excess stomach acid

January 17, 2011

Pain in Stomach After Eating

If you experience pain in your stomach after eating, you may have an ulcer. If your pain is intense, or has been going on for quite some time, you should seek the advice of a physician.

Generally, stomach ulcers are caused by bacteria called H. Pylori, not by stress or spicy foods as was once thought. H. Pylori is a corkscrew shaped bacteria that is fairly common among all people, regardless of age, sex or health condition. What causes it to run rampant in some people and not others is still a mystery, but if your ulcer is blamed on H. Pylori, you’ll likely be prescribed a series of medications and tests to make sure the bacteria is eradicated.

Regardless of the cause of your stomach pain after you eat, there are a number of things you can do to help prevent or relieve it.

  • First, modify how much food you take in at once. By limiting your intake, but increasing the number of times you eat during the day, you can help your stomach to better deal with the digestion process, and reduce stress on your body.
  • Second, make sure you’re not eating foods that will aggravate a stomach ulcer or other digestive disorder. Things like fatty foods, dairy products, garlic, acidic fruits like citrus, caffeine and onions should be avoided. Breads and products that contain whole grains, fish and lean meats and fruit containing antioxidants (like the ‘superfruit’ blueberries) should be targeted if you suspect an ulcer.
  • Third, although you may be trying to target certain foods and avoid others, a balanced diet is crucial to maintaining a healthy body. Everything in moderation is vital. Make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs to heal by providing it with essential vitamins found in all types of food.
  • Fourth, exercise regularly to keep oxygen rich blood flowing throughout your body. This will help your body heal, and prevent future injuries and traumas like ulcers.
  • Fifth, don’t take pain killers if you’re experiencing pain in your stomach after you eat. Although pain killers may be your first instinct when you’re having pain, just don’t do it. Pain killers can often exacerbate an ulcer and take your situation from bad to worse. Even over the counter pain medications have been shown to cause ulcers, so if you already have one, don’t aggravate it by taking additional pain medications.
  • Sixth, if you’re a smoker, quit. Smoking has been scientifically shown to cause a host of health problems, including death, so quitting will help your case. It actually increases acid production in your stomach, which can irritate an existing ulcer. So just quit it.
  • Lastly, make sure you’re keeping your stress levels down to a healthy amount. Too much stress causes the body to create excess stomach acid, which irritates the esophagus and stomach lining, making it difficult for an ulcer to heal. So, meditate, take deep breaths, listen to music, take up a hobby, or anything else that helps you stay calm in a stressful situation.

Pain in the stomach after eating can be a debilitating symptom of a potentially serious problem. For more information on this disorder and how you can help your body heal from it, visit refluxremedy.com today.

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January 3, 2011

Where Does Your Heartburn Hurt?

If you are someone who hasn’t ever had heartburn, or are experiencing heartburn for the first time, you may be asking, where does heartburn hurt? Generally, heartburn sufferers feel pain in the upper chest area, which can radiate upwards toward the neck.

Heartburn happens when stomach acids are allowed to escape the stomach, and enter the esophagus, which causes pain, and a burning sensation. The lower esophageal sphincter is a sort of one way valve meant to let food into the stomach, and keep it there, along with all the acids and enzymes meant to aid in the digestion process. If this muscle relaxes too much, or is damaged in some way, those acids can make their way up into areas they were never meant to be in, resulting in heartburn.

Heartburn pain can vary from mild to severe, and can be accompanied by burping, reflux, which just means the acids made their way all the way up to the mouth, hiccups and general indigestion.

Heartburn has a wide range of causes, and targeting some of them can keep heartburn at bay for most people. First of all, a simple lifestyle change can help eliminate heartburn pain quickly. Eating large meals can cause heartburn by putting too much pressure on your stomach, which causes it to overproduce acid. So, rather than eating two big meals every day, try four or five smaller meals to help your body digest a little easier. Additionally, don’t eat too close to bed time. Laying down allows acids to easily migrate out of the stomach, so stay upright after eating for as long as possible to let gravity help your body keep digestive fluids where they belong. Also, try changing your fashion habits. Wearing clothes that are tight fitting can constrict your stomach, putting pressure on sensitive areas, which leads to heartburn.

Another habit that can lead to heartburn pain is smoking. The nicotine in tobacco is shown to cause the body to overproduce stomach acids. If you have too much acid in your stomach, it can easily escape into areas that will cause pain. Smoking also inhibits your body’s ability to heal, so any damage done by excess stomach acids won’t heal as quickly.

Stress can also lead to heartburn pain in the chest and neck areas. Similar to nicotine, stress causes an overproduction of stomach acids. To combat this, calm down. Try some deep breathing, take a meditation course, count to ten, put on some relaxing music, add some light exercise to your daily routine, whatever it takes to de-stress your life. If you feel yourself getting stressed out, something as simple as taking a deep breath can save you from pain later.

Food is another common cause of heartburn pain. Everyone has different triggers, but in general spicy foods, onion, garlic, caffeine, alcohol and citrus fruits are a few common ones. Try tracking what causes your pain and avoiding those foods if necessary.

Heartburn pain is an uncomfortable problem for millions of people. To find out more about where heartburn hurts and the causes of heartburn pain, visit www.refluxremedy.com today.

 

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