Almost everyone has felt like their stomach was off. This is known by many names. Some call it an upset stomach or indigestion. A proper name is dyspepsia. In some cases, dyspepsia is not a disease. Other times, people may suffer from what’s known as functional dyspepsia. This is a constant feeling of indigestion without the actual causes or reasons.
While dyspepsia is very common and experienced by most people at some point, people can experience it in different ways. In some cases dyspepsia may be a symptom of another disease or medical condition affecting the body. The good news is that dyspepsia has some clear and concise options to help treat it or prevent it from happening in the first place. Take this opportunity to learn more about dyspepsia and what can be done about it.
Causes of Dyspepsia
When it comes to functional dyspepsia, the chronic issues have no cause that can be determined. Essentially, this is considered a functional disease that just needs to be dealt with, no matter how uncomfortable it is.
When it comes to standard cases of dyspepsia, there’s plenty of causes. Much can come down to food and diet. Foods that are high in fat, grease or have a large amount of spice can often cause dyspepsia. People who eat too rapidly or too much are also prime targets for dyspepsia. More recreational items like coffee, chocolate, alcohol or soda can also cause dyspepsia. Smokers are more likely to get dyspepsia, as are people suffering from anxiety.
Health issues can also be a problem. Most often it’s conditions related to the digestive system that cause dyspepsia. If that isn’t bad enough, some medications can also cause dyspepsia. Pain relievers, certain supplements and antibiotics are all known to potentially cause dyspepsia. Some of the medical conditions that cause dyspepsia include:
- Celiac Disease
- Gastritis
- Constipation
- Pancreatitis
- Gallstones
- Intestinal Blockages
- Intestinal Ischemia
- Stomach Cancer
Symptoms of Dyspepsia
Dyspepsia occurs in some common signs and symptoms. Chronic cases can sometimes be confused for having an ulcer due to the similarities in symptoms. Symptoms include:
- Burning Sensations - These occur in the lower chest or upper abdomen. Sometimes these go away with some over the counter products or if people eat some more food. The burning sensation can manifest as pain as well.
- Bloating - This tends to occur in the upper abdomen and is because gas will build up.
- Nausea - People may feel like they need to vomit.
- Feelings of Fullness - That feeling of being “full” while consuming food will occur much earlier than it should during a meal, often with little to no food consumed. It may also last much longer than it should after the meal is complete.
- Belching or Vomiting - This is a less common symptom, but is more likely for people suffering from functional dyspepsia.
Treatment of Dyspepsia
In the short term, many people will turn to over the counter relief from simple products to try to help relieve their dyspepsia. In most cases these do a good job of calming the symptoms in the stomach. However, better treatment of dyspepsia comes down to working on preventative measures.
There’s plenty of lifestyle options that can reduce the dyspepsia people feel. The first is to eliminate problem foods. It’s common to reduce a diet to a few base elements, then add slowly to determine which items are causing dyspepsia. It also makes sense to eat several smaller meals, rather than the standard three large ones. Alcohol and caffeine should both be reduced. Medications that cause dyspepsia need to be avoided or switched by a doctor. A final under-rated aspect of dyspepsia avoidance is mental state. Controlling your stress or anxiety can be a crucial aspect to dyspepsia control.