By: Terry Graedon September 14, 2024 27 Comments
    How Can You Prevent Gas When You Eat Beans?

    If you are cooking foods that store well, chances are you're eating beans. That's not a bad thing; beans have lots of fiber and are very nutritious. As you might guess, though, there's one disadvantag…

    By: Terry Graedon May 29, 2024 14 Comments
    What Should You Know About Flatulence?

    Do you have problems with intestinal gas? You can't really discuss such a topic in polite society. It may even be too embarrassing to ask your doctor about gas, with its attendant noise and odor. What…

    By: Joe Graedon April 29, 2024 3 Comments
    Pepto-Bismol May Rescue Wedding Guest

    If you have ever suffered from stinky gas, you may be relieved to learn that a common OTC medicine, Pepto-Bismol, can help. You may think of it for food poisoning or travelers' diarrhea (Digestive Dis…

    By: Terry Graedon April 21, 2024 34 Comments
    Don’t Let Gas Ruin Your Marriage

    Everyone produces gas, but not everyone experiences it the same. Some people make excessive quantities, while others find the smell extremely embarrassing. We have heard from a few readers who say thi…

    By: Joe Graedon August 14, 2023 207 Comments
    Metformin (Glucophage) Side Effects & Compl…

    The fascinating compound called metformin was discovered nearly a century ago. Scientists realized that it could lower blood sugar in an animal model (rabbits) as early as 1929, but it wasn't until th…

    By: Terry Graedon December 26, 2022 1 Comments
    Can Taking a Probiotic Product Help You Sleep Be…

    If you have heard about taking a probiotic product, a pill or beverage containing millions or billions of beneficial bacteria, chances are you were thinking about digestive health. Some people take su…

    By: Joe Graedon September 20, 2021 75 Comments
    Excessive Flatulence Creates Challenges

    Flatulence-aka gas-is an embarrassing problem. It can't be broached in polite conversation, and many patients are reluctant to bring it up during a doctor visit. Nonetheless, excessive flatulence is t…

    By: Joe Graedon September 9, 2019 8 Comments
    Nurse Endorses Coffee to Stimulate Bowels After …

    Anyone who has had abdominal surgery knows that the surgical team won’t let you leave the hospital until you fart. The passage of gas demonstrates that your digestive tract has started working again…

    By: Terry Graedon January 14, 2019 11 Comments
    Can You Use Activated Charcoal to Fight Flatulen…

    Have you ever wished you had a good way to fight flatulence? Sometimes changing your diet to include more legumes and green vegetables like cabbage or broccoli can backfire. Of course, you will probab…

    By: Terry Graedon January 7, 2019 24 Comments
    What Happened to Cod Liver Oil as a Home Remedy?

    The origin of many a home remedy is lost in the mists of time. Usually we don't have a good record of who started using it or when, and we also rarely have information on when and how it falls out of …

    By: Terry Graedon July 9, 2018 5 Comments
    Why Do Beans Make You Fart?

    Nutrition experts are constantly encouraging all of us to eat more vegetables. People who eat the most produce are about 15 percent less likely than those who eat the least to develop heart disease an…

    By: Terry Graedon September 25, 2017 4 Comments
    Will Probiotics Cut Gas from Drinking Milk?

    Many of us struggle with smelly gas, known more technically (and perhaps more politely) as flatulence. Sometimes the culprit is a medication that is causing the trouble. But people trying to control f…

    By: Terry Graedon August 20, 2017 7 Comments
    How Can You Overcome Gas from Metformin?

    Sometimes even helpful medications have side effects that are difficult to tolerate. For example, metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. It even has benefits beyond blood sugar. In a…

    By: Terry Graedon October 24, 2016 11 Comments
    How to Use Fennel Seeds for Embarrassing Gas

    Gas, known technically as flatulence, is an inevitable result of human digestion. Excessive gas is a problem, though, and it is one that can be quite a challenge. One reader learned to use fennel seed…

    By: Joe Graedon April 11, 2016 11 Comments
    Why is the FODMAP Diet Gaining Converts?

    No doubt you have heard of a lot of diets over the years from Atkins and Zone to Ornish and South Beach. We'll bet you have never heard of the FODMAP diet. It just might be your ticket to digestive d…

    By: Terry Graedon January 18, 2016 8 Comments
    How to Track Down the Cause of Smelly Gas

    Even though all of us produce gas every day, most of the time this natural process doesn't cause any undue shame or alarm. When the amount increases to the point that we notice it, however, we start l…

    By: Joe Graedon December 24, 2015 27 Comments
    Home Remedies for Flatulence Please!

