In medicine it is called “aerophagia” the trend of some patients to swallowing an excessive amount of air during mealsfilling the digestive tracts with air which must then be released through belching, borborygmi and flatulence and which gives rise to meteorism phenomena and painful abdominal cramps.
Swallowing air together with food is an absolutely normal fact, which is part of the non-pathological form of swallowing food. Air enters with food, liquids or even just from swallowing saliva.
About 70% of the air present in the intestine comes from swallowing, 20% is carried by blood vessels while the 10% is linked to phenomena of bacterial fermentation of foods ingested and digested by the stomach. To reabsorb these gases, the human body can rely on the mechanism of blood reabsorption or it can eliminate excess air from the only two available channels that connect to the outside: the mouth and the anus.
From this it follows that aerophagia causes abdominal swellingmeteorism and flatulence but also pain in the back of the sternum which can easily be confused with a deep sense of chest tightness which can be mistakenly interpreted as a heart attack.
The other cause of aerophagia can be identified in the psychosomatic symptomatology of been anxious, which lead those who suffer from it to breathe too much and at a higher frequency than normal.
What are the symptoms of aerophagia
Mental disorders, but also lesions of the digestive system (such as peptic ulcers, gastroduodenal ulcers and cholecystopathies). When it is not physiological, aerophagia takes on pathological characteristics that derive from organic lesions or hormonal modifications, as in the case of pregnancy in which the fetus exerts mechanical pressure.
It can also be associated with pathologies such as chronic sinusitis, due to swallowing of saliva or irritable bowel syndromethe presence of inadequate dental prostheses, the syndrome associated with dry mouth (xerostomia) and sialorrhea, the disorder linked to the overproduction of saliva, also present during pregnancy.
Even incorrect eating habits such as tachyphagia (the habit of eating too quickly), the abuse of carbonated drinks, the use of chewing gum and the frequent intake of bicarbonate to calm stomach acid. Additionally, drinking through a straw or talking while eating can cause you to swallow excess air. There are also foods that are high in fermentable carbohydrates, such as legumes, cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), onions and dairy products, which can cause excessive gas production during digestion.
Natural remedies and pharmacological therapies of aerophagia
The medical treatment of aerophagia depends on the diagnosis of the causes that gave rise to it. If the accumulation of abdominal air results from an incorrect way of eating, it is tachyphagia.
If it derives from meals that are too abundant and rich in substances with a high fermentative power, identified as foods rich in Fodmap; or from short-chain sugars that ferment in the intestine causing more gas than normal, the therapy may be based on the aid of phytotherapeutic remedies. Among these there are herbal preparations based on lemon balm, mint, coriander, cumin, fibrino clover and horsetail ash.
At the same time, it will be essential to review your diet by including it in your diet simple and digestible foods and significantly reducing those that tend to ferment for a long time in the stomach (certain types of fruit and vegetables, soft cheeses, foods and drinks in which lactose is present, foods rich in gluten). It is essential to reevaluate the role of one slow and prolonged chewingan exceptional and underrated ally of digestive processes.
From a pharmacological point of view, the only drugs that can be useful are those capable of calming the anxiety states that underlie the tendency to swallow too much air. Anxiolytics and tranquilizers can alleviate the causes that cause aerophagia, in combination with a psychotherapeutic path that can go to the origin of the anxious phenomena and act at the basis of the causes of the symptoms.
The visit to the specialist
The first specialist to contact in case of aerophagia is undoubtedly the gastroenterologist who, through the visit and objective examination, will be able to understand whether the origin of the symptoms is organic and mechanical and derives from pathologies affecting the stomach and intestines, is due to nutrition, or is psychosomatic and therefore derives from a psychological malaise. This assessment will allow the patient to orient themselves.
In the first case, the visit could be followed by diagnostic tests such as blood, stool and urine tests and a breath test. The latter is used to evaluate food intolerance to lactose (the only intolerance, together with that for gluten, which has a reliable medical test to be identified). Lactose intolerance and other food intolerances can cause bloating, gas and intestinal discomfort after consuming foods containing these ingredients but it is not always easy to identify and exclude them.
The celiac disease test to evaluate the presence of gluten intolerance, or any x-rays and endoscopies. Following a dietician visit may be necessary to identify potentially incorrect eating styles and habits that need to be changed in the approach to food.
Finally, having excluded all organic and behavioral causes, it may be necessary to contact a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist for pharmacological therapy that will keep the patient’s anxious condition at bay.
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