Dad has colitis is the diagnosis.He has had colitis for 5 years but the colitis he had was only in parts of his colon, a bunch of little spots pretty much.The difference now is that he has colitis is in his whole colon from begining to …

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Moments: The Diagnosis

The burp, like the poor, will always be with us.Though it has waned in popularity from the time when it was considered a subtle compliment to the chef, this phenomenon of social misbehaviour is still by no means a forgotten art.Some people, or at least the burpers, seem not to be disturbed by the event, though company present may have a different reaction. There are others, however, who become deeply concerned at what they believe to be evidence of stomach trouble or disordered intestines.

Wherein lies the truth? What is the significance of “gas”? Is it really nothing of importance? Or does it signify a serious disorder of the food canal?

Simple though it may seem to the patient who is “gassy,” the matter really is serious enough to deserve more than fleeting attention. There are many factors involved in bloating and other sensations which are taken to signify the presence of gas.

Some of these factors are definitely due to things wrong with the body, while others are just as surely due to disorders of the sympathetic nervous system—reflex effects which emotional storms have upon these organs. In other words, in these cases it’s a matter of mind!

The scientific explanation of belching states that it is the result of a reversal in the normal wave of contraction which occurs in the throat and the gullet. This “backing up” is usually caused by over-eating. In fact, it is a gentle hint from an over-distended stomach to call off the banquet. It is a sort of standing-room-only sign and should be considered fair warning from the stomach that it is not going to stand for very much more.

When this burping or belching occurs repeatedly, it is usually due to the swallowing of air, very often from hastily eaten food or hastily swallowed fluids. Not infrequently, belching gets to be a habit, a nervous habit, similar in its psychological background to nail chewing in children. Occasionally, people troubled with gall bladder disorders acquire this symptom of belching.

Though belching in itself is not serious, there are times when it is indicative, if pronounced, of coronary disease of the heart or an unstable nervous system. Only a qualified doctor can determine whether the symptom is harmless or serious.

Actually there are many people who give lengthy descriptions of what they believe to be symptoms of gas and distention, yet often these very cases show but little air in the intestines during x-ray examination. In this type of case, we know that the dis­comfort, chiefly a sense of bloating, is caused by a spasm some­where along the food canal. Very often there are areas in the skin of the abdomen, so tender that a tight girdle or belt cannot be worn.

Such a condition is certainly not one to be dismissed lightly. Should it occur more than occasionally, it would be well to seek out your health counsellor, the family doctor, for a general physi­cal examination. Certainly this is much to be preferred to the amateur efforts at relief such as “taking bicarb.”

Bloating, of course, occurs in many people, particularly nervous people, without even drinking cold water. Strangely enough, this type of “gas” bloating is frequently found in nervous women suffering from frustrations in matters of love.

Then, too, in many cases of ulcer of the duodenum, pain is not a prominent symptom but a feeling of distention in the upper part of the abdomen is. However, this same symptom can be caused by plain, ordinary constipation.