Gas and Vomiting
SYMPTOMSHiccups that you want to have stopped.
CAUSESCharles Osborne of Anthon, Iowa, started hiccuping in 1922 and hiccuped for the next 65 years. After 430 million hiccups, he passed away.
Almost all hiccups are one-sided; that is, only one side of the diaphragm contracts. Overeating or excessive drinking is the most common cause. It causes the stomach to extend downward and press against the diaphragmwhich then starts its hiccuppy motions.
A hiccup is a repeated involuntary spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm, immediately followed by a sudden closure of the glottis.
But that information does not help solve the problem. Here is advice that may. All of these methods really work for some people. See what is best for you. (You will notice that these techniques are frequently based on diverting attention, changing the ongoing physical hiccup pattern, and getting the body to do something different for a few moments.)
A high blood carbon-dioxide level is known to stifle hiccups. A well-known procedure is to breathe into a paper bag. Blow in and out exactly 10 times, and do it very hard until you are red in the face. You must do it fast, and you must form a good seal around the bag so no air gets in.
Hold your breath as long as you can, and then swallow when you think a hiccup is coming. Do that 2-3 times. Then take a deep breath and begin again.
Hold your breath in for as long as possible, then exhale and hold that as long as possible.
Blow air out in a slow, steady stream.
Hold your breath, while extending your head as far backward as you can.
Swallow a teaspoonful of sugar, dry. It often stops the hiccups in minutes. The sugar in the mouth probably sends different signals along the nerve routes, interfering with the hiccups.
Close your mouth, hold your nose and ears closed with your fingers and thumbs, and swallow 3 times before you let go. This creates a slight vacuum and changes the rhythm of the diaphragm enough to bring relief.
Chew and swallow ice for 10-15 minutes.
Stand behind the person as he sits on a chair. Grasp the neck gently with your fingers and, with the thumbs, slowly massage down each side of the spinous process.
Fill a glass of water, bend over forward, and drink the water upside down.
Apply pressure with the flat of the hand, just below the breastbone.
Take a deep breath and drink 10 swallows of water while not breathing.
Put ice on the neck.
Drink catnip tea.
Place light fingertip pressure on each side of the neck, for about a minute.
When you are eating, just be quiet and eat, and you are not likely to get hiccups.
Take exactly 10 sips of water in rapid succession.
A sneeze sometimes stops the hiccups.
Have someone pull on your tongue.
Lie on the left side for 10-15 minutes.
Stand on your head.
Swallow crushed ice.
Have someone massage your feet.
Drink a half glassful of fresh orange juice.
Take a hot bath for 15 minutes.
Place an ice bag to the pit of the stomach.
Bend at the waist, to touch the toes, and hold this position for about 60 seconds. This method is useful for both adults and children.
When children run around and play, sometimes one ends up with the hiccups. When that happens, try tickling him while he holds his breath, and tell him to try real hard not to laugh. He will forget about the hiccups.
In case you have hiccups which will not stop, go on a 3 day complete fast.
ENCOURAGEMENTThe work of conquering evil is to be done through faith. Those who go into the battlefield will find that they must put on the whole armor of God. The shield of faith must be their defense. God will give them the victory over temptation and sin.
SYMPTOMSBurping up air from the stomach.
CAUSESBelching is most frequently caused by bringing up air that was swallowed with the food and drink taken in. This is called aerophagia.
We normally have about a cupful of air in our stomach all the time. Every day, we swallow air and make some in our stomach (about 10 cupfuls in 24 hours). Because this is 9 cupfuls too many, we belch occasionally.
Make a habit of not gulping down air as you eat. Just thinking about being more careful will help a lot.
Chew with your mouth closed, and do not talk while you are eating.
Do not eat foods which produce gas, such as beans, carbonated drinks, and beer.
Do not drink out of cans, bottles, or through a straw.
Avoid foods with high air content. This includes ice cream, beer, omelets, and whipped cream.
Also see "Bloating."
ENCOURAGEMENTIf we would give more expression to our faith, and rejoice more in the blessings we know we have, we could have more faith and greater joy. If you will cooperate with His plan, as given in the Bible, He will give you eternal life.
SYMPTOMSThere is an excess of gas in the stomach. The stomach (or intestines) seems to be too full.
