I first heard that one in 1973. I was in the RAAF, 17yo, and an officer told it to a class.

Who would be silly enough to collect those farts? I know to circumcise a whale you send down four skin divers!

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you really need to fart, but the social setting doesnt allow it?

You can sense that feeling in your stomach and sometimes something just slips out, no matter how hard you try to keep it in.

While some people can go for quite some time before they let themselves go, health experts have weighed in on how healthy, or unhealthy, it really is to hold in a fart.

According to reports, its almost impossible for people to avoid releasing gasses completely.

[With farts], the bacteria are going to produce the gas and theyre going to keep doing it whether you think youre holding onto it or not, Professor Graeme Young explained to Nine Coach.
Gases in our stomachs are constantly being created when we swallow air when were eating food, drink, or simply producing saliva. Its also created in our bowel by bacteria.

Read more: Stop farting in public says Japanese island to tourists

While you may think its totally gross, producing gas could be a sign that your body is working as its meant to.

Its actually a function of healthy bacteria to produce those gases, Professor Young explained.

It contains hydrogen and methane and a few things like that. Our farts contain some of the air that we swallow and some of the gases that are produced naturally by the organisms in our bowel.
So now that we know that its actually a good thing to be farting, how much should we be doing it?

If youre a male, you could be fluffing between 18 and 20 times a day, while women tend to drop their guts between 12 and 14 times daily.

And, if youre wondering why some farts smell and others dont theres a perfectly good answer for that.
Sometimes our farts smell and thats the gases that are produced by the microorganisms that ferment what we eat, Professor Young added.
He also explained that some of the foods people eat can impact the smell of a fart, as can the way our individual guts work with the bacteria.

If you find that youre also suffering from discomfort, cramping or a case of the runs, it could be worth visiting a doctor.

While cases vary from person to person, there could be a number of health reasons why youre suffering such side effects. These can include IBS and food intolerance.

Having said that, Dr Young suggested that farts and the side effects dont always mean that you are living with a health condition.

In the end, neither burping nor farting really indicate serious disease, he said.

Farts are a nuisance but not a health risk in themselves.

COPY From; Life begins at 60.

O Thank you for this Topic coming on to Chrissie and all the festivities and all those lovely Pickled Onions that have been maturing for many months, Yes bring it on I've tried to explaine to the Boss the importance of the lovely Fart. Must be a Navy thing.

Not restricted to the Navy - believe me. Who played "dutch ovens" as kids?

Have ya ever ' lit' one ?

An old German saying ,
when you fart like hell ,your heart is well. Cheers