Alien asked:


Description

Indigestion is a symptom that is caused by a number of stomach conditions, including hiatal hernia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Helicobacter pylori, heartburn, and dyspepsia. Because many of these conditions can pose serious health risks, it is important to visit your healthcare provider in order to properly diagnose the reason for your indigestion. The condition usually occurs after eating. People experience indigestion for a variety of reasons-after eating a specific food, after eating too much food, after drinking alcohol or carbonated beverages, or after smoking cigarettes. The frequency of occurrence also varies from person to person. Approximately one in ten adults experiences indigestion weekly, while approximately one in three experiences it monthly.

Heartburn, a problem affecting the esophagus, is perhaps the most common type of indigestion. Your esophagus is a 10-inch-long tube leading from the back of your mouth to your stomach. Food travels down the esophagus to the lower esophageal sphincter, a muscle that opens to allow food to pass into the stomach and closes to prevent food and acids from escaping from the stomach into the esophagus. Heartburn occurs when this lower esophageal sphincter is weak or dysfunctional, allowing stomach acid to escape.

People who are overweight are at increased risk for developing indigestion because excess weight can increase pressure on the abdomen which, in turn, can make it difficult for the lower esophageal sphincter to stay tightly shut. Pregnant women also experience a higher incidence of the condition because they, too, experience increased pressure on the abdomen. In addition, people who smoke are at increased risk because cigarettes relax the lower esophageal sphincter.

Signs and Symptoms

Abdominal tenderness and distention

Feeling of fullness and discomfort in the upper abdomen

Burning sensation in the chest, often originating in the upper abdomen and radiating to the neck

Regurgitation of bitter liquid into the throat or mouth, commonly when lying down

Nausea and vomiting

Conventional Medical Treatment

If you suffer from indigestion only occasionally, you may experience relief by taking over-the-Counter antacids, which neutralize gastric acids. You also can prevent future cases of indigestion by avoiding any food or drink that irritate your stomach.

If you experience indigestion frequently, see your doctor, who will try to determine when your indigestion occurs, what foods and drinks seem to trigger it, in what part of the abdomen the discomfort is strongest, and how long it typically last. Your physician also may want to run a series of tests to make sure that your indigestion is not being caused by a more serious condition, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, colon cancer, stomach ulcer, gastritis, pancreatic disease, or irritable bowel syndrome. A barium X-ray, endoscopic examination of the digestive tract, or stool sample may be necessary. In order to rule out disorders of the pancreas, liver, or gallbladder, your doctor also may recommend an ultrasound examination of those organs.

If over-the-counter products do not offer relief, your physician may prescribe cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), or omeprazole (Prilosec) to block acid production in the stomach. A medication that increases the strength of the lower esophageal sphincter, such as metocopramide or bethanechol, also may be prescribed.



Ramon

LuvMyAutisticSon asked:


They just seem very similar and in the same area with pain. Whats the difference?
I’ve always been curious, hence the Pepto Bismal commercial…Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea…yay! Pepto Bismal…lol

Louis

laura b asked:


I think I may be suffering from the above. Have chest pain, top right and left side, goes in to my back. What foods are the worst to avoid and does anybody have any good advice of what to eat to stop it happeing?

Ashley

Ashby asked:


I tried eating smaller portions today, but I still have heartburn! The Tums aren’t quite doing the trick. Any other advice? Thanks!

Anna

Alan Moore asked:


For most people, heartburn and indigestion are interchangeable, and if asked they will reply that they either have heartburn,or indigestion. This is not the case however as heartburn and indigestion are not interchangeable. The symptoms and causes of indigestion might be the same, or similar, as those of heartburn, just as the treatments might also be similar as well, but heartburn can sometimes be caused by indigestion, while indigestion can’t be caused by heartburn.

The largest and most common causes of indigestion generally tend to be related with food. If you suffer from indigestion, then you will know that the first rumblings of indigestion will normally follow a meal. In general a large meal will cause an almost immediate onset of indigestion, whilst even a small meal can wreak the same havoc if containing a lot of spicy foods.

