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These easy home remedies will soothe your gassy, bloated stomach almost immediately.
By Atieno Bird — Written on May 07, 2020
Everyone experiences gas and bloating at times.
Stomach bloating and painful gas are most likely to occur after eating large amounts of particular foods, such as onions, beans and cabbage, as symptoms of certain medical conditions, like colitis, or during pregnancy.
If you have regular severe bouts of excessive gas and bloating, you should contact your doctor first in order to rule out any serious conditions.
That said, simple abdominal bloating due to excessive amounts of solids, liquids or gas in your digestive system rather than any underlying health issues is quite common, and can often be treated quite quickly and easily.
Here are 7 home remedies you can try to get rid of gas and bloating fast (if not immediately).
1. Try a simple “twist.”
Lie on your back with your knees bent and pointing to the ceiling and your arms out at your sides at shoulder height. Slowly drop both knees to the right, keeping both shoulders on the floor, and turn your head to look at your left hand.
Hold this for five slow breaths. Then slowly drop your knees to the left and look right.
Do this three times on each side.
2. Try activated charcoal.
The next three gas-fighting methods involve simple over-the-counter remedies. One of the most effective yet least well known is activated charcoal, which is sold by many different brands and is said to capture gas and impurities in your digestive tract, then carry them out with your bowel movements.
Take two to three capsules when you are feeling bloated. You should notice a difference within about a half hour.
3, Take enzyme supplements.
Your body produces digestive enzymes naturally to digest the different foods you eat. But as you age, or if you have particular food sensitivities, you may do well to take supplements to support this natural process.
Foods like papaya contain digestive enzymes, but you can also purchase capsules that target the enzymes specific to different foods, like the lactose in milk, gluten, etc.
Many enzymes come bundled with probiotics in the same capsule. While good probiotic capsules can be quite expensive, they may be a good investment in your health, and can even help lift your mood. Taking a good probiotic is one of the most effective ways to bring balance to your microbiome, "the genetic material of all the microbes — bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses — that live on and inside the human body."
Shop carefully and favor refrigerated brands. Visibiome is one brand that is well supported by numerous studies.
4. Brew some peppermint, ginger, or lemongrass tea.
All three herbs are excellent tonics for digestive issues. Peppermint supplements can be harsh and overwhelming, but as a tea, all three are gentle and soothing.
You can also slip a chunk of fresh ginger into a smoothie.
5. Start keeping a food journal.
If you have repeated trouble with gas and bloating, start a food journal as way to track what causes it by process of elimination. You may find that it tracks with your hormonal cycles, or that particular foods irritate your system.
The best way to manage your health is often not through medication, but through nutrition tailored to your body.
The first food to eliminate if you are experimenting with nutritional therapies is wheat, but be aware that many of the carbs and gums that appear in gluten-substitutes are highly processed and may be just as challenging for your digestive system. Try to eat whole foods rather than foods that have gone through several different treatments before they reach your house.
A second culprit is dairy. Notice whether you have developed an intolerance to lactose. You may have to cut dairy from your diet or rely on enzyme supplements when you eat or drink it. Many people who are lactose intolerant are able to digest aged cheeses like swiss or cheddar, as well as yogurts that have been cultured long enough to allow the transformation all of the dairy sugar.
6. Drink some pickle juice.
This one might surprise you, but a clever home remedy for heartburn and gas is pickle juice!
Rather, than throwing it away, you can drink a few swallows of the liquid left after all the dill pickles have been eaten from the jar. Try to buy organic pickles to avoid the chemicals in many jars.
If you don’t have pickles, you can make a water and vinegar drink that is just as effective. Use Braggs apple cider vinegar if possible, for its active live probiotics.
7. Take a brisk ten-minute walk.
Your whole system needs a little wake-up in order to move gas. Get your blood, your mind, your lymphatic fluid all moving, and you may find the bloating begins to subside.
If none of these ideas help, and you have frequent debilitating gas and bloating, it’s very important to consult your doctor.
My hope is that with attention to your body’s signals, you can learn to adjust your habits to enjoy optimal health
Here’s to feeling light and free!
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Atieno Bird, MA, CP, is a life coach certified in Co-Active Coaching, Psychodrama, Conflict Resolution, and Appreciative Inquiry, with twenty years of training, facilitation, and coaching experience involving over a thousand professionals. For a free sample session, visit her Two Bird Coaching website.