Health, Digestion
Indigestion and heartburn are common – especially if you travel abroad and combine rich, foreign dishes with local forms of alcohol. Indigestion (or dyspepsia) is the term used to describe discomfort or burning felt centrally in the upper abdomen, while heartburn is felt behind the chest bone.
Heartburn is a hot, burning sensation felt behind the chest bone or centrally in the upper abdomen, which may spread up towards the throat.
The main causes of heartburn are refluxing of stomach contents into the oesophagus causing irritation of the oesophageal lining and painful spasm of muscles in the lower oesophagus.
When food enters the stomach it does so through a valve which is a ring of muscle called the lower oesophageal sphincter. After the food has passed through if the valve doesn’t close or only partially closes, acid produced in the stomach moves up into the oesophagus. This is called acid reflux.
Symptoms of heartburn flare up when these anti-reflux mechanisms fail and are often due to poor muscle co-ordination, sphincter weakness and hiatus hernia. It can also be caused from increased pressure on the stomach, from being overweight, pregnant and even tight clothing.
Symptoms of acid reflux can often be improved by making small adjustments to your lifestyle and especially during the festive season. If you do suffer from acid reflux it’s a matter of being prepared.
Try to eat smaller meals, avoid too much spicy food and try not to eat just before bedtime.
Rob Hobson, Healthspan Head of Nutrition advises, ‘Although difficult at times, especially Christmas, with all the goose fat and, pastry try at least to cut down on eating lots of fat (particularly saturated fats). These foods take longer to digest and empty from the stomach and can make reflux and heartburn worse’.
Alison Cullen nutrition therapist and health educator advises to chew your food. Try and savour the food that you eat and chew each mouthful ideally at least twenty times before your swallow.
Rob Hobson also suggests trying Healthspan Milk Thistle supplement which is a registered traditional herbal remedy (THR). Extracted from the seeds of the milk thistle herb, it has been proven to relieve symptoms associated with the occasional over-indulgence of food and drinks and is licensed to treat indigestion, upset stomach and over-indulgence.
Try and eat bitter foods like artichoke and chicory although most of us won’t do this so try a herbal tincture remedy such as A.Vogel’s Digestisan Oral Drops that are a combination of bitter herbs and are also a licensed traditional herbal medicine to help indigestion. For best results take 15 minutes before each meal.
To help neutralise stomach acid try half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda mixed in a glass of warm water.
It helps to wear loose clothing, especially around the waist, and to avoid late-night dining.
Dr Sarah Brewer recommends trying an over the counter stomach calming product such as Silicolgel from Boots, an oral gel that forms a soothing coating over the lining of the stomach and intestines. It will also help bind gases and reduce excess acidity. In short, it should help you stop belching and passing wind. You can also take it before you start eating.
When you go to bed sleep on your left hand side. A study in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that sleeping on your left side is the best way to avoid heartburn at night while sleeping on your right might aggravate it.
Try a range of different digestive teas from Pukka with digestive spices and herbs such as sweet fennel, chicory and cardamom that are both soothing and will help to soothe inflamed gastrointestinal tissue and may help to reduce oesophageal spasms.
Rob Hobson concludes: ‘Try and eat fruits like pineapple and papaya for breakfast as these fruits contain digestive enzymes which help digest proteins and have traditionally been thought of as a way of improving digestion and helping with digestive issues’.
If symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux occur on a regular basis please see you doctor for more advice.
Dr Sarah Brewer’s book Eat Well, Stay Well is available from Amazon
Visit Dr Sarah Brewer’s website Nutritional Medicine
