At the beginning of this year, I promised to talk about the digestive tract. But than this virus happened. And it needed attention. It still needs attention, but I thought it is about time to pick up writing something about our digestive system too. We already talked about the mouth and paridontal disease and in this blog we are moving on to the stomach.
It is important to chew very well, because in the rest of your digestive tract there are no teeth. What is in the stomach to futher digest your foodintake, is acid. A lot of people suffer from gastric acid these days. Let’s have a closer look.
What is gastric acid?
Stomach acid is produced in your stomach and is needed to further digest food and kill bacteria that may have entered with your food. Stomach acid has a very high acidity that could affect the stomach wall and that’s why we have a protective layer called gastric mucosa. The stomach lining ensures that your stomach wall is protected against the stomach acid. Het is generally believed that heartburn is caused by excess stomach acid, buti can also be caused by too little stomach acid. With age, stomach acid production decreases. This imbalance (too much or too little acid) causes an unpleasant burning sensation in your stomach, behind your breastbone. Sometimes it radiates pain to your neck, back and shoulderblades. There may also be regurgitation where the stomach acid flows back up the esophagus.
How can you treat gastic acid naturally?
There are lots of ways.
- Food
Eat several small meals during t
Beperk het eten van nachtschades zoals gewone aardappel, ubergin, tomaat, goji bessen en paprikahe day.
Avoid eating too much, too fat and to spicy.
Use ghee. This is clarified butter and widely available.
Eat unprocessed food as much as possible.
Eat according to the season and the region where you live.
Don’t drink during your meal.
Don’t drink cold or fizzy drinks.
Chew very well.
Don’t eat after 7 PM.
- Essential oils
You might want to try Zengest of doTERRA. You can put one drop of this bland in a cup of water and drink it. You can also put one drop in a carrier oil and rub it on your belly.
You could also use Fennel oil that is suitable for consumption. Put one drop in a liter of water and sip during the day.
- Herbs
Herbs that aid digestion are f.ex. licorice root, cumin, fennel, chamomile and ginger.
- Stress reduction techniques
Such as f.ex. yoga, meditation, qi gong, feldenkrais, somatic experiencing or Neuro Emotional Integration.
And of course, move as much as you can within your own range. Movement helps the digestion process. An additional benefit: movement also induces Serotonine, which is a ‘happy hormone’.
I hope that for those of you who suffer from gastric acid, the above mentioned natural healing possibilities might be of use. Feel free to let me know.