Conversely, irregular meals can also be one of the causes of indigestion. Going too long between meals allows the acid in your stomach to remain unneutralized for a longer period of time, thereby giving it more time to cause trouble. Regular food intake on the other hand will neutralize the acids for a short period of time, allowing your body some much needed respite.

Many causes of indigestion can be found if you just look hard enough, and high on the list next to food, comes the two most common culprits to be found at the root of many complaints. Stress, and Anxiety. In today’s hectic twenty-four hour workaday environment, stress and anxiety are very difficult to avoid.

Another cause of indigestion arising almost directly from stress and anxiety, is the modern tendency to ‘pop a pill’ when you need to keep pushing your body past its limits and it, naturally enough, starts protesting. All those pills we quaff down without a single thought will also take its toll on your body, and give rise to indigestion.

For the more unfortunate person who suffers from arthritis, the anti-inflammatory pills that they are prescribed will also eventually give rise to indigestion.

A more relatively unknown, and unseen, cause can arise from a peptic ulcer. This occurs when the mucous lining the stomach wall becomes damaged, exposing the stomach wall, and subjecting it to the stomach acids. Here again Stress and Anxiety are the two best friends in the causes of indigestion.

If you’re pregnant, chances are that you’ll have indigestion. Nothing much can be done about it except to be as careful of your diet as possible, and wait patiently to birth your baby.

Many are the causes of indigestion, and many are the people who suffer from indigestion. It can be said quite frankly that if you just tweak your lifestyle a little bit here and there to eliminate all, or most, of the causes of indigestion in your life, you would undoubtedly be a happier person.



Adrian

Chris Kuhns asked:


If you were talking to group of pregnant women about the many uncomfortable conditions of pregnancy, they are likely to agree that acid indigestion and acid reflux are close to the top of the worst symptoms they can experience.

Some Old wives tales say that those pregnant women with indigestion would end up with newborns having a full head of hair. Science has shown this to be inconclusive and pregnant women are agreeing that it’s just another annoying aspect of being pregnant.

There several reasons why pregnant women are more likely to get heartburn than others. First off, when you are pregnant, your hormone levels are much different than when you are not pregnant. Hormone increase can affect every aspect of your health including your digestive health.

A Hormone increase can actually cause your lower esophageal sphincter to loosen a bit. This is the part of your esophagus that typically holds your food in your stomach, without letting the acid come back up. So if your esophageal sphincter it loosens or softens, you could suffer from acid reflux.

There are physical changes going on as well as hormonal changes. Many women don’t experience indigestion and acid reflux until later in their pregnancy. Your body is changing shape as your body progresses, which is why acid indigestion happens later, and also your stomach area is continuing to expand.

This expansion of the stomach area is one reason you may have indigestion. Expanding the stomach means you will be having more pressure on your esophagus, which can lead to unpleasant symptoms like acid indigestion.

It may seem that you can not avoid heartburn while pregnant, but there are many tips that you should be aware of to combat the symptoms and try to avoid it altogether.

First off, avoid any foods that you feel are causing acid indigestion. There may be foods that are specific to your case, but overall most women are affected by citrus foods, mint, spicy foods, fried foods, and chocolate.

An important thing to do is eat smaller meals more often. Eating smaller meals also helps if you experience constant morning sickness. If you constantly are eating, only never eating too much, you will be less likely to have heartburn or morning sickness.

Eating this way provides your body a way to process foods in a controlled manner and you’ll never feel too full.

One effective way to avoid indigestion and acid reflux is to practice proper posture, and this is especially important by how you bend. When you are pregnant, you should always bend down at the knees.

Of course as your stomach grows you will have no other choice, but to bend down at the knees. Even in the early stages of pregnancy, bending at the knees will not put as much pressure on your middle section, which will help you to avoid the discomforts of acid indigestion.

Always choose to fight acid reflux instead of seeing it as something that can’t be avoided. You can use these tips to help you get through the rough times. Of course, if your acid reflux is persistent or severe enough you may want to consult your doctor to see if you need further medications or other treatments.



Justin