Medical Questions » Diet Questions » Question No. 263
| Question: | I enjoy my food, but I don' t enjoy the after effects. Just because I love chili with garlic, followed by a chocolate torte smothered in cream, and washed down with a sweet bubbly wine, I don' t see why I should then proceed to burp for the rest of the night. How can I help myself? |
| Answer: | A change in diet would obviously be the answer, and if you eat the above foods regularly, you must look like a blimp!
An increase in fibre in the diet, and a decrease in processed foods will help the situation, but all of us over indulge, or eat inappropriate combinations of foods at different times, and suffer the consequences of stomach pain, belching, nausea and flatus (farts). The problem can be aggravated by nervous swallowing when under stress, swallowing air when eating quickly, and any fizzy drink from champagne to Coca-Cola.
A wide range of medications to relieve excess stomach gas are available. The simpler ones available without prescription from chemists contain substances such as simethicone (which breaks up the bubbles of gas), peppermint oil and charcoal. Simethicone can also be used to relieve wind in babies.
If these do not work, doctors can prescribe drugs to prevent the gut spasms, and reduce the production of gas.
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