Why am I passing gas excessively?
Dr I have a problem of passing gas excessively.It started when I fumigated my house. Could the toxins used have caused this? Omar
Dear Omar,
The human alimentary canal is laden with gas resulting from swallowing gas, taking foods with gas, digestion and the activity of intestinal small organisms.
All humans, children, men and women inclusive break wind averagely 14-24 times a day but because this carries lots of embarrassment, in presence of other people it is mostly done quietly and secretly.
Although Ugandans believe that women pass much more gas than men, what is true is that women are simply more much embarrassed by being noticed to have passed gas so that they either hold on to the gas or pass it quietly.
Men actually pass more gas during day because they are less scared of doing so apart from eating faster and swallowing more gas. May be women are noticed to pass more gas than men at night because the gas they hold on to during the day finds an escape route involuntarily but noisily.
That said, people may pass more gas because of changes in diet, changes in small organisms in the gut, a medical condition or because of air swallowing and this in you could have coincided with fumigation whose used chemicals are unknown to me.
Diets involving dairy products, certain sugars, artificial sweeteners, beans and raw vegetables if taken more than before, may cause one to pass more gas. Swallowing too much air may happen when one drinks through a straw, eats or drinks too quickly, or chews gum.
Medical conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, lactose intolerances, overgrowth of intestinal bacteria, and constipation may lead to too much intestinal gas,a bloated tummy and the need for frequent passage of the gas.
When one has too much tummy gas, it may involuntarily or accidentally escape especially in the obese or pregnant resulting in embarrassment. This may more likely happen when straining like during coughing, sneezing or ejaculating requiring to address the cause of excess gas to stem the embarrassing ejaculatory gassing.
