From stomach cramps to nausea
Stomach and intestinal complaints can have a significant impact on your life. Sufficient exercise and a healthy, varied diet help to reduce complaints. What else can you do about it yourself?
When food passes through the gut, it is propelled by rhythmic contractions of the gut, known as peristaltic movements. If the intestines do not function normally for any reason, or if the movement of the muscles in the intestines is impeded, you may experience intestinal cramps.
Other stomach and intestinal complaints are also common. Think of nausea, bloating, heartburn and stomach pain. If you regularly suffer from it, it can be wise to get something in the house in advance that offers relief. Think of stomach medicines, antidiarrhoeal agents or laxatives. To help regulate digestion, there are remedies available at drugstores and pharmacies, also based on herbs.
blockage
One cause of gastrointestinal complaints is constipation (also called constipation or constipation). Under normal circumstances, the stool is propelled by the muscle contractions from the small intestine to the large intestine. If the muscle contractions are slow, it can cause the stool to move very slowly through the colon, leading to constipation. A diet rich in fiber, drinking plenty of fluids and regular exercise will help prevent constipation. If you already suffer from it, you can get laxatives at a drugstore or pharmacy. Do not use it for too long. If you often suffer from constipation, probiotics may help. In addition, there are various (natural) means to regulate your bowel movements. Inquire about it at your drugstore.
Worms
Intestinal cramps can also be caused by infection with a parasite. Infection with the spike maggot, for example. In addition to some hygienic measures, anthelminthics (helminth = worm) are generally advised. The best-known active ingredient – mebendazole – can be obtained in tablet form without a prescription from drugstores and pharmacies. A tapeworm infection is also accompanied by intestinal cramps. It is usually caused by eating food or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs or larvae. The larvae are sometimes ingested by eating raw or uncooked food. Bowel cramps are often accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, fever and weakness. For the treatment of a tapeworm infection, the doctor usually prescribes parasite-killing drugs. Examples of such drugs are praziquantel and nitazoxanide. Incidentally, mebendazole also works against tapeworms.
stomach cramps
Stomach cramps are sharp pains just above the navel. They are caused by a violent and painful contraction of the stomach wall (spasm). Your stomach wall consists of muscle tissue and this muscle tissue can cringe at certain stimuli and cause sharp pains.
Severe stomach cramps can be caused by gallstones. The doctor should always be involved. Stomach cramps from food poisoning are usually accompanied by acute nausea and vomiting and occur soon after eating. Vomiting makes your stomach get rid of the spoiled food quickly. If spoiled food ends up in the intestines, intestinal cramps (abdominal cramps) and diarrhea usually also occur. Activated charcoal offers a solution if you think that diarrhea is due to food poisoning.
Stomach complaints due to excess stomach gases
Other causes of heartburn include overeating and excess stomach gases. When excessive gastric gas builds up in the stomach. In that case, usually a bubbling feeling and sound in the stomach and then a bloated feeling. In many cases, your stomach will cramp to get rid of the gas. Thanks to the stomach cramps, the accumulated stomach gas is forced out. Gas deposits eventually leave the body through the mouth through belching or through the anus through blowing. Stomach cramps due to gas build-up generally disappear once the pressure on the stomach decreases. For flatulence (flatulence) and bloating, over-the-counter remedies are also available at the drugstore, often based on peppermint oil or simethicone.
Stomach cramps due to reflux symptoms
By reflux symptoms are meant stomach complaints that are related to heartburn. In principle, heartburn is harmless, but it is painful. Stomach acid consists largely of hydrochloric acid and is therefore very aggressive. If stomach acid gets into the esophagus long enough or often enough, irritation or even esophagitis can develop. A belch, or heartburn, usually occurs because too much stomach acid is produced or when the stomach is compressed, for example due to pregnancy or a strange lying position. Stomach cramps associated with reflux symptoms can be suppressed with mild antacids and proton pump inhibitors.
Should stomach cramps come from irritation or inflammation of the gastric mucosa. then a stomach protector can be prescribed. The best known of these are secretion inhibitors such as ranitidine, proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole and sucralfates. Stomach ulcers and gastric perforations are often related to the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. This bacterium is combated with an intensive course of antibiotics.
Nausea
Nausea is experienced as annoying. It is an unsteady feeling in the stomach area. The urge to eat disappears and everything goes against you. It can be a precursor to vomiting and affects your entire life. Nausea often has no identifiable cause. For example, it can be caused by overeating or excessive alcohol consumption. But the feeling can also come from bad smells or seeing certain things, from stress or anxiety. Over-the-counter drugs domperidone and metoclopramide may provide relief. Domperidone and metoclopramide open the passage from the stomach to the intestines and stimulate the movements of the stomach and intestines. This empties the stomach earlier and the food enters the intestines faster. When the stomach is empty, nausea and vomiting tend to decrease. There are also herbal remedies that you can take for nausea.