CAUSESBloating is the accumulation of gas in the stomach, intestines, or bowels. Normally the stomach is sterile because of the acid environment. But when it does not contain enough hydrochloric acid ("Achlorhydria," which see), bacteria from the small intestine migrates up into the stomach. Arriving there, it ferments the carbohydrates and sugars which are there. This produces gas or, what is called, bloat.
You may wish to take 1 oz of oral hydrogen peroxide (20 drops/oz) twice a day, along with colloidal minerals, betaine HCl (hydrochloride), and pancreatic enzymes, 75-200 mg, three times a day. Take this 15 minutes before mealtime.
Instead of that, you can take lemon juice and water before each meal. In your stomach, the lemon juice will act similarly to that of HCl.
At the time of the bloating, this can be done: If the bloating is in the stomach, seat the person upright, apply heat over the stomach. Have him sip hot water.
If the bloating is in the intestines, have him lie down for a half hour before, and after, meals. Give no fluids with meals, but hot water may be sipped afterward. If needed, give an enema.
Avoid gas-producing foods, such as beans, cabbage, other members of the cabbage family, and whole wheat flour products.
To reduce gas-causing sulfur compounds in beans (garbanzo, pinto, navy, etc.), use the following cooking method: Place 1 cup of beans in 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Then drain the beans and add 5 cups of fresh water. Bring the water to a boil and continue cooking the beans according to directions.
Avoid lactose. Eating dairy foods can produce gas in the large bowels.
It is possible to eat too much fiber at a time. This can induce some bloating.
Take charcoal, to help reduce the gas. The charcoal will adsorb it and carry it off. Activated charcoal is best.
People who sigh often swallow air.
Avoid tight belts and tight-fitting clothes. Those who do not wear belts and girdles have less indigestion.
Do not postpone bowel movements.
Avoid drinking at water fountains. You can hardly drink at one without gulping down air.
A low-fat diet helps reduce carbon-dioxide production in the top (duodenal) area of the small intestines.
Artificial sweeteners produce gas.
Drink enough water. A dry mouth encourages swallowing.
Avoid repetitive belching, for you tend to swallow more air than you release.
Both chewing gum and smoking increase the swallowing of air.
Carbonated drinks (beer, champagne, soft drinks) and foods with whipped air cause more food to be ingested.
Avoid drinking with meals.
To expel excess air, rock back and forth in the knee-chest position.
Also see "Stomach Distension, Gaseous," "Belching," "Achlorhydria," "Dyspepsia," and "Colic in Children."
ENCOURAGEMENTLiving faith and obedience by faith in Christ can give us the victory over every besetment and sin. He can enable us to stand firm to the end.
COMBAT ITCold Compress over stomach without plastic covering, changed every 4 hours; Cold Fan Douche over stomach, twice daily.
INCREASE GENERAL VITAL RESISTANCE, COMBAT AUTOINTOXICATIONShort sweating baths, such as the Radiant Heat Bath; Sweating Wet Sheet Pack; Hot Full Bath, 4-6 minutes, at 1050 F.; Hot Blanket Pack; Hot Enema. Follow each hot bath with a Tonic Friction application.
PYROSISHot water drinking before retiring at night; Fomentation over stomach at bedtime, with Hot Abdominal Pack overnight; sipping half a glass of very hot water, when rising in the morning. A few ounces of orange juice or other natural, unsweetened fruit juice half an hour before eating.
CONSTIPATIONGraduated Cold Enema; Cold Douche to abdomen. Hot Abdominal Pack; Regularity of bowel habits.
PAINFomentation over the abdomen, followed by Heating Compress, protected by flannel only.
Also see "Bloating."
SYMPTOMSA burning sensation in the stomach or chest.
CAUSESHeartburn is a sense of burning in the stomach. In most instances, some of the stomach digestive juices have backed up out of the stomach into the esophagus (the food tube between the mouth and the stomach). This backing-up action is called reflux. These juices include hydrochloric acid, which is a rather powerful acid. It is used in industry, to clean metal. When it comes in contact with the esophagus, it burns the wall. Normally, the esophageal sphincter muscle shuts and prevents stomach acids from pushing upward.
