Flirty asks: Gastrointestinal gas. How to get a quick relief?
Hi Flirty –
Well, of course, as a dog, I’m going to tell you that nature offers two excellent ways to get relief from gas. Both involve getting the gas out of your body. One involves it moving upward/forward, and the other downward/backward. And both will get you laughter if you’re with fun people, or scowls if you’re with serious people, or sent to the principal’s office if you’re in class.
But if it’s so trapped in that it can’t come out one of those two ways, and if (as it sounds from your letter) it’s chronic – which means the pain sticks around more than just for an hour or two – then you want to take more serious steps to fixing it.
Most of the time, we mammals get gas from having too much acid in our digestive system. And there are lots of simple ways to reduce that. Have you studied pH in school, and learned about acids and bases? If so, you know that the way to reduce acidity is to bring in anything more alkaline, or basic, and mix it in. The easiest one to find is water – water is exactly halfway between acid and base, and will reduce the extremity of either.
Next easiest, you can find antacids at any drug store or service station; taking these will help reduce the gas (hey I just came up with a joke – you go to the service station to get gas, but you also go to get rid of it! I’m a witty pooch, aren’t I!).
Another mild way to go about reducing the gas and acidity is to eat or drink more chlorophyll. That’s the stuff that makes plants green, and is a terrific natural alkalinizer. You can find pills or liquid versions of it at some healthy stores.
Which brings me to my biggest point – you might have to change your diet. If you eat lots of spices, or lots of meat or dairy products, or tons of breads or sweets, all of these build acid in you. If you move your diet more toward vegetables and fruits, you’ll likely find your discomfort reducing.
And there’s another thing that helps make acid and gas: Stress. Do you live a super-stressful life? Do you worry all the time? Do you sit behind a computer all day and not get exercise? All of these build those acids that give you gas.
So my full answer is: Drink more water, get some quick relief from antacids or chlorophyll, eat a more alkaline diet, and treat your body right.
And if all those aren’t enough – then please check with a doctor. The gas you’re feeling could be something bigger and more complex than I know what to do with.
(Oh, and in the meantime, be polite, but stepping out of the room and letting out a good burp-and-fart has never been beaten for the quickest and easiest solution to this problem!)
All my best,
Shirelle