What Causes Bloating

Bothered by a bloated belly? Find out what causes a distended tummy and how you can relieve the bloating.

Travis: Earlier in the show our web director Kristen posted our show topic on Facebook asking you to write in anything that may be embarrassing you. So Kristen I have to ask what people are asking about. Kristen: Hey Travis, actually we’re getting a lot of great questions today on the web including this one that came in from Mandy on Facebook and she wants to know, she says docs, I feel like I’m always bloated, my stomach it’s really tight and gassy. She wants to know why this happens and what you recommend she can do about it. Lisa: That’s an excellent question, I get that and there's a lot of answers to bloating. I can do the girl bloating. Travis: Well lets kind of tag team on this, so let’s get some props. Hey Mike! Why don’t you bring out a balloon, a glass of water and one of those flat sponges? I want to show folks why bloating occurs in just any one. It doesn’t have to be a woman it can be any one. Bloating quite simply is when food is not digesting properly and you’re forming gases and other things making your stomach and intestines do this. And all of a sudden you got a bloated belly, it’s uncomfortable and then oh, That’s so much better! Andrew: That’s how you cure bloating. Travis: Sometimes it is! Lisa: It is! Actually post operative when the balance sort of get slow down we get people to walk so it starts to move and passes that gas out. Travis: But sometimes bloating can be a symptom of something that is more serious. It can be inflammatory balance disease, constipation and obstruction. So certainly, we’re talking about bloating on the non serious kind when I’m talking about this. Lisa: And actually in bloating with PMS or premenstrual syndrome is a non-seriously kind even though it can cause women to be really uncomfortable, increase their irritability during that time of the month and basically we’re talking about water retention in this instance. And not the stomach gassy bloating but basically what happens is the fluid goes in the tissue, its taking up so first part of the cycle you’re feeling fine but then as you go towards the last part of the cycle then all the fluid goes to the tissues and you feel that fixed sort of heavy, sort of irritable, achy feeling. This happens to all of your body that’s why it’s also you might sometimes feel a little more head achy and irritable as well. So you get this swelling during that time of PMS and that’s the bloating feeling that you get. Andrew: So generalize swelling, may seem your hands, your feet, ankles. Lisa: Puffy face sometimes, you may just feel it all over your body. So some of the things you want to do are obviously things that are going to drive that water out. So exercise, exercise is phenomenal trying to decrease that water out of your body, having a low sodium diet, hydrating because the water actually even though it seems counter, you know intuitive water flashes the water out and then certain things like chamomile and peppermint tea you might wan to swap out for those sodas because soda actually increases the sodium in your body as well.