Heartburn can be caused by excessive consumption of fatty or fried foods, alcohol, coffee, spicy foods, chocolate, or just having too much food in the stomach. Citrus fruits or tomato-based foods cause it in a few people.
Other contributing factors are hiatal hernia, allergies, stress, gallbladder problems, and enzyme deficiencies.
Immediately drink a large glass of water. This will help wash the HCl back down and dilute it as well.
Drink some raw potato juice. Whiz up an unpeeled potato and drink it down.
Do not lie down. Remain upright, so gravity can help push the HCl down and keep it down. Later, when you do lie down, elevate the bed at the head by 4 inches.
Avoid bending over; if you must lift something, bend at the knees. You do not want to compress your stomach when you have heartburn.
Eating mints relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, so HCl can crowd up into the esophagus.
Do not drink anything caffeinated, for it will irritate the esophagus even more. Caffeine relaxes the sphincter, so stomach contents can move on up. Tobacco smoke also relaxes the sphincter. Estrogens relax it also.
Drinking milk may feel good going down, but it encourages the stomach to secrete more acid.
Drinks with fizz in them expand the stomach and make it more likely that HCl will come up the food pipe.
Greasy, fried, and fatty foods sit in the stomach for a long time and increase HCl production. Avoid meat and dairy products.
Antidepressants and sedatives aggravate heartburn. Aspirin and ibuprofen cause heartburn.
Antacids only mask the symptoms. They also contain aluminum.
Avoid stress, for that increases HCl production also.
Loosen your belt; better yet, wear suspenders.
Do not eat within 2½ hours before bedtime. Doing so not only can cause heartburn, but bring on heart attacks also.
Eat more raw vegetables, chew your food well, and eat slowly.
Angina and heart attack are both very dangerous conditions (which see). Among the earliest symptoms is, what appears to be, an "acid stomach." Beware. You are wise to eat so that you do not have heartburn. Then if major heart trouble sends a warning message that seems like heartburn, you will be less likely to sit back and take some aluminum, from the drugstore, for "antacid." Aluminum is a cause of Alzheimer's disease (which see).
ENCOURAGEMENTEven on earth we may have joy as a wellspring, never failing, because it is fed by the streams that flow from the throne of God. All this is ours as we study the Bible, and, in Christ's strength, obey it.
SYMPTOMSHeartburn and belching. There may be difficulty in swallowing. Material from the stomach may suddenly return into the throat or mouth, causing a burning sensation. It may feel as if there is a lump in the throat, or that food is sticking at a point in the throat. Sometimes bloody mucous is coughed up.
CAUSESThe stomach pushes, or herniates, upward through an opening in the diaphragm into the chest cavity (the thorax). A weakness in the diaphragm as it leaves the esophagus may enlarge the opening, where the esophagus (food pipe) enters the stomach. This enables the stomach to slide up somewhat.
The weakness is often caused by increased pressure upward, from what is in or near the abdominal cavity: obesity, pregnancy, tumors, heavy lifting, overeating, straining at the stool, or tight clothing.
It is said that nearly half the people over 40, in the U.S., have hiatal hernias. But most are unaware of it, since these hernias are often quite small and are hardly noticed. They occur in women four times as often as in men, perhaps due to tight clothing. They generally first occur after the age of 40.
The acid material that comes up into the windpipe, from the larger hernias, frequently causes ulceration in the esophageal wall.
But ulcers can also occur in the duodenum, which is the top part of the small intestine, just below the stomach.
People with this condition have a tendency to have overacid stomachs.
Between the esophagus and stomach is the esophageal sphincter. This is a circular valve which can open and close. But its strength is damaged by drugs, tobacco (smoked or chewed), or certain foods. This weakening allows food and acid to go back up into the windpipe.
Those certain foods include coffee and chocolate (because of the methylxanthines in them), spicy foods, tomato, alcohol, peppermint, spearmint, and citrus juices. Tobacco and coffee are especially bad. Whole milk can also be a problem. Weakening of the sphincter occurs within 30 minutes after drinking coffee. One puff of a cigarette can lower sphincter pressure to zero; the result is called "smoker's heartburn."
As soon as you sense heartburn coming on, drink 1-2 large glasses of water. This tends to wash the acid back down into the stomach.
