Hi Joe. Most of the gas passed out from the gut is air that is swallowed. It is main reason for belching and also contributes to flatulence. You mention less of many of the foods that can contribute to excessive gas but sometimes reducing your intake is not enough. You need to stop it altogether, like the sodas which contributes to carbon dioxide in the gut.

Furthermore it is difficult to say whether you excessive gas is due to any disease (you don’t mention any other digestive symptoms) or just due to mouth breathing and so on which contributes to air swallowing (hence more gas).

In addition, you do mention experiencing shortness of breath. Whatever the reason is for that shortness of breath, it will naturally lead to you breathing through your mouth and then possibly swallowing more air. You need to immediately have the shortness of breath assessed and treated as this could be serious. This may also contribute to a reduction in the gas and only thereafter should the gas problem be looked into further.

When I first started I found I was always hungry so I started consuming 2 apples a day and cheese/yogurt…well lately I have had a lot of burps…okay it makes sense but I also feel a bit of shortness of breath, not like heart attack but more like I feel I’m not taking enough air in….and the burps keep coming (the other way too).

My yearly physical comes around in February I was fine last year less food poisoning (thank you IHOP) and while I am a bit heavy I live a clean life, no smoking no drugs no alcohol….I feel fine, in fact since I changed my diet (2 months now) I’ve lost about 10 pounds without exercise (That will start in January). So is this just all that gas coming out of me? Is this all the discomfort?

I have read that apples clean out the liver and with the change (less sugars/starch consumption) I keep thinking this is all about that, the releasing of gas and/or air leaving and how this is abnormal for me.

Any ideas?

Hi Sue. There are many possible causes for your symptoms as you can see from the article above. This could simply be indigestion, that in come cases occurs frequently, or it can be a more serious condition like a hiatal hernia. It is difficult to say for sure based on the symptoms you are experiencing as so many stomach conditions presents with these symptoms. You will need to speak to a doctor and further tests may be necessary for a diagnosis.

Hi Karrah. It’s worth having it checked up because you can’t be sure that it really is gas. Assuming that it is intestinal gas for now, you may want to look at a good probiotic supplement preferably one containing Lactobacilli and Saccharomyces boulardii. This will help restore your normal intestinal bacteria, which could be excessive in number or there may be other microbes which may be contributing to gas formation. Of course this is just one possibility and it is important to have it checked up in case there is some other underlying problem that may be causing your symptom and not just intestinal gas.

Hi Susan. Your symptoms may not necessarily be due to a gas buildup. Many conditions can present with this type of pain and bloating. You have not mentioned that belching relieves the discomfort so it is quite likely not gas. You may be looking at conditions like a hiatal hernia, gastritis or even peptic ulcers. The medication you are using will not help for any of these conditions. You need to consult with your doctor who most likely will have to conduct further investigations before a diagnosis is reached.

Thanks very much, will wait for the scan.

Could you give me a rough idea of what ‘serious’ and less serious conditions could cause this?

With thanks if you can advise,

Kamal