In some countries belching is a major compliment to the chef. It’s expected and taken in high regard that a meal was well enjoyed. In this country… eh, not so much. Many people find belching rude, embarrassing, even disgusting.

If you’re worried about how often you’re burping or if you’re belching too much, especially when you’re out in public with others, there are some measures you can take to limit and even stop excessive belching.

Why do people belch?

Burping is the release of air and gas from the digestive track. That means a good belch is natural and will eventually happen. In fact the average, healthy person passes gas about 14 times a day.

Swallowing air by eating or drinking too fast can create gas in the stomach. Foods sometimes cause excessive gas, like refined sugars, beans, milk products, broccoli, potatoes and other sources of fiber.

People with chronic belching may also have an upper GI disorder like GERD or a peptic ulcer.

What to do to relieve excessive belching

If you find yourself burping too much or at inconvenient moments, there are some things you can do to limit belching.

The most obvious one being avoid foods that give you gas. If you find eating broccoli or enjoying a tall, frosty glass of milk make you burp a little more than you’re comfortable with, don’t eat it when you’re dining out.

When eating, savor every bite. Eat your food slow, chew evenly and enjoy your meal. When you do this you will also swallow less air. Less air in your stomach means less gas and fewer burps!

Even while you aren’t sitting down and enjoying a meal, there are activities that can still bring on belching. Chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, sipping pop through a straw and smoking are just a few to name. Limit or cut these activities to cut back on burping even more.

If your gas is a result of Acid Reflux or heartburn, taking an antacid like Tums may help to settle the gas in your stomach.

Enjoying a tea made with a touch of mint extract after your meal can help reduce gas and belching. Herbal teas made with chamomile and mint can also prevent belching and ensure a smooth digestion.

Want something a little more refreshing to drink? Mix a pinch of baking soda into a chilled cup of lemon juice diluted with water.

When to see your doctor

Remember, belching is normal and natural, but if you find yourself burping practically non-stop and experience diarrhea, constipation, nausea, weight loss or persistent heartburn, please check in with your doctor.

–Magdalena

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What is Burning Mouth Syndrome?

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a complex, confusing condition which causes a burning pain in the mouth on the tongue, lips, or all over the mouth. There isn’t an obvious explanation for the pain.

Menopause, psychological problems, nutritional deficiencies and disorders of the mouth (oral thrush and dry mouth) are other conditions BMS has long been associated with. Dysfunctional or damaged nerves may be a cause as some researchers suggest, but the exact cause is extremely difficult to identify, and the pain may persist for months or years.

Signs and symptoms of BMS vary from person to person as does the underlying causes if they can be identified, so treatment is extremely specific to each individual. Symptoms of BMS can usually be controlled with personalized treatment plans.

BMS is also known as scalded mouth syndrome, burning tongue syndrome, burning lips syndrome, glossodynia and stomatodynia.

Causes of Burning Mouth Syndrome

As stated above, the causes are intricate and numerous. The following list of possible causes may only apply to a fraction of BMS sufferers. Many may have multiple causes. Identifying a cause is important so that with your physician you can find a tailor made treatment plan for your syndrome. Possibilities of causes include:

• Dry mouth (xerostomia)
• Other oral conditions
• Psychological factors
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Irritating dentures
• Nerve disturbance or damage (neuropathy)
• Allergies
• Reflux of stomach acid (gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD)
• Medications
• Oral habits (teeth grinding or tongue thrusting)
• Endocrine disorders (hypothyroidism)
• Hormonal imbalances (menopause)
• Excessive irritation (overuse of mouthwash, over brushing of teeth and gums, or acidic drinks)

Because of the variety of causes and the complexity of symptoms, doctors are sometimes unable to find a cause for burning mouth syndrome.

Symptoms of BMS

A burning sensation involving the tongue, gums, palate, throat, or the entire area of the mouth are the main symptoms of BMS. The sensation described by those with the syndrome is of the affected areas feeling like they have been burned with a hot liquid. Other symptoms may include:

• Dry mouth
• Sore mouth
• Tingling or numb sensation on the tip of the tongue or other affected areas of the mouth
• Bitter or metallic taste in the mouth

The degree of pain as well and the duration and intensity varies from person to person. Some have chronic pain daily while others wake without pain but find that it intensifies throughout the day. Still others feel pain off and on throughout the day and even experience an absence of pain.

Burning Mouth Syndrome affects women up to seven times more often as it does men. It may occur in younger people, but by and large occurs in middle-aged or older adults.

