Stomach pain - what to do
Almost everyone has experienced such unpleasant sensations as pain in the stomach. However, these symptoms do not always indicate simple indigestion, possible overeating or excessive exercise: very often they indicate the presence of a serious illness. Therefore, if the pain in the stomach is chronic, it is necessary to immediately undergo a medical examination and identify the main cause of the pain.
Gastritis is the main cause of stomach pain
If a person has a constant stomach ache, there can be a whole variety of reasons for this. The most common disease accompanied by such a symptom is gastritis, which, in turn, is divided into the following main types:
- Bacterial;
- Stressful;
- Erosive;
- Viral;
- Eosinophilic;
- Atrophic.
Bacterial gastritis speaks of the settlement of a specific microorganism in the stomach, which causes various disorders in this area and causes stomach pain.
Severe injuries and diseases that provoke a stressful state in the human body contribute to the appearance of such a disease as acute stress gastritis.
Erosive gastritis is a consequence of prolonged use of spicy or salty food, alcohol and the use of strong medicines.
Viral gastritis is a disease that negatively affects the human immune system, and eosinophilic disease occurs due to allergic reactions of the body.
Atrophic gastritis usually involves thinning and atrophy of the gastric mucosa.
Thus, if the stomach periodically hurts, one of the varieties of gastritis may be the cause.
Other causes of stomach pain
Naturally, any form of gastritis is not an unambiguous diagnosis for stomach pains, since they may indicate other equally common problems:
- Stomach ulcer;
- Duodenal ulcer;
- Viral infection;
- Bacterial infection;
- Abdominal trauma;
- Appendicitis;
- Stomach polyps;
- Stomach cancer.
Do not forget that if the stomach hurts after eating, then overeating, abuse of spicy or fatty foods, constipation, diarrhea and sometimes serious poisoning can act as a direct cause of malaise. As a rule, ailments of this kind do not require medical intervention and disappear within a few days at the most.
It should also be noted that sometimes the stomach hurts due to muscle tension after physical exertion that is unusual for the body. And also a similar symptom is observed in people experiencing emotional stress: often pain in the stomach occurs before exams or a job interview. This suggests that a strong sense of anxiety and excitement can easily provoke physical illness.
Acute stomach pain: causes
It can be argued that in 90% of cases of pain in the area under consideration is caused by some kind of disease of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, peptic ulcer disease is characterized by acute pains in the stomach, which have the following feature: when pressing on the stomach, the pain does not subside, but when released, it increases sharply. This is accompanied by pallor and cold sweat.
It should be noted that if the stomach hurts after eating (after 1.5-2 hours), this is also one of the main signs of an ulcer, and if pain occurs immediately after eating, one can assume the presence of chronic gastritis. It is interesting that this disease, as a rule, is not accompanied by severe acute pain in the stomach, rather aching and dull, since the body to some extent adapts and gets used to its illness.
It is possible to prevent severe pain and fight gastric disease by establishing a connection between pain and food intake. Surely the patient will be able to independently identify certain foods in his diet that negatively affect his well-being and provoke stomach pain and belching with a sour or bitter taste.
Most often, spicy, too salty or fatty foods, as well as fried vegetables, meat and some dairy products, lead to this result. Soda, coffee and alcohol can provoke a sharp attack of pain. In general, the abuse of bad habits only increases pain, so it is necessary to abandon them for the most effective treatment.
Also, sometimes the development or presence of a tumor can act as the cause of acute pain in the stomach.
What to do when your stomach hurts
Naturally, if stomach pains bother a person constantly, you should immediately consult a doctor to establish a diagnosis. Only a specialist will help determine the real cause of this symptom and give the necessary instructions for treatment. However, at home, an attack of stomach pain can be prevented or significantly mitigated with the help of traditional medicine. If you do not know what to do when your stomach hurts, there are several useful and simple recipes you can use:
- Pour one tablespoon of chamomile with a glass of boiling water and leave for half an hour, take 3 times a day before meals;
- Pour one tablespoon of currants, gooseberries or blueberries with a glass of water and boil for 10 minutes, drink the broth in a quarter of a glass 4 times a day;
- Make a mixture of honey and olive oil (in equal doses) and take a tablespoon three times a day before meals;
- To eliminate pain in the stomach and belching, dissolve 1 tablespoon of honey in 1 glass of freshly squeezed potato juice, take the medicine twice a day: in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening.
In addition, for prevention, it is necessary to periodically cleanse the body of all kinds of poisons. This is usually done through the intestines (using an enema), through the kidneys (using various diuretics) and through the skin (in the sauna). A great method for anyone who does not know what to do when their stomach hurts is also fasting for several days, during which it is advisable to take only herbal teas. Then you can switch to light food and in no case eat quickly perishable foods. Such a diet is very useful for both the patient and the absolutely healthy organism in order to prevent gastric diseases.
If severe pain has taken you by surprise, you can take a pain reliever. The main thing is not to get used to the medication as the only way to eliminate them.
It is important to note that stomach pains often accompany pregnancy symptoms. In this case, in addition to the aforementioned diseases, this may be the result of a displacement of internal organs due to the growth of the uterus. You should know that a woman in a position is categorically not recommended to ignore such symptoms, as well as to self-medicate. The body's reaction to completely harmless traditional medicine during pregnancy can be the most unpredictable.
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