    This is the time of year that people often experience a variety of digestive disasters. You never quite know what surprise awaits you after a potluck dinner or a party with friends or family. We are c…

    By: Joe Graedon November 26, 2014 4 Comments
    How to Fight Post-Holiday Flatulence with Fennel…

    We can never forget the delicious Thanksgiving stuffing a friend served several years ago. It was fantastic, but a few hours later we were overwhelmed with flatulence. Whatever was in that stuffing ha…

    By: Joe Graedon August 21, 2014 8 Comments
    Healthy Foods Foster Flatulence: How to Prevent …

    Q. I am trying to eat healthier by eating less meat and more vegetables, but I am not yet a vegetarian. I have noticed that on the days I have a meatless meal, for example eggplant, zucchini and brocc…

    By: Joe Graedon March 6, 2014 9 Comments
    Is Your Healthy Diet Turning You Into A Social O…

    Diet and fitness experts are creating a class of healthy outcasts--people you wouldn't want to mingle with after meals. Their enthusiasm for grains, beans, fruits and vegetables is commendable, but fr…

    By: Terry Graedon January 20, 2014 0 Comments
    Ambien Can Trigger Bad Heartburn Along with Slee…

    Q. Doctors believe Ambien is a relatively benign sleeping pill, but it wreaked havoc with my stomach. The bloating was the worst, followed closely by the acid reflux and extreme eructation (burping be…

    By: Terry Graedon March 11, 2013 20 Comments
    Will Flatulence Lead to Failing Grade?

    Q. I have uncontrollable gas, and it sucks! Being in my last year of high school, I have exams. That can mean a fail for me because I don't turn up due to my tummy issues. I'm afraid to go to school a…

    By: Terry Graedon December 6, 2012 8 Comments
    Where To Find Flatulence Activator?

    Q. Where can I find the Flatulence Activator? I saw something on TV about a cushion you can sit on that will trap odors from intestinal gas. My sister suffers terribly with this problem and I would lo…

    By: Joe Graedon October 1, 2012 9 Comments
    Simple Seed Solved Gas Problem

    Fennel seeds were known to ancient Chinese healers as a "wind-dispelling herb." That's a nice way of saying fennel was good for flatulence. Many readers also report that this and other herbs have hel…

    By: Joe Graedon August 16, 2012 21 Comments
    Embarrassing Gas Is Ruining Life

    Q. For the past few years I have had the most disgusting problem with gas. I work in an office and this problem is extremely embarrassing. I don't even go to church any more because I never know when …

    By: Terry Graedon May 7, 2012 2 Comments
    High-Fiber Bar Leads to Flatulence

    Q. If it hadn't happened to me I wouldn't have believed it. Recently several of my friends have reported bouts of extreme stomach cramps, severe bloating and uncontrollable gas. The common culprit in …

    By: Terry Graedon August 29, 2011 5 Comments
    Pepto-Bismol to Banish Smelly Gas

    Q. I read a question in your column about smelly gas and I have a suggestion. Take a Pepto-Bismol tablet. It helps control that odorous gas. Pepto-Bismol will turn your stool black, but there's no har…

    By: Joe Graedon August 11, 2011 35 Comments
    Wife Seeks Solution For Hubby’s Smelly Gas

    Q. Someone wrote to you regarding her husband's problem with gas. She found something that worked like a charm, but I can't find the article now. My husband has the smelly kind of gas, not painful or…

    By: Terry Graedon March 20, 2011 2 Comments
    Managing Gas

    Q. Some time back someone wrote you about a problem with intestinal gases and you recommended a seat cushion to capture the odor. You recommended a place they could order the seat cushion as well as o…

    By: Terry Graedon February 10, 2010 11 Comments
    Looking for Cause of Gas

    Q. I have been troubled with "sour stomach" throughout my life. Even the tiniest burp smells like sulfurous rotten eggs and can be smelled across large rooms. I also pass huge amounts of foul-smelling…

    By: Joe Graedon June 1, 2009 2 Comments
    Pepto-Bismol to De-Odorize Gas

    Q. What products are available that can stop the terrible smell of gas when dietary discretion is not enough? A. Pepto-Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) appears to be effective at reducing hydrogen sulfi…

    By: Joe Graedon May 8, 2008 10 Comments
    Are Sugar Substitutes A Culprit For Gas?

    Q. You recently had a question about gas from a type 2 diabetes patient. I don't have diabetes, but I have had a similar problem. I have found that sugar substitutes (sucralose and fructose) cause me …

    By: Joe Graedon February 27, 2008 2 Comments
    Do NSAIDs Cause Gas?

    Q. I am taking naproxen for pain in my lower back, hands and knees. It seems to do the trick for the pain but I am having lots of flatulence. There is probably no connection but I would like to know f…

    By: Joe Graedon December 20, 2007 4 Comments
    Getting Rid Of Gas

    Q. A lot of my friends are vegetarians. That means social gatherings are heavy on beans, hummus, broccoli and other foods that cause me a great deal of gas. I really suffer afterwards. I cannot avoid …

    By: Joe Graedon November 5, 2007 1 Comments
    A Cork Won’t Solve Excessive Gas

    Q. I need information about flatulence. I am 92 years old and usually there is no odor when I pass gas. It is loud enough to be heard, though, and I cannot hold it back. This is very embarrassing! Are…

    By: Terry Graedon August 10, 2007 2 Comments
    Healthful Diet May Cause Gas

    Q. My husband has excessive gas. We eat a very healthy diet and he drinks no soda or carbonated beverages, not even beer. He takes medicine to lower his cholesterol. We eat lots of vegetables but we h…