Although flatulence - or 'wind' as it's known - can sometimes be a sign of a serious bowel problem or a food allergy, it's usually nothing more than an embarrassment. But there are ways to deal with this 'social problem'.

Causes of Flatulence/Wind

Milk and dairy products (except yoghurt) are the number one causes of flatulence. Lactose intolerance and allergic reactions to milk can increase gas output by about eight times.

Expelling foul-smelling and noisy flatus can be a rather humiliating event. In these situations, what is considered as an insignificant bodily process can turn out to be a major cause of embarrassment!

Poor Bowel Function: By this I mean fewer than 2 bowel movements per day. In fact did you know that the definition of constipation is less than 2 bowel movements daily. The ideal amount of daily bowel movements of BMs is 3-5 every day. When you enough daily bowel movements all waste is cleared out that can cause blockages of air in the digestive tract.

Here are three flatulence treatments you can try at home:

Cumin: This spice is excellent at preventing and reliving gas. If you like the taste of this herb try adding it to your cabbage soup. As mentioned before, if you do NOT like the taste of cumin, you can try other herbs such as caraway, fennel, dill, peppermint, and sage.

There is another remedy you can use to eliminate flatulence. While this remedy doesn't taste good, it actually works. You can mix medical charcoal with hot water and drink it. In case you are wondering if it has really worked for anybody.

Get some over-the-counter food supplements that can help you in dealing with the more troublesome carbohydrates. You may want to try Beano, a food modifier that breaks down some of the sugars that cause gassiness. This product has been found effective in dealing with the carbohydrates in certain legumes and vegetables.

Don't drink liquids through a straw (especially carbonated beverages). The extra air comes out as gas. Don't chew chewing gums sweetened with sorbitol or xylitol. These sweeteners don't provide calories to you, but they do feed the fermentative bacteria living on your intestinal wall (and especially the bacteria you get from Activia). And, if you don't have acid reflux, start a meal with something bitter, the bitterer, the better. Bitter foods trigger a reflex that releases stomach acid to digest food thoroughly.

Carbo vegetalis is used for flatulence that's accompanied by belching.

An anti-foaming preparation called simethicone, when swallowed, breaks down large gas bubbles into smaller ones. A product called Beano contains an enzyme that, when added to food, can break down the complex sugars found in beans and other gas-forming foods.

Ginger, take some lemon juice and mix it with freshly grated ginger root. You can also find ginger in a tablet or capsule form which is a superb digestive aid.

One of the better ways in found was eating peppermint like peppermint gum will help reduce your amount of gas. I chew peppermint gum all the time now and the amount of gas I produce is very little.