Treatments for BMS

Treatment triggers improvement in symptoms for most people with burning mouth syndrome. But the type of treatment depends on the underlying cause. The treatments are listed below along with the causes.

• Dry mouth (xerostomia). Treating the cause of your dry mouth — Sjogren’s syndrome, use of medications or some other cause — may relieve burning mouth symptoms. In addition, drinking more fluids or taking a medication that promotes flow of saliva may help.

• Other oral conditions. If the cause is oral thrush, treatment is with oral antifungal medications such as nystatin or fluconazole. If you wear dentures, your dentures may also need to be treated.

• Psychological factors. For a burning mouth that may be caused by or associated with psychological factors such as anxiety and depression, your doctor may recommend antidepressant therapy or psychiatric therapy or both together. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may cause less dry mouth than other antidepressant medications.

• Nutritional deficiencies. You may be able to correct nutritional deficiencies by taking supplements of B vitamins and minerals such as zinc and iron.

• Irritating dentures. Your dentist may be able to adjust your dentures so they are less irritating to your mouth. If your dentures contain substances that irritate your oral tissues, you may need different dentures. You may also improve symptoms by practicing good denture care, such as removing dentures at night and cleaning them properly.

• Nerve disturbance or damage (neuropathy). Your doctor may suggest medications that affect your nervous system and control pain, including benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, or anticonvulsants. For pain relief, your doctor may also suggest rinsing your mouth with water and capsaicin — the active ingredient in hot peppers, which also is called capsicum.

• Allergies. Avoiding foods that contain allergens that may irritate the tissues of your mouth may help.

• Certain medications. If a medication you’re taking is causing a burning mouth, using a substitute medication, if possible, may help.

• Oral habits. Tongue thrusting and teeth grinding (bruxism) can be helped with mouth guards, medications and relaxation techniques.

• Endocrine disorders. If a burning mouth is associated with conditions such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, treating those conditions may improve your symptoms.

If doctors can’t identify the cause of your symptoms, they may still recommend trying oral thrush medications, B vitamins or antidepressants. These medications have proved effective in treating burning mouth syndrome.

-Anne

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You’re feeling pretty hot in your melon-colored halter and dark blue skinny jeans walking to the door to meet your blind date. Just as you reach the door, start turning the knob, that old familiar rumbling feeling starts in the bottom of your belly, and threatens to move out the back of your…dark blue skinny jeans. “Please, god, not now!”

What is Gas?

The urge to pass intestinal gas happens at the most inopportune moments. Most of us can relate to the scenario above. Even though everyone passes gas, generally 12 or more times a day, it is still quite embarrassing. It’s either the noise or the smell that will alert anyone around that you are a gas producing, gas passing social faux pas. When your flatulent difficulty becomes excessive and frequent, it feels like time to close the shutters and hide in shame.

Gas refers to belching, bloating, and flatulence. Although belching isn’t considered socially acceptable in American etiquette, it doesn’t bring on the same type of embarrassment and shame as intestinal gas. The average person produces 1-4 pints of gas a day. Gas from the stomach is passed out through the mouth, whereas gas from the intestines (flatus) is passed through the anus.

What Causes Gas?

Gas is caused by swallowing air or foods that are hard to digest. The undigested or partially digested food moves from the small intestine into the colon. The colon then produces bacteria to digest the food. As the bacteria breaks down the food, it forms gas (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide). Gas, in general, doesn’t smell. The element that gives the gas that offensive odor is hydrogen sulfide which contains sulfur and gives the gas the smell. The foods that add to higher levels of this smelly gas are often the foods that give us our daily fiber. Dairy products like milk and cheese; some proteins like eggs, beans (Lima and legumes); vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage; and whole grains all contribute to hydrogen sulfide. Many of these foods are high in fiber.

Other causes of gas include:

• Another health condition. Excess gas may be one of several signs and symptoms of a more serious chronic condition. Examples include diverticulitis or an inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
• Antibiotics. In some cases of excess gas, antibiotic use may be a factor because antibiotics disrupt the normal bacterial flora in your bowel.
• Laxatives. Excessive use of laxatives or constipating drugs also may contribute to the problems with excess gas.
• Constipation. Constipation may make it difficult to pass gas, leading to bloating and discomfort.
• Food intolerances. If your gas and bloating occur mainly after eating dairy products, it may be because your body isn’t able to break down the sugar (lactose) in dairy foods. Many people aren’t able to process lactose efficiently after age 6, and even infants are sometimes lactose intolerant. Other food intolerances, especially to gluten — a protein found in wheat and some other grains — also can result in excess gas, diarrhea and even weight loss.
• Artificial additives. It’s also possible that your system can’t tolerate the artificial sweeteners sorbitol and mannitol found in some sugar-free foods, gums and candies. Many healthy people develop gas and diarrhea when they consume these sweeteners.

