to you. So, don’t eat foods that are known to be culprits, and take your “gas-x” and “gas prevention” capsules as I have described above.
I would be willing to bet that every single human out there has had some embarrassing moment(s) in their life that involved “flatulence.” What do you think, readers?
