Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: What actually causes bloating ..

There's actually info about bloating here: What Causes Bloating? , including information about common and uncommon causes.

I found the following info at the Indiana University Health Center site:

Abdominal distention (bloating): The sensation of abdominal bloating may be caused by the actual presence of excess gas in the intestine. It may also be the result of spasm of the muscle fibers in the wall of the intestine compressing normal amounts of gas within the intestine so that it feels as if there were a large amount of gas. Sometimes an excess amount of gas actually forms a gas bubble in the left upper portion of the abdomen where the large intestine makes a sharp turn. The bubble can increase pressure on surrounding tissues, often causing pain in the left side of the chest.

Diarrhetics would work if your bloating had to do with water retention. However, with IBS, since it's due to spasms in the colon or gas retention, you would do better with a carminative like fennel (gas expeller) or an anti-spasmodic.

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