Eat nourishing food, plus vitamin/mineral supplements. Several small meals are best. Avoid overeating; it only intensifies the problem. Supper, if eaten at all, should be light and 2-3 hours before bedtime. Food in the stomach, after you are in bed, is more likely to flow back up into the windpipe. Stop eating supper entirely, and you are more likely to have success in overcoming hiatal hernia.
Include extra fiber; this helps soak up some of the acid.
Avoid fried food and fats; they slow down the digestion process in the stomach. Do not take tea, coffee, colas, alcohol, or tobacco. Avoid refined foods, including white-flour products and sugar.
Avoid coffee, chocolate, spicy foods, alcohol, tomatoes, mint foods, whole milk, and possibly citrus juices.
Avoid constipation by including fiber in the diet.
Eat your meals on a regular schedule, and do not eat between meals. Eating between meals causes the stomach to stop partway through, and start all over againstill with everything from the previous meal in it.
Even when not thirsty, drink a large glass of water every so often throughout the day.
Avoid heavy lifting, and do not bend over more than you have to. Wait till 2 hours after a meal before starting heavy exertion.
Bend from the knees, not from the waist, to avoid upward pressure on the stomach.
Daily outdoor exercise will strengthen the muscles.
Avoid stress and stressful situations.
Avoid tight clothing (corsets, girdles, belts, etc.)
You may need to raise the head of the bed 4-8 inches to avoid reflux of food upward at night.
Also see "Hernia" and "Umbilical Hernia."
ENCOURAGEMENTWe all need a guide through the many difficult places of life. But if we will cling to God and His Written Word, the Bible, we can have the victory at each step.
SYMPTOMSThe person vomits.
CAUSESThe cause is often overeating, eating the wrong food, poor combinations, or excessive alcohol consumption. But it can also be caused by food allergies, poisoning, food poisoning, or infection (flu, Epstein-Barr syndrome, candida, etc.) If the vomitus (that which comes up) looks like "coffee grounds," it includes large amounts of blood from a bleeding ulcer or stomach cancer. This is an emergency, for extensive internal bleeding can result in death. Take him to the emergency room.
If it occurs in infants, accompanied by fever and the child is unresponsive, it could indicate meningitis. Call a physician immediately. (See meningitis.)
But it might be that you need to induce vomiting, after someone eats a poisonous plant, rat poison, etc.
TO ASSIST VOMITING TO OCCURIf you have eaten something poisonous or are having a gallbladder attack, an emetic will help. Drink an emetic herb tea. Lobelia is probably the best. Make an herb tea of lobelia or peach leaves, and take a teaspoonful every 15 minutes for 3-4 hours.
EMETIC HERBSWhen giving lobelia tea, give the full dose all at once or you will not induce vomiting. Add 1 oz lobelia to a quart of boiling water; let it steep for 5-10 minutes if you are in a hurry (15-20 minutes is better). Then give a cup or two of the liquid (not hot), and let him vomit.
Other emetic herbs include bayberry bark, myrica, white willow, and ragwort.
In his book, Back to Eden (see order sheet), p. 260, Kloss gives a complicated formula for giving herbs to help a person vomit. You might wish to refer to it.
TO STOP VOMITINGGive very small doses of lobelia; it will relax the person and the vomiting will cease. Use a teaspoon of boiling water, steep, take a teaspoonful of this every 15 minutes, until relief is obtained. A cup of hot peppermint or spearmint tea, taken after the stomach has been cleaned out, will also help settle it. Catnip or sweet balm are also useful. A hot fomentation over the stomach, or a hot water bottle with a moist towel under it, will help settle the stomach.
AFTER VOMITINGDo not eat for several hours, but carefully take fluids, as you are able.
You lose a lot of fluid when you vomit. Be sure and replace it. Drink water, do not become dehydrated. Those fluids should be clear: water, weak tea, or fruit juices. Milk and heavy soups may be too much for the stomach just then.
Drink small amounts of peppermint tea.
Vomiting also flushes out minerals. These need to be replaced with electrolyte drinks, clear soups, or apple or cranberry juice. If only water, add a couple pinches of sugar and salt to it. After vomiting, it is best to sip the fluids, then pause, then sip a little more; do not gulp them down. Do not drink cold fluids; it is a shock to the weakened stomach. Do not drink carbonated products at this time.
