Having frequent stomach pain? Wondering if there is anything you can do about it? If your stomach pain is caused by gastritis, you have several options for treatment and healing.

Gastritis is any inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It can be brief and passing, which is referred to as “acute gastritis,” or long-lasting, or “chronic gastritis.”

Gastritis can occur for a variety of reasons. The method of treatment and healing used will vary depending on the cause of the gastritis. Some possible causes of gastritis include:

• Excess consumption of alcohol
• Medications such as ibuprofen, which are known to cause irritation to the stomach lining
• Ulcers caused by the bacteria H. pylori

Gastritis is an uncomfortable condition. You might suspect gastritis if you are having any of the following symptoms:

• Stomach or abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea or vomiting
• Indigestion

Severe gastritis may involve bleeding of the stomach lining. This is signified by black-colored stools or vomit that looks like coffee grounds. Do not attempt to treat this on your own. See a doctor immediately if you are having these symptoms.

Treating Gastritis

If a medication is causing your gastritis, you might make the decision to stop taking the medication. If the medication was prescribed to treat or prevent a certain condition, you will need to discuss this with your doctor first. For example, aspirin can cause irritation to the stomach lining, but it may be necessary to take a daily aspirin to maintain heart health or prevent stroke. Ibuprofen may be preventing inflammation in another part of the body from getting out of control. Talk to your doctor to find out if it’s okay to stop these or if they have another alternative that is easier on your stomach.

Sometimes gastritis is caused by an excess of stomach acid. Taking an over-the-counter antacid may be helpful to reduce the discomfort and even allow the gastritis to heal. Antacids like Tums or Rolaids may be helpful, or try H-2 antagonists such as Pepcid, Zantac or Tagamet. If these are not effective, you can try a proton-pump inhibitor like Prevacid or Prilosec. If you are taking other medications, especially those that thin the blood, talk to your doctor before you add one of these to your routine.

Natural Treatments for Gastritis

Some remedies to treat and heal gastritis that don’t involve medication might work for you. Try some of the following:

• Drink plenty of water to help dilute the stomach acid.
• Try taking 400 units of Vitamin E to help soothe the stomach and allow the lining to heal.
• Some people have reported relief from gastritis with deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL. This can be found in the natural section of your grocery store or at a natural supplements store.
• Ginger is one of the best and most effective treatments for stomach pain or upset. It can be taken as a capsule, or try drinking natural ginger ale made with real ginger. It can be found in natural food sections and is usually packaged in green bottles.

Find out more about healing gastritis by visiting Reflux Remedy at refluxremedy.com today!

If you or someone you love suffers from acid reflux (also called heartburn or GERD), your immediate reaction may be to go to your family doctor for a prescription drug, which you could end up taking for the rest of your life.

Sadly, most of these heartburn drugs also have the potential for harmful effects including abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, taste alterations and more.

Antacids simply do not cure your heartburn, they only offer immediate relief from the heartburn symptoms and as long as the underlying cause of your heartburn is still there . . . it can never heal itself.

Plus antacids interfere with the normal digestion process, depleting your body of vital nutrients you need to heal. Worse, they often cause symptoms of other health problems such as heavy metal poisoning and even kidney disease.

You are not alone!

More than 60 million Americans suffer needlessly from heartburn daily and globally the statistics are staggering. If the real cause of your heartburn is left unchecked, it can lead to many other potential health problems.

Did you know more than 12,000 Americans die each year from esophageal cancer, and its first immediate warning sign is heartburn. Heartburn not only leads to GERD, but bleeding ulcers or heart problems can develop as well.

So reaching for immediate relief of heartburn is okay once in a blue moon, yet as you know leaving the cause unchecked is only asking for chronic acid reflux and serious heartburn issues.

The good news is there is a safe and clinically proven effective solution to eliminating your heartburn once and for all . . .

It’s the same thing that also prevents heartburn before it happens and it’s the same thing that reverses heartburn even in the later stages. It’s called making dietary and lifestyle adjustments.

By tuning up your metabolism and turning down unhealthy snacks, beverages and foods, immediate relief of heartburn is easy, plus eating properly will increase your overall health as well.

For immediate relief of heartburn try a teaspoon of aluminum free baking soda in a 10 ounce glass of carbon filtered water . . . for long lasting relief from heartburn get off the Standard American Diet (SAD) and get some mild level exercise on a regular basis . . . you’ll be glad you did.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate