| Distention, Distension and Bloating - | | | | Also, tumors, such as those arising from ovarian |
| The terms distention, distension and bloating are | | | | cancer can cause bloating. |
| often used interchangeably and you will frequently | | | | The symptom of bloating is extremely common |
| see them used in some combination of the | | | | and is prevalent in individuals with irritable bowel |
| following: | | | | syndrome (IBS), although bloating is not a reliable |
| - abdominal bloating | | | | indicator of IBS. |
| - stomach distention | | | | Bloating is more prevalent in women than men, |
| - abdominal distention | | | | tending to become worse during the course of |
| - belly bloating | | | | the day and after the consumption of food. Relief |
| - abdominal bloating upper | | | | is sometimes experienced after the passing of |
| - bloating severe stomach | | | | gas, or after a bowel movement. |
| - abdominal bloating severe | | | | Many women with IBS report that the severity |
| - abdominal bloating lower | | | | of their bloating seems to be related to their |
| - abdominal bloating pain | | | | menstrual cycle. |
| - abdominal distension | | | | Also, women who are on Hormone Replacement |
| - stomach bloating | | | | Therapy and are experiencing bloating may be |
| - bloating stomach | | | | ingesting too much estrogen and may want to |
| Health care professionals tend to make a | | | | talk to their doctor about reducing the dosage. |
| distinction between bloating and distension, or | | | | The main stream therapeutic approach to treating |
| distention feeling that the term bloating is | | | | bloating focuses on reducing the volume of |
| appropriate when the typical individual is more | | | | intestinal gas, increasing intestinal gas elimination or |
| intuitively describing what they feel when their | | | | reducing its production. Some promising results |
| abdomen feels full and tight. | | | | have been obtained by the use of prokinetics, |
| Use of the term(s) distension (or, distention), is | | | | such as tegaserod and Prostigmine, and by the |
| more accurate for describing the actual increase in | | | | use of nonabsorbable antibiotics, such as rifaximin. |
| the distance around a person's body, or girth. | | | | Another therapeutic approach is the administration |
| Used in this manner, the terms may describe | | | | of probiotics to modify the composition of colonic |
| symptoms whose root cause may or may not | | | | flora and thus the production of intestinal gas. |
| be the same or even related. | | | | Many have found acupuncture to be very helpful |
| In the general sense abdominal bloating (belly | | | | for abdominal bloating, distention, (distension), belly |
| bloating, bloating stomach, etc.) is a condition in | | | | bloating and bloating stomach, although traditional |
| which the abdomen feels full and tight and this | | | | acupuncture treatment usually involves a number |
| feeling is usually caused by gas in the bowel which | | | | of sessions over an extended period of time, |
| can be created by any of the following: | | | | such as twelve weeks. |
| - air swallowing (which is a nervous habit) | | | | For those who use acupuncture as a viable, |
| - overeating | | | | complimentary medical therapy, many are |
| - constipation | | | | discovering that research involving acupuncture |
| - lactose intolerance and other food intoerances | | | | and very small amounts of energy has resulted in |
| - small bowel bacterial overgrowth | | | | the development of small hand held devices called |
| - partial bowel obstruction | | | | Energy Point Stimulators (EPS). These devices are |
| - irritable bowel syndrome. | | | | extremely effective, can be used in the comfort |
| Another important but uncommon cause of | | | | and safety of the home, and allow one to enjoy |
| abdominal bloating is the abnormal accumulation of | | | | the benefits of acupuncture without the use of |
| serous fluid (blood serum) in the abdominal cavity. | | | | dangerous and invasive needles. |