Lifestyle Changes
- Don't smoke
- Try to lose weight and exercise more
- Do not drink too much alcohol.
- Improve your diet - Cut out fatty foods and eat more fruit
- Increase the fibre in your diet
- Avoid hot spices, salt, vinegar and certain salads to avoid heartburn
- Drink less caffeine
- Don't eat a large meal just before you go to bed
- Stomachs like routine and work better when you eat three or four meals at the same times each day.
- Anxiety and stress affect the way the stomach muscles work so try to take some time in the day to relax
Conclusion
Key points - Indigestion
1 Indigestion is extremely common affecting most people at some stage in their lives
2 Symptoms are usually minor and can be treated at home
3 If symptoms persist they should be evaluated by a doctor
Key points - when you should see your doctor
1 weight loss
2 loss of appetite
3 difficulty swallowing
4 Vomiting blood
5 Passing bloody or tarry stools
6 You have indigestion are taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
7 If you develop indigestion for the first time after the age of 40
Key points - Tests
1 Your doctor will ask you your symptoms when examining you
2 Often the cause of indigestion is straight forward and your doctor can offer you treatment immediately
3 If your doctor suspects a peptic ulcer or something more obvious, then special tests will be arranged
4 The most common test is the endoscopy and less so the barium and blood tests
Key points - Heartburn
1 Heartburn is caused by reflux of the stomach acid into the bottom of the gullet, which occurs because of a hiatus hernia
2 Drug treatment is aimed at decreasing stomach acidity if lifestyle measures are not effective.
3 In severe cases, reflux of acid can damage the lower end of the gullet, necessitating hospital treatment
Key points - Ulcers
1 If a peptic ulcer is suspected then further tests of your stomach will be arranged
2 Peptic ulcers occur when the mucus lining of the stomach is damaged by acid
3 The most common cause is an infection of the stomach by a bacterium called H. Pylori
4 The infection is common, affecting 4 in 10, only a a minority of people with the infection develop an ulcer
5 The infection can be eradicated by a course of antibiotics
6 Surgery is rarely needed
7 NSAIDs cause ulcers by damaging the stomachs lining
Key points - Treatment
1 Peptic ulcers can be healed by a course of acid-suppressing drug treatment
2 Once diagnosed its important to treat the underlying cause
3 Anti-inflammatory drugs should be stopped until the ulcer is healed
4 If the H. pylori is present it will be eradicated with antibiotics to prevent the ulcer recurring
5 Surgery is only used when drug treatment doesn't work and complicated ulcers.
