Tips to Avoid Digestive Distress
By Sara Butler
There's nothing worse than enjoying a delicious meal and then feeling a burning sensation in your throat soon after. Heartburn and an upset stomach are very unpleasant digestive issues. While getting heartburn every once in a while isn't too big of a problem, just uncomfortable, frequent heartburn is a concern. Here's what you need to know
Common Symptoms
Heartburn is just one of a litany of digestive distress symptoms that you need to be on the lookout for -- especially if they happen frequently. The other symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Acidic taste in the mouth
- Bloating or feeling overly full
- Gas or belching
- Burning sensation in the stomach
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- A gurgling or growling stomach
How to Know When Symptoms are Serious
There are a few ways to tell if the individual symptoms are pointing to a larger concern for your health and wellness.
If you have heartburn, in which the stomach acid comes up into the throat and causes a burning sensation in your throat or chest, you should be concerned if it's happening more than once per week. If it happens repeatedly over time, then it can lead to damage to the esophagus, causing ulcers or narrowing of it. You may also have a more serious condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
If you have indigestion frequently, described as pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen, it could be a sign of an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed. It may be an ulcer, GERD, or your gallbladder causing the symptoms, so you should get it checked out.
Peptic ulcers are sores in the lining of your stomach or in the first portion of your small intestine, called the duodenum. Researchers have not been able to identify a single cause for ulcers, but it's clear that they're caused by some kind of imbalance in the fluids of the stomach and small intestine. When someone with an ulcer has symptoms, they often include pain in the upper or middle stomach, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and bloating between meals or at night.
Lifestyle Changes
You can fight back against digestive distress with a few small changes to your lifestyle. These include:
- Avoiding certain foods - Everyone is different, but in general, those that suffer from digestive distress should avoid butter, alcohol, caffeine, soda, chocolate, fried foods, gravy, high-fat foods, garlic, onions, spicy foods, vinegar, and tomato products.
- Quit smoking - Smoking can make digestive problems worse, so quit to help find relief
- Elevate your head in bed - If you have symptoms at night, then elevate your head while you sleep to help keep your stomach contents in your stomach
Stomach pain and digestive discomfort are no fun. If you're having problems, then talk to the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic. They may be able to help you figure it out!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Des Peres, Mo.