If I didn’t know any better I’d swear that somebody somewhere was having a little joke on me. Except not a very funny one.
I only started this blog on bloating remedies the other day—cheerily promising to share all my wonderful tips on stopping unpleasant stomach bloating—when today I’ve been hit by one of the worst bouts of bloating and wind I can remember.
It’s not fair!
Funny thing is (except, again, it’s not actually funny…) I’ve tried everything in the book that I know, but nothing has seemed to work. That’s the weird thing about bloating, I find: some days (weeks, even!) there will be no sign of it and then out of the blue it arrives, with seemingly no cause, like a particularly unwelcome visitor standing at the front door.
Does anyone else get this? Tell me it’s not just me?
I can’t think today of anything that might have led to being a cause of the awfully painful bloated stomach and flatulence I’ve experienced today (and apologies to my family for the awful, erm, odours I’ve occasionally created too… sorry for being a little gross…).
Not really had any alcohol over the weekend, no coffee, couple of cups of tea maybe, plenty of fluids. Had quite a bit of exercise (did a 3 mile run on Sunday), don’t think I’ve been bolting my food down. Certainly avoided dairy products, I think.
I’ve pulled out all the emergency bloating remedies too today. Tried drinking loads of water, drank 4 cups of peppermint tea AND had a few rounds of peppermint oil capsules too.
So, feeling pretty miserable and grumpy now (though quite a bit better for having a good whinge about it here!)
Does anyone else have days like these when all else fails? Do you have a secret weapon you pull out in case of emergency? I’d love to hear your ideas.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, I am fed up (no pun intended) with bloating, too. Lately, this last winter, I have had accompanying pains, so I am really motivated to solve it. I have a disability and no longer do heavy work, but I would be feeling great if only my digestive tract would cooperate. It stems from acid reflux, diagnosed in 2002, but he last few years have been markedly worse.
What I have noticed is that I am not bloated upon awakening. So now I am also wondering if there is any medication that will calm the nervous system (enteric nervous system) of the digestive tract, in the same way that sedatives calm the brain. In other words, put the digestive tract “to sleep” where it would still function but the nerves would not be doing the crazy things that they are doing. Make sense?
This condition seems to run in my family so I hope it doesn’t get to the point which some relatives have suffered: ulcers and also stomach cancer. I am going to check out the peppermint and dill essential oils, because taking meds (apart from the Prilosec that I must) just adds more chemicals into what has become a sensitive digestive system.
Hey Ron – sorry to hear of the suffering you’re feeling and thanks hugely for dropping by.
I agree: putting chemicals in there when everything is already sensitive just gives your body even more to deal with! I can highly recommend giving peppermint oil capsules a try. I was actually prescribed them by my doctor years ago but never really took to them. It was only more recently I gave them a try and now I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Peppermint is an antispasmodic, so it calms spasms in the colon – just like the sort of thing it sounds like you’re experiencing.
Hope you manage to get some relief Ron. Keep in touch.
Hey Ron – just wondering if you managed to try out peppermint oil at all and if it had any effect? Be interested to hear.
Hi Pete, its been a welcome read stumbling upon your site the other day, yes looking for answers to this damn bloating issue thats almost ruining my existence at the present… here’s a story for ya… usually aloe vera juice, all natural 99% pure, half a glass per day when hit with an attack works a small miracle, and has for 6, 7 now, but this time, it hasnt worked for whatever reason, well its helped a little, but not the usual nuclear strike effect on gas and distension I usually enjoy from the AV juice… anyway I decided begrudgingly to go to the doctor, he looks at me weird and smirks his way through our consultation and tells me I have “hypertension” and that I should “blow into a brown-paper bag for relief” unquote… yeah serious, what an a—–e. I hate doctors LOL!!!
I insist on some blood tests being done, he goes along… I’ll get the results back in a few days and will consult again with my local medical genius then… in the meantime Ive just bought (as per your advice, thank-you 
) some pure peppermint tea to try and will get some of the enteric peppermint caps if I see a slight improve after trying the tea… thanks for the info, people should definately share their own experiences and knowledge and help get us free from the pharmaceutical companies who make squillions of our pain and suffering without much evidence of ever getting a ‘cure’ for much of anything at all… cause hey, they havnt yet cured the common cold have they???… oh thats right, there’s too much cash to be made out of getting rid of that little earner!!! 
Sorry for the scarcasm and bitterness folks, me angry! I will blog again after peppermint tea trials and known results and my medical genius’s final prescription for my bloating sufference! I might just put that brown paper-bag on his head if he even mentions that BS again…. grrrrrrr!
PS Great site Pete, keep the info and related stories/news coming…
Hey cheers Jay! Great to hear from you! You’re absolutely spot on, bloating isn’t a problem that requires pharmaceuticals, just being careful what you eat and some natural remedies to ease things off.
Would love to know how peppermint helps you. You might also try fennel tea and digestive enzymes too, they all really work.
If there’s anyone that has tried everything to beat the bloat well that’s me. It started 12 months ago, terrible bloting accompanied by constipation and even bladder problems. 10,000 doctors later (slight exaggeration) along with all the tests you could imagine, I was sent off with a doctorial shrug and a possible unconfirmed diagnosis of IBS. I then went on a mad internet rampage (as one does) trawling through everything from candidiasis to intestinal parasites, bacterial overgrowth (small intestine) I’m now embarking on a detox program accompinied by an elimination diet no wheat gluten or dairy in the hope that by giving my digestive system a good clean out and a rest I might finally fix myself. Wish me luck and keep up the suggestions guys.
I’ve had bloating issues since mid-2008. I suspect this issue stems from taking my psychiatric medicines which often come with nasty side-effects.
I’ve found that the best cure for this problem is to drink large amounts of water throughout the day, and especially before going to sleep. I also believe that sleeping half-upright helps as the digestive paristalsis can continue to function during sleep (due to not having to fight gravity for getting food down your intestinal tract.) Gasteel worked for me for a while but I have become immune to its expected benefits. I also get bloated with less than 7 hours of very high-quality sleep. Finally, the quickest way I’ve found (to de-bloat) is to cut all forms of salt: this includes soft drinks containing sodium, or even mineral water which contains, among other things, sodium (i.e. the same bloating agent as salt itself.) Hope this helps. Oh and btw: I’m bloated today also. Not eating anything for the following 2 days is also an excellent remedy.