When you are ready to eat, start back with a small carbohydrate meal, such as rice soup. Avoid fatty substances, for they would remain in the tired stomach too long.
ENCOURAGEMENTGod bids us to fill the mind with great thoughts, pure thoughts. He desires us to think upon His love and mercy to us; study, in the Bible, the plan He has to save us through faith in Jesus Christ.
SYMPTOMSGas, abdominal pain, a bloated feeling, belching, nausea, rumbling noises. Sometimes vomiting.
CAUSESDyspepsia is probably the most common "disease" in the Western world. Ongoing indigestion can lead to food allergies, osteoporosis, anemia, degenerative disease, and a debilitated immune system.
Dietary habits and stress are primary causes of this problem. Other causes include (1) overeating, eating too fast, not chewing food well, eating when fatigued; (2) too much cooked food and not enough fresh food, not enough fiber in the diet; (3) partaking of coffee, tea, soft drinks, alcohol, and using nicotine; (4) eating foods you are allergic to (see "Pulse Test"); (5) eating when nervous, distressed, angry, fearful, etc.; (6) and a lack of hydrochloric acid.
Correct everything, pertaining to the above paragraph, that you can.
Get more rest at night, rest a little before the meal, and walk outside immediately afterward.
Drink carrot and beet juice.
A primary cause in older people is achlorhydria (low hydrochloric acid production). Take natural digestive aids, such as papain from papaya or bromelin from pineapple.
See "Dyspepsia" for much more. Look up the following articles which apply to your case, for additional information: "Belching," "Bloating," "Heartburn," "Vomiting," and "Achlorhydria."
ENCOURAGEMENTThe Father appreciates every soul whom His Son has purchased by the gift of His life. Every provision has been made for us to receive divine power, which will enable us to overcome temptations. Through obedience, through Christ's enabling grace, to all God's requirements, the soul is preserved unto eternal life.
SYMPTOMSGas, a bloated feeling, rumbling noises, belching, possibly a burning feeling, and vomiting.
CAUSESThe main causes are dietary habits and stress. Lack of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and enzymes are other major causes. Lack of enzymes keep vitamins and minerals from being used properly. Inadequate HCl means the protein food will not be digested correctly.
Other contributing factors include peptic ulcers. Intestinal obstruction can also lead to indigestion. If the liver, pancreas, or gallbladder are not function properly, it is more difficult for the body to digest food.
A key factor can be hydrochloric acid production (see Achlorhydria).
If food does not digest properly, it tends to ferment in the intestines. This produces hydrogen and carbon-dioxide gas, which causes bloating and pain. (See Bloating.)
Do not eat when you are in a hurry or under stress. You should be able to relax when you eat. Do not eat when you are upset or excessively tired. Do not drink liquids with your meal, for this dilutes your stomach juices. Take time to chew your food thoroughly.
Eat more live (raw) foods rather than primarily heavily cooked items. Fresh, raw foods are rich in enzymes that help digest and assimilate the nutrients. But those enzymes are destroyed when heated to more than 120o F. All processed foods have been heated above 120o F.
Cut down on the meat or eliminate it entirely. It is very hard to digest, and frequently carries bacteria and parasites.
Be sure and include enough fiber in your meal. Otherwise you are more likely to have constipation, with consequent absorption of toxins back into the system.
Include trace minerals in the diet (in Norway kelp and Nova Scotia dulse), and obtain adequate vitamin and mineral supplementation. If you are having a difficult time absorbing your food, you need to maintain good supplementation all the more. Swallowing air (by chewing with the mouth open or talking while chewing) can cause indigestion.
First thing in the morning, juice a lemon and and drink it in a cup of water. This will help prepare your stomach for its daily duties.
Ginger is good, to lessen digestive nausea.
Catnip, chamomile, fennel, and peppermint are all helpful in reducing indigestion. Mint tea calms the stomach.
Papain, papaya (containing the digestive enzyme papain), and fresh pineapple (containing another digestive enzyme, bromelin) are also very helpful.
Calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D are needed.
English bitters are very helpful. Take them before each meal.
Helpful herbs include balm, bitter orange, celandine, hops, fennel, and yarrow.