Symptoms of Gas

If you have gas, the symptoms are probably painfully apparent. They include:

• The voluntary or involuntary passing of gas, either as belching or as flatus.
• Sharp, jabbing pains or cramps in your abdomen. These pains may occur anywhere in your abdomen and can change locations quickly. You may also have a “knotted” feeling in your stomach. The pain may sometimes be so intense that it feels like something is seriously wrong. When the pain occurs on the upper left side, gas pain may be mistaken for heart disease. When the pain occurs on the right side, it may be mistaken for gallstones or appendicitis.
• Abdominal bloating (distension).

Treatments for Gas

If you’ve found that your diet is causing you to produce excess gas, avoiding those foods is the best possible cure there is. With the exception of antibiotics and laxatives, all producers of gas are food, so changing your diet seems necessary and unavoidable. Finding the right combinations of foods may be all you need to live a pain-free, gas-free life. Here are some things you can do to help change your diet:

1. Start by cataloging your daily meals for at least a month.
2. Make note of the gas symptoms and the time periods when they flare up.
3. Meet with a specialist to determine which foods and in what combination are causing the unwanted symptoms. The specialist will also be able to rule out any serious underlying medical conditions.
4. Plan your meals according to recommendations.
5. Drink adequate amounts of water.
6. Sit ergonomically correct to give your digestive system the room it needs to digest your food.

Some lifestyle changes may also help:

• Try smaller meals. Eat several small meals throughout the day instead of two or three larger ones.
• Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly and don’t gulp. If you have a hard time slowing down, put down your fork between each bite.
• Avoid chewing gum, hard candies and drinking through a straw. These activities can cause you to swallow more air.
• Don’t eat when you’re anxious, upset or on the run. Try to make meals relaxed occasions and eat slowly. Eating when you’re stressed can interfere with digestion.
• Check your dentures. Poorly fitting dentures can cause you to swallow excess air when you eat and drink.
• Don’t smoke. Cigarette smoking can increase the amount of air you swallow.

-Anne

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As a somewhat high-strung person, I needed something to help me calm down and de-stress in order to handle high-paced environments. As Americans, we tend to be on the go from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. My day holds no exceptions.

I always associated meditation with eastern religions and a robed guru sitting in the lotus position chanting “OOOMMM.” Although meditation originated in the East, and is rooted in such religions and ways of life as Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism, it doesn’t need to be done as a religious or spiritual practice to be useful. Of course it is most helpful with the acknowledgment that we are mind, body and spirit as separate but unified entities. Meditation helps bring attention to these factors, and builds a foundation from which we can find a calm contentedness.

What is meditation?

There are several types of meditation practices, and each religion has specific exercises in mediation that can range anywhere from 4-50 basic types. In western culture, or for non-Buddhists, meditation techniques are used in the search for mental and physical health as well as for Buddhist and non-Buddhist spiritual goals.

The most basic form of meditation is mindfulness of breathing. Focusing on the breath, the meditator learns to acknowledge the amount of thoughts that continuously clutter the mind and add to stress through the struggle to concentrate on single objectives and remain on task.

The idea is that through the practice of mindfulness of breathing, the meditator will learn how to acknowledge the other thoughts that creep in, but then refocus attention onto the inhalation and exhalation of the body, or the job at hand. The struggle of the mind becomes less as the meditator practices the exercise of refocusing attention. Other types of meditation include: contemplation, moving or walking meditation, chanting, and visualization. Types of movement meditation include yoga and Tai chi. Breathing or mindfulness of breathing can also be called stillness meditation.

How to do Breathing Meditation

After you learn the basic breathing technique, you will find that you can meditate anywhere and at any time as the need arises. To begin, set aside 15 minutes a day where you can be comfortable and alone. The morning is ideal as you will start your day in a relaxed and calm state.
1. Wear comfortable clothing and sit in a comfortable position making sure to keep your back straight. A straight back helps keep your mind from becoming sluggish.
2. With your eyes partially closed, breathe in and out naturally paying attention to the feel and sound of your breath. As you become more practiced, you can then employ more specific breathing techniques (See the blog archives for directions on conscious breathing through a three-step process under Prevention through Nutrition).
3. When thoughts come into your mind drawing the focus off of your breath, acknowledge them without judgment, and bring your attention back to your breath.
4. Repeat this process for 15 minutes.

