Have you ever felt a hot pang in the pit of your stomach; or a deep burning sensation in stomach as if your stomach is on fire? Well, it has a name, ‘Dyspepsia’, commonly known as indigestion or acidity. This condition can really make one’s life miserable as it brings about pain, discomfort, stress, belching, bloating, nausea etc.
What Goes On Inside The Stomach: In A Nutshell
Stomach is a muscular organ situated between Oesophagus (food tract) and small intestine. The job of the stomach is to receive food from the Oesophagus and store it for digestion.
Inside the stomach, enzymes (catalysts) are secreted that assist proper digestion of food, e.g. Pepsin is an enzyme that particularly digests protein.
Stomach also secretes Hydrochloric Acid that ensures an optimum ph balance and kills any bacteria present in the food.
The food in the stomach is mixed and churned with water and gastric juices. This disintegrates the food into smaller particles known as ‘chyme’, which is further passed into the small intestine.
A burning sensation in stomach occurs when something goes wrong in the process above, e.g. poor digestion, inflammation, excessive production of acid, etc.
Causes Of Stomach Burn
- Stress: When you are stressed out, your digestive system ceases to function properly. Stress also triggers production of acid in stomach.
- Pylori Infection: There is a protective lining on the inside of the stomach that saves the wall from damage as a result of exposure to the acidic environment in the stomach. H. pylori is a bacterium that breaks ruptures this lining, giving rise to stomach burn.
- Intolerance to certain types of food: Food allergies,such as Lactose intolerance or wheat intolerance, also turn out to be the reason behind stomach burn. These allergies are caused by the inability of the stomach to digest particular types of food such as milk and wheat products.
- Eating too much and eating too fast (Mindless Eating): Overeating and eating in an aggressive manner, i.e. eating too quickly and not properly chewing, can lead to poor digestion.
- Stomach Ulcers: These are sores in the stomach lining caused by bacterial infections and overuse of certain drugs. When these sores are exposed to acid in the stomach, burning is experienced.
- Acid Reflux: Sometimes, contents of stomach flow backwards up into the chest and throat. Due to the acidic nature of these contents, a hot, burning feeling wells up in the throat and chest. This is known as acid reflux.
- Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis): Intake of contaminated food or water causes inflammation in the stomach as a result of viral or bacterial infection.
- Too much acid production in stomach: At times, stomach starts producing acid more than required for digestion. This gives rise to burning in stomach.
- Ectopic Pregnancy: There are cases (usually associated with obese women) in which pregnancy takes place outside the womb, known as ectopic pregnancy. This brings about burning and abdominal pain.
How To Get Rid Of Stomach Burn
Note the following remedies that will help you get rid of burning sensation in stomach:
- Barley Water: Boil barley in water and drink it as much as you can. It will work like magic, trust me.
- Say no to oil and spices: Eat boiled foods such as rice and vegetables. Avoid oil and spices as much as you can.
- Ginger Tea: Ginger reduces intestinal inflammation and releases trapped gases. Therefore, ginger tea is a useful remedy.
- Yogurt: Soothes and cools down stomach, which is exactly what you need during stomach burn.
- Honey: Has, undoubtedly, innumerable health benefits. Honey has the power to repair lesions in intestines and treat acidity problems.
- Fruits: Such as watermelons, bananas, etc. are great soothing sources for stomach.
- Physical Exercise: Your body needs to vent the stress which can be achieved by exercising.