Rooty Toot Toots

​Let’s take a look at toots — you know, gas… bottom burps… farts… stink bombs… fluffer-doodles. While there certainly can be some instances which may indicate a serious medical problem for which medical treatment should be sought*, for the sake of this article, we’re going to just stick to common, everyday gas.

If you go to a conventional medical practitioner for your gas problem, they will most likely offer you one of the following:

• Enzymes to help break down the carbohydrates, (e.g. Beano)
• Lactase supplements to help digest the sugar in dairy products, (e.g. Lactaid)
• Years ago, our pediatrician suggested simethicone for our gas-prone little fellows which help break up the gas bubbles, (e.g. Gas-x.) (Looking back, I so wish I had known about homeopathy, I could have helped them much more!)
• Activated charcoal (a supplement of which I am exceedingly fond, I have to say)
• A change in diet

*According to Mayo Clinic, if you have chronic or unusual abdominal pain, severe heartburn, persistent vomiting or nausea, chronic diarrhea, bloody or black stool, weight loss and loss of appetite, severe bloating, constipation or difficulty emptying your bowels, seek medical attention.

All of these conventional treatments may help now and again and in the moment, but, to my knowledge, they don’t help get rid of the underlying problem.

Homeopathy, on the other hand, has many remedies for many kinds of toots. When I enter “flatulence” into my homeopathic software, Dr. Robin Murphy’s repertory comes back with 849 “different” rubrics. (I put different in quotes because there are overlaps, to be sure, but it’s a clear indication of how homeopathy differs from conventional medicine.) Remedies for specific complaints stemming from gas. How cool is that? Tailored toot remedies, you might say!

What kinds of flatus are there? Here are just a few descriptions from Dr. Murphy:

• Painful abdomen with flatulence. Abdominal pain with flatulence after eating. Painful distended abdomen.
• Distended abdomen in the evening. Flatulence in the morning on waking.
• “Incarcerated flatus” is one of my favorite homeopathic terms — trapped gas.
• Back pain which is better from passing gas.
• Flatulence during menses.
• Offensive flatulence. Offensive, sulphur-like odor. (And from Boger, we have a rather eloquent description: “copious, silent discharge of hot, bilious-smelling flatus.")
• Odorless flatulence.
• Flatulence from sour foods.
• Rumbling in the intestines which improves after passing gas.
• Flatus from anxiety.
• Burning pain in the rectum after passing gas.
• Then there’s the worst gas of all — the kind where the rectal gate keepers fail in their job.😳

I could go on — it’s a long and fascinating list -- but, you get the idea.

One of the most beautiful aspects of homeopathy is that it can not only help in the moment by relieving symptoms, it can help to lessen the problem altogether.

When you are using homeopathy, you should be looking for overall improvement: the problem should be less intense and less frequent. In short, you should be looking for the problem to be getting better in general, not just in the moment. For instance, if you suffer severe gas and bloating every evening, once you are taking the “right” remedy (there are many remedies which can help with many given symptoms), the amount of gas should be less and the abdominal pressure should be less and the rumbling should quieten. Soon, it won’t be happening every night, it will be every other night and then every few nights and then only once in a while. That’s what we’re looking for -- overall improvement in the complaint.

So, what are some go-to remedies for common gas?

My first thought when somebody is suffering from gas and bloating is Lycopodium.

Homeopathic Lycopodium is a very highly indicated remedy for gas and bloating, especially when said toots are a result of eating offending foods. Where else might Lycopodium be helpful in gaseous complaints? Abdominal pain; back pain stemming from gas; flatulence in the elderly; wind accompanying stool; evening flatus, and, rumbling guts which improve when you are able to release some air.

How about that “incarcerated flatus”? Trapped wind causing cramping pain might be Lycopodium, but it might also be Carbo vegetablis (which is actually made from charcoal). If all that trapped gas makes your belly so full it can be difficult to breathe, Carbo veg is probably gonna' be your new favorite remedy. Gas during diarrhea; offensive gas; so much trapped gas that the abdomen feels hard and maybe even tender.

Those poor little babies, scrunching up their legs trying to get some relief? Mag phos would be my first thought.

Toots which smell like spoiled eggs? Sulphur, or, even Arnica.

Another good gas remedy is Nux vomica for flatulence from anxiety; flatulence after eating or even while eating and toots which accompany coughing.

If you have a potent, musical bottom, give some homeopathic remedies a try. Your loved ones will thank you!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

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