Don’t be surprised if a variety of emotions begin to surface. Some people may even weep. A single emotion such as sadness or nostalgia may surface, or you may feel multiple emotions at once such as anger, sadness and joy. Practice allowing the feelings to surface without judgment, as with the thoughts, and then bringing the focus back to the breath. There are no rules in meditation, so if emotions and thoughts don’t surface, that’s okay too. But if they do, there is a reason for it. The meditation exercise transports these thoughts and feelings from the sub-conscious to the conscious, allowing you to live more deliberately or fully.

When stressful situations arise as the day passes, or if you begin to feel anxious, take a moment to focus on your breath which will help you to de-stress and regain your serenity. Knowing how to meditate can help keep you calmer, and in turn, your blood pressure will remain relatively unaffected by stress and therefore your heart won’t need to work as hard.

-Anne

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So you think you’re bloated….well we’ll just see about that.

We’ve all experienced uncomfortable abdominal pains. Of course, it always happens at the worst time possible like when you’re getting ready to go out with friends and those cool jeans you bought don’t want to fit. Before you throw your jeans back in the closet, let’s discuss why this happens.

I used to think that the above situation was bloating. However, I’ve discovered that the physical appearance of a larger abdomen is actually distension, not bloating. You know that you have abdominal distension if you can’t fit into clothes or if you look down at your tummy and notice that it’s bigger than normal. Reasons for abdominal distension include an increase in air, fluid or tissue within the abdomen. In order to be distended, your abdomen must enlarge in size by one quart.

On the other hand, bloating is the feeling that the abdominal area is full and tight. This sensation can lead to abdominal discomfort. Bloating can have several causes and it’s important to find out the cause in order to determine a course of action.

Types of Abdominal Distension

Continuous abdominal distension—occurs when the abdomen swells for an extensive amount of time and can be caused by the following:
• An enlarged organ within the abdomen
• A tumor in the abdomen
• Excess fluid around the abdominal organs (ascites)
• Obesity

Intermittent abdominal distension—due to an occasional increase of gas or fluid in the stomach, small intestine or large intestine.

Causes of Intermittent Abdominal Distension

• Excess gas—this is a common cause of abdominal distension. Bacteria produce too much gas either because of 1) poor digestion and absorption of food in the small intestine (leaving undigested food in the large intestine) allowing bacteria to make more gas, 2) individual gas production varies from one person to the next, and 3) an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.
• Physical obstruction—a blockage may occur in the digestive tract (this happens anywhere from the stomach to the rectum). This type of obstruction can occur due to constipation or other abdominal complications (post-surgery, diseases, disorders).
• Functional obstruction—there is no physical blockage here, but rather improper functioning of stomach or intestinal muscles to move food through the intestines.
• Sensitivity (intestinal hypersensitivity)—some people are very sensitive to abdominal distension even when eating a normal diet.

Causes of Bloating

• Fatty foods—these can increase the feeling of fullness and hold up the digestive process.
• Stress or anxiety
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• An infection or blockage of the gastrointestinal tract
• Conditions such as celiac disease, lactose intolerance or other types of food intolerance may cause issues with food absorption and thereby result in bloating.

Home remedies for Bloating / Distension

If the cause of your bloating / distension is constipation, try the following:
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat fruit to help loosen the stool
• Exercise regularly
• Consume fiber

If the cause of your bloating / distension is gas, try the following:
• Lie down on your left side, which will help to get the gas moving
• Carbonated water can help to encourage belching
• Chew celery seeds
• Drinking chamomile tea or other teas such as ginger tea, peppermint tea and fennel tea
• Other teas includes fennel, ginger and peppermint

Other tips:
• Chew your food thoroughly
• Do not skip meals
• Try to identify the foods that bother you. For most people it’s important to avoid:
o Beans, corn, nuts, onions, garlic, cabbage, broccoli and dairy (a majority of people are lactose intolerant)
• Try to stay away from fried and fatty foods
• Avoid caffeine which may overexcite the digestive system.
• Women often suffer from premenstrual bloating. This can be remedies with exercise, fluids and a high-fiber diet. However, abdominal bloating in woman can also result from gynecological problems. So it’s important to check with your doctor.

—Nolan

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