<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Here are some more responses to the gas question. Thanks, everyone! In Part 3, I will put the response from the company that manufactures Mylanta Gas.
Jane
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My celiac husband uses Gaviscon. He uses the tablets, extra-strength. I got clarification that they were gf. I am not sure about the liquid.
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Here are some non-medicinal remedies to try:
1. Eat slowly and chew with mouth shut. Don't talk while eating. This mininmizes amount of air taken in through the mouth, which when trapped in the digestive system can cause gas. Likewise, always breathe deeply through the nose, not the mouth.
2. Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, soft-drinks, chocolate, etc.) which overstimulates the digestive system and pushes food through before it is thoroughly digested.
3. Avoid all carbonated drinks: sodas, sparkling waters, beer, champagne, etc. Trapped bubbles cause gas pains.
4. Drink lots of water throughout the day, but do it in small amounts at a time. The point is to thoroughly hydrate your body including the contents of your intestines and colon. This is one of the BIGGEST aids to eliminating gas that I have found. Aim for eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day as a minimum. This is in addition to other liquids (juices, etc.) If you have to set a timer to remind you, then do it. Note: this amounts to one-half gallon of water per day, which is the absolute minimum recommended by health care professionals.
5. Stay moderately active after a meal - go for a short walk, sweep the floors, take out the trash. Just DON'T go lie down. This keeps things moving. The point is to get the contents of your digestive system hydrated (see #4) and moving. This prevents gas from being created and/or building up.
6. Establish regular bathroom habits. Even if you don't feel the need, take a magazine and go sit on the toilet for 10 minutes at the same time each day just to get in the habit. Your body will eventually learn to associate this as quiet, relaxing time and eventually start the process of elimination just like clock work. This is a good time to just relax and meditate - let go of all the hurry, rush, worry, etc. You'd be surprised how negative emotions can cause gas.
7. Exercise regularly. Stop smoking. Drink in moderation. Lose weight. Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night on a regular schedule. Relax. Drink LOTS of water.
8. Avoid gas-causing foods for right now until you get regular healthy habits established. These include cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), whole grains (with bran), and high fiber foods (apricots, apples, melons, pears, beets, beans, asparagus). Once the worst of the gas problem has been conquered, re-introduce these foods one at a time in small portions.
9. Take a digestive enzyme. Health food stores carry various combinations and can help you sort out a GF brand. Look for one that contains at least amylase which helps digest starches and protease which helps digest protein and lipase which helps digest fat.
10. Try an after-meal herbal tea that contains one or more of the following herbs: peppermint, fennel seed, ginger, papaya, alfalfa, cinnamon, chamomile. I really like a brand called Eater's Digest, made by Traditional Medicinals. It contains most of the listed herbs, tastes good and works well.
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jane-I have found a company called Tamer Inc. which makes several antacid type medicines, including one to put into coffee so I can drink it withoutgetting indigestion. The company is Tamer International Ltd. 1-800-4A-TAMER, www.halycon.com/tamer. They do take orders over the
internet. I have had success and they are GF. (Even my super fussy husband will take their Tummy Tamer now!!)
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If you are open to alternative medicine which hasn't bought into what the drug companies spend billions pushing in this country, you might want to consider what was commonly done for indigestion, etc. as a result of medical research until the l950's when the drug companies began pushing their "solution". Your slow stomach emptying could be due to low stomach acid (HCl) secretion; this results in food sitting too long in the stomach and literally fermenting which creates acids..... As our bodies age, especially after age 35 our stomachs generally produce less and less HCl needed for proper digestion of food.
Our M.D. who we have seen for 20 years, is a leader in his field. You can go to his clinic's web site and read two articles he has written in the past regarding how our stomachs work, medical research, and his experiences in practice since 1976. The site is: www.tahoma-clinic.com Click on the "Latest Articles" box on the left hand column under Dr. Wright's picture. Scroll down to the two articles: Digestive theory of aging, Parts 1 & 2.
For more detail you could obtain a copy of his 2001 book, Why Stomach Acid is Good for You (Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Lane Lenard, Ph.D.) Its a 208 page paperback for 15.95 which you could order through a local bookstore or through the clinic's dispensary (can access their phone number through the web site)
When I saw Dr. Wright for the first time in 1982 (I was 30) for some major problems, he ran a test for adequate stomach acid production given my symptoms. It showed very low production. Once I began taking HCl with pepsin in the dosage he suggested given my production level, the digestive problems disappeared. My husband had the same experience 4 years later. Dr. Wright also found that we both (along with two blood relatives)were celiacs. We continue to see him for help with ongoing issues resulting from being celiacs.
My only interest in telling you all this is to pass along possible help.
* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *
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