Having a stomach ache is like having itchy skin, it’s just one symptom that can have multiple causes. We can see that there are in fact four distinct complaints in similar proportions: heartburn, burning, heaviness and bloating. First, the bitterness and burns. They have the same origin: Our stomach, to digest food, secretes hydrochloric acid. This acid, when it remains confined where it should act, poses no problem. The lining of the stomach is, in fact, similar to that of a fully equipped kitchen. Only the door, which theoretically only opens in one direction, sometimes lacks tightness. Then occurs a reflux of the stomach towards the esophagus which, for its part, does not benefit from the same protections from where the feeling of bitterness and burning.
The heaviness then. Most of the time, they are associated with overly large meals. Everyone knows and understands it, but those who suffer from it rarely turn down the volume before calling the doctor, which however fixes the problem in a few days. Finally, bloating is due to an accumulation of gas in our digestive system. Normally, we swallow 2 to 3 milliliters of air each time we take food. An air which must then escape, which explains why no one, from the Queen of England to the last of the Tops models, escapes the sound phenomena. But chewing gum chewers or those who eat too quickly are much more bloated than average and therefore constantly have the feeling of turning into a balloon. There are medications to relieve it but, again, the problem is easy to solve, provided you change your eating habits a little, which in our country is often seen much more as bullying than as a solution. However, stomach pain that persists for more than 48 hours should be seen by a doctor. This is the case, for example, of cramp before the meal. This painful feeling of hunger, which gives way with food intake, is usually a sign of an ulcer! But before arriving at this once dreaded diagnosis, now very rare, it should be known that the field of medicine where treatments have made the most progress is undoubtedly that of stomach aches. Some of these very effective drugs called proton pump inhibitors are over the counter in pharmacies, which should not add to our health insurance deficit.
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