Tips to Reduce Symptoms of Bloating

• Often times, a build up of intestinal gas can be eased by simply burping or passing gas. Occasional bloating is normal, and generally subsides within a few hours without treatment. However, if bloating prolongs for several hours or days, the following tips may assist with relieving discomfort.
  
  
• Until the bloating lessens, avoid foods that may cause additional gas. These might include beans, fruits, vegetables, and so forth.
  
  
• If intestinal gas or bloating is the result of constipation, increase your water and fiber intake. Attempt to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Water helps to soften stools, which relieves constipation and abdominal bloating.
  
  
• Many women experience abdominal bloating before, during, or immediately following their menstrual cycle. Over-the-counter medications such as Midol are very effective with relieving abdominal bloating and distention.
  
  
• Do not ever consume food in haste. If food is taken in haste, the pressure on the stomach increases and production of gasses also begins to increase, resulting in stomach bloating.
  
  
• It is impossible for you to cure bloating if you consume too many wheat-products every day. A protein called 'GLUTEN' present wheat and bread produces burning sensation and leads to production of excess gas, resulting in bloating.
  
  
  

Flushing Your Body

Salty foods cause fluid retention and puffiness; those made with refined sugar cause spikes in blood sugar and, thus, cravings; and alcohol and caffeine cause dehydration. For your body's regenerative system to work, toxins must be flushed out -- and eight glasses of water a day won't do it alone. To truly purify your system while restoring essential vitamins and minerals, try a four-day regimen of fruit juices in the morning and vegetable juices in the afternoon along with your normal diet.

The first two days, before you consume anything else, drink 1 cup hot water blended with the juice of one lemon, 1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Lemons are rich in bioflavonoids (pigments that act as excellent detoxifying catalysts); cayenne pepper is an anti-inflammatory; and maple syrup adds sweetness. The juice is intense, thus the two-day program -- your body needs time to absorb it, then recover.

Next, along with breakfast, have a blend of orange or half a pink grapefruit, two or three slices of pineapple, two stalks of celery, and a handful of raspberries. Or, mix one pink grapefruit with three apples (rich in the digestive aid pectin), a pinch of cinnamon (high in chromium, which helps balance blood sugar) and a bit of fresh ginger (which helps settle the stomach). If you're prone to problems with stomach acidity, you can dilute these citrus-based juices with water.

In the afternoon, try juices made with carrots, which are packed with healthy antioxidants. Combine four carrots, a sprig of parsley (rich in chlorophyll, which helps stimulate digestive enzymes), 1/2 cucumber (high in water content) and 1/2 beet (which helps detoxify the bladder and kidneys); sweeten with a small apple if you're not a veggie fan. Another option is to combine two carrots with 1/4 small cucumber, one celery stalk and a small amount of Wakame (seaweed rich in vitamin C, calcium and iron).

Puffy Eyes

You wear your hard-partying history on your face, too: an unhealthy pallor, puffiness, dark circles. To restore natural color, form a paste by mixing 1/2 cup plain yogurt (it brightens the skin), 2 teaspoons lemon juice (ditto) and honey (which softens the skin, improving appearance). Apply on clean skin, leave on for 15 minutes and rinse off with warm water.

Puffy eyes respond well to chamomile, which contains the soothing compound azulene. Boil a tea bag in 1 cup water, allow to cool, then soak two cotton pads in the tea for three minutes. Remove the pads and put them in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then position them on your closed eyes and relax with your head on a pillow for 20 minutes (elevating the head helps excess fluids associated with puffiness drain downward). Massage in eye cream afterward to hydrate and further stimulate blood flow.

For extremely dark under-eye circles, substitute black tea; it's high in soothing tannic acid, and its caffeine content dilates blood vessels, helping to draw blood away from the under-eye area. Cool, peeled, thinly sliced cucumbers are another soothing beauty-industry fave; press them in place under the eyes, let them sit for 15 minutes, then remove and rinse your face. Ahhh . . .

Other Bloating Cures:

Activated Charcoal

Bought at your local pharmacy, activated charcoal is commonly used in emergency treatment for specific kinds of poisonings and drug overdoses to keep the poison from being absorbed from the stomach into the body. Charcoal is also used to cure gas/flatulence and help an upset stomach. A natural deodorant and disinfectant, Activated Charcoal is one of the finest absorptive and adsorptive agents known. Orally administered, these fine black granules have an amazing ability to extract and neutralize many more times their own weight in gases, heavy metals, toxins, poisons and other chemicals. Activated Charcoal is made by heating coconut shells in the absence of air. The partly burned shells are then granulated to a size that provides for optimum absorption. This vegetable form of carbon (an element found in all living matter), is completely safe for human consumption. Long recognized as being particularly helpful in providing relief for trapped gas in the lower intestine, physicians and regulatory agencies also acknowledge charcoal%uFFFDs cleansing properties. Known universally, it is used in hospital emergency rooms to neutralize drugs and poisons.


Chamomile

Drinking Chamomile Tea has been done for centuries as a gentle relaxant to calm the nervous system, sooth gastrointestinal disorders, and ease menstrual cramps. Often taken before bedtime for relaxation.


Peppermint

Drinking Peppermint Tea relaxes the muscles that allow the body to rid itself of painful digestive gas. It also helps to cure other illnesses such as Menstrual Cramps, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Kidney Stones, Tension Headache, Colds and Flu and Itching and Skin Irritations.


Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteria

Maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal tract means having plenty of healthy bacteria such as acidophilus and bifidus. When the balance of good guys to bad guys is out of whack, it is known as dysbiosis. In one published study, patients who had developed dysbiosis from taking antibiotics were administered capsules containing 2 billion live bacteria each morning after breakfast. These patients had a relief from their symptoms within 3 to 4 days. In patients suffering from bloating, flatulence, and abdominal pain and pressure due to maldigestion, symptoms improved within one week and continued with further improvement during the second week of therapy.