8 Interesting Reasons Why You Should Just Go Ahead And Fart!

So… this may not be the most glamorous of health tips, but hey, some things just need to be said. Since I’m all for public health messages and serving for a greater good, I’m just going to take one for the team and broach this taboo: farts.

There I said it.

For God’s sake, stop cringing.

It’s time humanity overcame their embarrassment over flatulence. After all, not only is passing wind absolutely normal and, might I add, necessary; it’s also a sign of a hale and hearty digestive system plus overall good health.

Which isn’t a crime, people!

Yet, despite acknowledging this fact, we continue to torment ourselves. The moment the telltale sign of an impending intestinal gas attack emerges in public, we are mortified. The little minions in our brain run around like headless chickens yelling, “ABORT! ABORT!” while we frantically pray that we don’t humiliate ourselves.

Now, I’m not here to tell you that from this day on, go ahead and gloriously rip it out in public. Since last I checked, people still have noses… So, that’s sort of rude.

What I’m trying to say is, when you do get the dreaded urge to release gas, take a moment in private to quietly give in. Don’t suppress it and congratulate yourself on successfully eliminating it! Unless you’re a wizard, that gas hasn’t simply ceased to exist. Oh, no. It’s decided to get to other places. And with it come consequences.

Here are eight reasons why you should quietly end the torment. Some of these may just surprise you:

1. Farts Are Toxic And They Need Out

Just like sneezing, burping or coughing—farting too is a natural reflex. It serves to get rid of harmful waste from your body. The average person farts an estimated 15 times per day. When you decide to suppress this impulse, you go against your body’s normal functioning. You deny the toxic gases, which your body wishes out, an escape.

2. It Puts Pressure On Your Colon

If you aren’t going to let it out, well, the gas has got to go somewhere. Some of the dreadful gas can be absorbed by your body. However, if there is too much of it present, then the intestinal gas starts to gather at the upper regions of your colon and starts exerting pressure on the wall of your colon.

3. It Leads To Abdominal Pain

The pressure on the wall of your colon can result in intestinal distention, which will cause you hurt. Abdominal pain induced by gas can manifest anywhere from the chest to the pelvis. Often, people describe it as a stomachache. The pain at times can be rather intense, which quite a lot of people have, at times, mistakenly interpreted as the onset of a heart attack!

For relief, people opt for slurping peppermint, anise and ginger teas that are known to reduce gas. Or alternatively chewing fennel seeds, applying heat packs to their bellies, or resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.

Just letting it out would save you oh-so-much trouble.

4. It’s A Culprit For Bloating

If you’ve ever happened to suffer bloating, then you’re probably already aware that it’s, well, not fun. While it’s not some serious ailment to get stressed over, it is quite uncomfortable. And the most common cause of bloating? You guessed it—gas.

5. It Can Actually Help Balance Your Diet

If by chance you happen to be experimenting with your diet and exploring different foods, then fart, according to Huffington Post, could be a good indicator of whether your diet is deemed balanced or not. For example, excessive red meat can produce strong, odorous gas, while a diet rich in complex carbs tends to produce larger volumes of odorless gas.

6. It’s An Enlightening ‘Health Indicator’

When a doctor takes your medical history, he might pay close attention to your passing-wind activities. You may have to answer questions like how frequently do you pass gas? Does it have a heavy odor? Do you notice any pain? Sometimes, flatulence can be an early indicator of health issues.

7. It Can Be Used To Diagnose Food Allergies

If you are suffering from severe flatulence, then a food allergy could very possibly be the culprit. This certainly happens to be the case for lactose intolerance and also for coeliac disease patients. If you’ve noticed an increased passing of wind after consuming certain foods—consult your doctor.

8. Inhalation Could Be… Good For You?

It sounds absurd, I agree. But a study conducted by the University of Exeter, begs to differ. The study discovered that being exposed to tiny volumes of hydrogen sulfide (a component of intestinal gas) could prevent damage to our mitochondria. This, in turn, could help prevent heart disease, arthritis, strokes, and other diseases.

The next time you have the urge to pass some gas, don’t fight it. Sometimes in life, it’s simply best to just give in. Stay healthy!

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Author

Emaan Shah

Emaan is a voracious and rather indiscriminate reader. She is also a writer, history buff, insomniac, amateur doodle artist, terrible poet and a self-professed philosopher (but only after 3 am). Currently, she is pursuing a degree in medicine