Alcohol; vinegar; caffeine; and spicy, refined, or greasy foods promotes indigestion.
Food allergies, such as lactose intolerance, can cause it also, so locate them. (See Allergies.) Avoid foods which tend to bother you. Take the pulse test in order to determine yours. (See Pulse Test.)
Do not eat too heavily of legumes, especially lentils, peanuts, and soybeans. They contain a substance which slows down certain digestive enzymes.
Avoid these food combinations: milk and sugar, fruits and vegetables, sugar and protein.
Take an out-of-door walk after breakfast. If you can, do it where the air is fresh, not by a highway.
Keep in mind Kouchadoff's discovery. This Russian scientist experimented with cooked food and found that, when it was eaten, the white blood cells increased rapidly in the small intestine. As part of our immune system, they increase to fight hostile invaders. In other words, when your white blood cell count goes up, a threatened infection or disease is being prepared for.
Eating raw foods protects the immune system, and does not cause an increase in white blood cell count.
Dr. Bircher-Benner, of Switzerland, discovered that eating raw food at a meal before cooked food prevented the formation of white cells in the intestines. Therefore, he always served raw salads before cooked foods.
Now, for the other side of the coin:
There is a theory which some accept and others reject. Consider this:
A major cause of indigestion is eating salads and other light food at the beginning of the meal, and waiting till partway through the meal to eat the protein foods. But protein foods need lots of HCl for proper digestion; the other foods do not. So begin your meal with your protein foods. You can eat salads with your protein food, but not before it.
Which theory is correct? The truth may be in the middle: Those who have an abundance of HCl tend to do better eating some protein at the beginning of the meal, and those who do not have as much do better eating the raw foods, to begin with.
Also see "Nervous Dyspepsia," "Bloating," "Achlorhydria," "Allergies," and "Pulse Test."
ENCOURAGEMENTGod purposes are right, but will prove of no avail unless resolutely carried out. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians; but they made no earnest effort to accept Christ and, in His strength, obey His will as given in the Bible.
IRRITATION OF SOLAR PLEXUS AND ABDOMINAL SYMPATHETIC NERVEFomentation twice a day; during interval between, apply Heating Compress, changing every 4 hours, except during sleep. Abdominal Compress during the night, dry bandage during the day, and abdominal supporter when enteroptosis exists.
GENERAL WEAKNESSGraduated Cold Baths, twice daily; Cool or Cold percussion Douche to spine.
HEARTBURNDry aseptic dietary; gastric Fomentation, followed by Heating Compress.
ERUCTATIONS AND REGURGITATIONS OF FOODFomentation over the stomach, twice daily; continuous Heating Compress during the interval between, but without impervious covering, renewing every 4 hours.
SPINAL IRRITATIONFomentation in the evening followed by a Heating Compress over the spine, to be worn during the night; Hot Abdominal Pack.
COLD EXTREMITIESRevulsive Douche, running Cold Foot Bath, Leg Pack, massage
HEADACHEHot and Cold Compress to the head; Alternate Sponging to the spine; Cool Compress, if congestion is present; and massage to the head and neck.
ANOREXIAIce Bag over stomach, half an hour before eating; Cold Douche over spine; cold-air bath; out-of-door life; small Cold Enema before breakfast, retained.
ABDOMINAL WEIGHT AND TENDERNESSAbdominal supporter; Hot fan Douche to the abdomen; Hot Foot Bath; Revulsive Sitz Bath; Fomentation twice daily, followed by Heating Compress.
EXCESSIVE PERISTALSISHot and Cold Compress to Abdomen; Fomentation over abdomen, twice daily, followed by Hot Abdominal Pack, protected by plastic covering.
ASTHMANervous or reflex asthma is commonly associated with dilated or prolapsed stomach and irritable lumbar sympathetic ganglia. The most important palliative measures are the Hot and Cold Trunk Pack; Fomentation over the abdomen, twice daily, followed by Heating Compress, to be worn during the interval between; Hot Enema; Hot Full Bath; general set of Tonic Friction treatments; Revulsive Douche to legs.
GENERAL METHODThe general method consists in improving the nerve tone, allaying general nervous irritability, lessening gastric irritation, and improving the general nutrition by the appropriate measures, as indicated above.
Also see "Dyspepsia."