Ask Marilyn – Star Question: Natural remedy for indigestion?
Q: I quite often suffer from indigestion. I try to avoid fatty foods but wonder if there is anything you recommend for occasional indigestion?
I was taking antacids but have now stopped them. I realise it is probably best to avoid taking medication and so wonder if you know of any alternatives? I sometimes take slippery elm tablets and I often have peppermint tea and also try not to go to bed directly after eating.
A: The symptoms of indigestion can include pain or fullness in the chest area after eating, heartburn, burping and belching. The medical term for indigestion is dyspepsia.
As with any problem the most important thing is to try and find the cause, because if you can track down the cause the problem will be eliminated. At the same time, it is useful to have some natural remedies on hand when needed.
The main causes of indigestion are overeating, obesity, chocolate, fried foods, carbonated beverages, alcohol, stress, coffee, and cigarettes. The first thing is to see whether any of these are a trigger for you.
Also make sure that you are eating slowly. The first part of digestion is in the mouth so by mixing and breaking down your food well with saliva before it is swallowed the next part of your digestive system has less work to do. Don’t drink with meals as this dilutes the saliva while it is trying to do its job. Use fruit as a snack between meals and don’t have it straight after a meal.
Leave a couple of hours between eating and going to bed and try to sleep in a slightly more upright position so that gravity helps to prevent the stomach contents moving back into the food pipe (oesophagus).
Natural remedies can be helpful. Slippery elm helps to form a protective coating in the stomach and chamomile tea can have a calming effect on the digestive system. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) helps to soothe the tissue lining the digestive system and a good combination I use in the clinic contains DGL, cabbage and zinc (called Enteroplex). Also you can use an alkalising carbonate 30 minutes after eating for symptom relief (Bio-carbonate).
If the dietary recommendations do not make a difference then it is important to see your doctor to see whether there is another cause such as a hiatus hernia or helicobacter pylori. H. pylori is a bacteria that lives in the stomach and can cause symptoms like indigestion and heartburn. Up to 90% of people with a stomach ulcer have these bacteria. A simple breath test can show you whether you have an active H. pylori infection.