Belching or passing gas (flatus) is natural and common. Excessive belching or flatus, accompanied by bloating, pain or swelling of the abdomen (distention), can occasionally interfere with daily activities or cause embarrassment.

When belching, gas or bloating interferes with our daily activities, there may be something wrong. Belching is commonly known as burping. It is our bodies way of expelling excess air from our upper digestive tract. Most belching is caused by swallowing excess air. This air most often never even reaches the stomach but accumulates in the esophagus.

we may swallow excess air if we eat or drink too fast, talk while we eat, chew gum, suck on hard candies, drink carbonated beverages, or smoke. Some people swallow air as a nervous habit even when they are not eating or drinking.

Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can sometimes cause excessive belching by promoting increased swallowing.

Chronic belching may also be related to inflammation of the stomach lining or to an infection with Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium responsible for some stomach ulcers. In these cases, the belching is accompanied by other symptoms, such as

heartburn or abdominal pain.

SYMPTOMS OF BELCHING

Belching is in itself a symptom, generally associated with some kind of digestive disorder like

• Gas,
• Bloating,
• Acidity or other conditions. 
• Burning sensation or pain in the stomach after one to four hours of a meal
• Feel hungry frequently
• Constant pain in upper abdomen
• Belching, nausea, bitter taste in mouth, vomiting and loss of appetite
• Heartburn is characterized by a deeply placed, burning pain in the chest behind the sternum (breast-bone). It occurs after meals and is precipitated by increase in intra-abdominal pressure like straining or lifting weights.

CAUSES OF BELCHING

Belching is caused by multiple factors that affect the normal process of digestion. There are many possible causes of indigestion. Some are related to lifestyle and what you eat and drink. Indigestion can also be caused by other digestive conditions. The most common causes of belching as a result of indigestion include:

• Alcohol consumption
• Carbonated beverages
• Certain medications such as antibiotics, aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Chocolate
• Eating too much at one sitting
• Eating too rapidly
• Eating while emotionally upset
• Gallstones
• Peptic ulcers
• Smoking
• Spicy, high-fat, or greasy food
• Stomach inflammation (gastritis)

PREVENTION OF BELCHING

• Eat and drink slowly. Taking our time can help us swallow less air.
•  eating when we're stressed or on the run increases the air we swallow.
• Avoid carbonated drinks and beer. They release carbon dioxide gas.
• Skip the gum and hard candy. When we chew gum or suck on hard candy, we swallow more air than normal. 
• Don't smoke. When we inhale smoke, we also inhale and swallow air.
• Get moving. It may help to take a short walk after eating.

HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINE FOR EXCESSIVE BELCHING

Carbo Vegetabilis – Useful for constant offensive belching with bitter or sour taste.Useful when upper part of the abdomen is bloated, tense and full.Useful when there is pain in the stomach after consuming food with burning sensation in the upper region of the abdomen.

Nux Vomica : Very useful medicine for belching which is bitter in taste. There is difficult belching which is associated with vomiting which may contain food or bile.There is fullness and pressure with sensation of weight in the stomach .There is pinching, cramping, constrictive and gripping pain in stomach.

Asafoetida – Useful for belching which are very loud .There is excessive accumulation of gas in the stomach along with distension.

RL-36, RL-13.