The “Sensitive Stomach”

 ( Indigestion has many causes & dietary changes can often help those gastrointestinal upsets.)

The medical term is dyspepsia which means “bad digestion” and it affects millions of people at one time or another.

Indigestion, usually abdominal pain, burning, nausea or diarrhea is not a medical condition but a symptom. Dyspepsia can be caused by an ulcer, a post-viral gastroparesis, where the stomach is not emptying properly & you feel full early. It can also be hormonal, such as during pregnancy. A common cause of dyspepsia is the reflux of gastric juices from the stomach into the esophagus. Inflammatory bowl disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, can cause abdominal pain. Celiac disease, an intolerance to gluten, and stomach cancer can also cause abdominal pain & symptoms of dyspepsia. Gallbladder disease can cause postprandial nausea and pain in the right side of the abdomen.

Most people feel indigestion in the epigastrium, the area around the stomach, but you can have pain and other abnormal sensations anywhere between the belly button & the breastbone.

In order to pinpoint the cause of dyspepsia, you will need a complete examination and a series of Western Medicine blood tests. This includes a complete blood count to detect anemia, liver function tests & if needed an endoscopic exam of the esophagus and stomach.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD is caused by a weakness of the sphincter that normally keeps stomach contents from backing up into the esophagus; it can also be due to poor emptying of the stomach. But indigestion is not the only symptom of GERD. It can cause burning and chocking sensation. Sometimes folks confuse GERD symptoms with a heart attack.

Eating certain types of foods, like fatty & spicy foods and even innocent peppermints, can provoke symptoms of GERD.  People may assume they have indigestion when it is something more serious and they can assume just the opposite.  Remember: Better to check things out ‘cause untreated reflux can raise the risk of esophageal cancer.

Prevention; Some people are sensitive to certain foods, whether they have a food allergy or a food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance, caused by the absence of the enzyme lactase, needed to digest milk sugar. In this case, taking a lactase supplement, in tablets or drops or using dairy products with added lactase can help ease symptoms.

Simply avoiding certain foods that tend to produce dyspepsia can often produce a substantial improvement. You may know that fatty & fried foods cause you indigestion. But you may not know that certain artificial sweeteners can cause dyspepsia. An example: sorbitol in diet Snapple & other drinks. Some people can not process sorbitol & it causes diarrhea & abdominal pain. Gum chewing causes dyspepsia because you can swallow a lot of air.

If you have heartburn, first try an antacid like Tums. It is a good way for women to normalize stomach acid and get some of their calcium.

You can take simple steps to avoid indigestion. Chew thoroughly. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Anything you eat is a meal even just a banana and whole-grain crackers.  Six small meals a day could include a half an orange and a rice cake.  And don’t eat within two to three hours of bedtime.

Avoid alcohol and sodas.  Don’t chew gum or eat sugarless candies, since they contain sorbitol.  Don’t smoke; that’s the worst thing you can do.

Let me list some foods that you may consider avoiding:   MSG, eggplant skin, large seeds, nuts, bell peppers, cucumber skin, potato skin, bran, fried foods, fats, carbonated beverages, high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, sunflower seeds.   Dr. Al