Gas Is Good for Your Health

Whenever people say there are no stupid questions, I like to point them to the Internet. You could probably just set your browser at random and come up with a great set within the first ten minutes.

Today's example comes from an alternative medicine column - talk about easy pickings - from the Sacramento Bee. The authors are "Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden ... medical directors of Sutter's Downtown Integrative Medicine program. They have written The Complete Idiot's Guide to Secrets of Longevity."

I have great health but a loud digestive system. I have been trying to persuade my wife that there are health benefits to my digestive gases, but she does not believe me. Can you ladies shed light on this?

Admittedly, I'm pretty sure that the doctor ladies had their tongues well into their cheeks when they gave a semi-serious answer.

A recent study showed that hydrogen sulfide, the gas that is responsible for making flatulation so smelly, can also lower blood pressure.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine just published data showing that hydrogen sulfide produced in the blood vessels of mice reduced their blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels – thus preventing hypertension.

Mice that were missing the gene needed to make hydrogen sulfide had blood pressure spikes that were 20 percent higher than their normal counterparts.

What does this mean for us humans? Well, the jury's still out, but it could be that those of us who are skilled at making the stink bombs actually are protecting our hearts.

And they go on to do a good article on gas and its causes. So a point to them.

But as for letter writer Don W., let's all feel sorry for his wife.