Painful indigestion info

Introduction to indigestion

A lot of people confuse indigestion and heartburn, but they are completely different things. They do have similar symptoms at times, but they are different beasts that need altogether different treatments to remedy.

Heartburn is a possible product of indigestion, or a symptom. A person who has painful indigestion does not necessarily have to have heartburn as well.

Indigestion is a general discomfort that a person feels in the upper regions of the body, especially, in the chest area.

Nausea, feeling bloated and constant and excessive flatulence are some common symptoms of indigestion.

Causes

Heartburn is usually caused by eating too much food to quickly and it can be also caused by stress, eating spicy and fatty foods or consuming too much alcohol.

These causes also apply to indigestion because heartburn is a symptom of indigestion. Some causes of indigestion are other digestive problems such as gastritis, smoking and ulcers. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs have also been known to cause indigestion in some cases.

Symptoms

As stated earlier, heartburn is a common symptom of indigestion.

Other symptoms include flatulence, nausea, or a loss of appetite. It is best to consult a doctor if the person is having indigestion problems constantly. Prevention

There are some easy guidelines to follow that will enable a person to get rid of an prevent indigestion, but they must be followed as a long term plan, not just to get rid of the problems temporarily, because if a person returns to their unhealthy habits, the indigestion will probably return as well.

It is important to eat smaller meals. When a person limits the size of the portions that he or she is eating, then they will limit their chances of heartburn or indigestion. A good reminder for this is that a person needs to stop eating as soon as they feel full. They do not need to finish the entire dish, they can come back to it later in the day when they feel hungry again.

It is also very important to eat more slowly. No matter how much a person eats, they need to eat slowly. It is important to take breaks between bites and to chew the food thoroughly. Eating quickly will almost guarantee indigestion problems.

There are also foods that will bring on the symptoms of indigestion that need to be avoided. Foods that are high in fat, fried and spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol all cause indigestion and need to be eliminated from the diet completely.

It is also important to stop drinking and smoking as well.