The digestive system is responsible for turning the food you eat into fuel that can be used by your body. It is essentially responsible for keeping the well being of the body. Because of this, there is a popular saying that goes “you are what you eat”. Simply put, if you eat a lot of unhealthy food or indulge in one particular food group, you are bound to experience digestive problems. And with today’s “on the go” society which leaves little to no time for proper food, there are a lot of people affected with varying levels of digestive problems, or gastritis ranging from discomforting to debilitating.
What is Gastritis?
In the simplest sense, gastritis is the inflammation or irritation of the stomach which makes up a huge part of the digestive process. This is where food goes to after being swallowed. If there is something wrong with the food, then it can lead to gastritis.
To take a look at this in a holistic view, it is important to consider what your body is designed to consume. Human evolution studies have clearly shown that your body has developed to consume meat from animals from land and from the sea; along with fruits, vegetables, and roots from different plants. Later on, grain and dairy were added as staples to the human diet as the technology to produce and process them were developed. So, as time went by, the human body has evolved to process and digest these food groups.
The problem of gastritis occurs when there are irregularities in the consumption of these foods which can lead to several symptoms.
Symptoms of Gastritis
There are a lot of known symptoms and effects associated with gastritis. The first step in homeopathy treatment is to get a concise history of the person and try to figure out what exactly is happening. With that, below are some of the more common symptoms of gastritis which should be recorded and considered.
Bloating
More often than not, bloating is associated with an excessive production of gas in the stomach, small intestines, or colon. This can be very discomforting and is usually accompanied by frequent passing of wind either through the rectum, through belching, or both.
Homeopathy Treatment: Carbo Vegetabilis is a popular homeopathy treatment and is a great remedy for people who feel bloated and continuously pass wind. This is a powdered mixture of charcoal which helps absorb toxins and other unwanted products in the stomach and the digestive system as a whole.
Heart Burn
This is one of the most common problems associated with gastritis. This happens when acid is refluxed up through the esophagus which causes a burning sensation through the chest area. Its name is actually a misnomer because it does not affect the heart, and the name was coined due to the proximity of the sensation to the heart.
This is usually caused by hiatus hernia. Anatomically, the diaphragm of a person sits on top of the stomach. The muscles of the diaphragm effectively act as a sphincter which closes off the top of the stomach and prevents acid from coming back up. People with hiatus hernia don’t have the means to close off the stomach and prevent the acid from coming up.
Hiatus hernia is an anatomical variation that is present since birth and is not developed over time.
Homeopathy Treatment: Pulsatilla is a good treatment for people who normally experience indigestion after a meal heavy in cream, butter, lots of pastries, or lots of pork.
Another popular homeopathic treatment for heart burn are graphites. They indicated for people who are overweight.
Constipation
People with constipation have a difficult time in evacuating their bowels. It does not happen on a regular interval and is usually painful when it does happen. Do take note that regular bowel movement can differ from person to person so consideration of “regular bowel movement” should be based on the person’s history.
Homeopathy Treatment: Severe constipation is common for elderly people because the desire to open up their bowels seem to have been lost. Alumina is an excellent remedy in these cases.
There are also people who experience constipation when they travel. Bryonia helps a lot in these cases especially if there is a burning sensation when evacuating bowels while travelling.
Silica on the other hand is a good remedy for children who experience a stinging sensation in their backs during bowel movement.
Diarrhea
When diarrhea strikes, it can leave you very weak and drained. It can lead to a lot of complications such as dehydration which can actually be fatal as the body loses electrolytes. So the main focus on treating diarrhea is replacing the electrolytes lost as your body ejects everything in the hopes of removing harmful bacteria in the digestive system.
Homeopathic Treatment: Sulphur is a good remedy for people who experience a sudden urge to evacuate their bowels early in the morning. And when they do, it is usually very loose and offensive.
General Tips
There are a lot more symptoms and ailments that concern the digestive system. They can’t all fit here. So to top it off, here are some general tips to keep your digestive system healthy.
➣ Avoid eating food that is too hot (temperature speaking). As a rule of thumb, if it is too hot for your mouth, it is too hot for your stomach.
➣ Drink a cup of warm water every morning to help cleanse your digestive system.
➣ Eat at a leisurely pace. Not too fast, but not too slow.
➣ Simplify your meals especially if you experience bloating a lot. Separate the different food groups in different meals rather than having all of them at once.
➣ Always keep hydrated.
If you have more questions or concerns about homeopathy for gastritis, do not hesitate to contact me for a consultation.
**Please note** These descriptions cannot be used to treat, but just to give a person an idea of the different homeopathic remedies available. Each remedy must be matched to the individual’s unique problem. This is why it’s best to consult a homeopathic specialist on your individual situation.
