Bellyache? Here are the causes and natural remedies
Saying "I have a stomach ache" is a phrase we have repeated or heard frequently. However, it is a pain and a symptom of varying intensity and which does not always easily reveal what caused it. Of course, stomach ache is often harmless but definitely annoying. What can help us to defeat it depends on its cause. For example, the heat emanating from a hot water bottle can be the best ally against abdominal pain caused by menstruation.
Heat is, among other things, a little miracle weapon for stomach ache in general. It also helps with cramps caused by stress or stomach pain, which usually make you feel pain in the upper abdomen.
There are many causes for stomach pain
Stomach pain can have numerous causes. You may have eaten too much as it is possible that you suffer from a "food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance." In this case, the lactose contained in various foods is not digested properly, which leads to cramps and air in the stomach.
First, to avoid such problems, you should find out if certain foods are not suitable for you and which ones. The best way is to start with a diet diary and write down what you ate. By doing so, you will be able to check where the stomach ache comes from.
If the pain occurs frequently and over a long period of time, you should consult your doctor to be able to accurately determine the cause. For example, you may find that you should avoid lactose-containing foods. Alternatively, you can buy tablets from the pharmacy that can be taken before eating dairy products and will facilitate digestion.
See also
Foods contain lactose:
- Milk and whey
- Yogurt
- Butter
- Cheeses, fresh and seasoned
- Ice-cream
- Lots of sauces
- Often used in ready meals and fast food
If you are sure you have no food allergies or intolerances, there can be many other causes of your tummy ache. To know them, it is always better to go to a doctor, to exclude or confirm the various hypotheses. In fact, abdominal pain or stomach cramps can be dictated either by psychological factors, such as a high level of stress and anxiety, or by more serious diseases that require the attention and care of a specialist, such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome or colitis.
What helps with stomach pain after eating?
If stomach pain comes from overeating, exercise helps, especially if in the form of a digestive walk.What does not help here in the fight against stomach pain are the so-called "digestives", ie liqueurs and alcohol-based drinks. The name is misleading: they make digestion even more difficult.
What can help us in this case? Heat is almost always an excellent remedy for stomach aches and relieves them quickly. The classic hot tea, with the addition of fennel and anise, proved to be an excellent soothing home remedy for stomach ache.
What helps against abdominal pain caused by menstruation?
Especially young women suffer from pain every month when they menstruate. The fault lies with the uterus, which contracts when the mucosa is expelled. The best remedy for these abdominal pains is a combination of heat and exercise.
Lie down with a bottle of hot water on your stomach for a while: the heat calms the cramps and has a placebo and relaxing effect. When the pain subsides, you should get up and move, without exerting too much effort. Muscle exercise as long as it is light will relieve cramps even more.
The best home remedies for stomach aches
If you are out and about and can't put a hot water bottle on your stomach, there are other natural and "homemade" remedies that help with stomach aches, especially if they are caused by food and poor digestion.
These home remedies quickly relieve cramps and abdominal pain:
- Peppermint herbal tea (buy it online)
- Chamomile
- Herbal tea with fennel
- Cumin infusion
- Lemon balm herbal tea (buy it on Amazon)
- Ginger: as tea or in powder form
- Chewing fennel seeds (buy them on Amazon)
A light diet helps with stomach pain
In order for home remedies to be of help, it is necessary to follow a light diet, that is, an easy diet for the stomach. Very spicy, fatty or sweet foods are to be avoided: cheeses, sausages and sweets are the first to be eliminated, followed by legumes because they increase stomach swelling. In addition, the consumption of carbonated drinks should also be minimized.
It is best to eat well-tolerated foods. The best ally against any type of stomach ache is certainly white rice, perfect even in case of dysentery because it easily absorbs excess fluids. In case of nausea, it is recommended to eat bananas, carrots, mashed potatoes and herbal teas. or infusions based on ginger. Finally we want to dispel a false myth: in case of nausea, you must not eliminate any type of dairy product. In fact, the consumption of at least one yogurt a day is recommended, because it is rich in probiotics capable of restoring the flora bacterial.
For more information on stomach pain, its causes and remedies, we recommend that you consult the Humanitas website.
