John Myers
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Gastritis – forms and causes
Gastritis can be acute or chronic. We’ll tell you what the difference is.
- Acute inflammation of the gastric mucosa can develop if you take certain painkillers, such as acetylsalicylic acid, frequently and in high doses. But other medications also affect the stomach.
- Smoking, oversized meals, and excessive alcohol consumption are very irritating to the lining of the stomach.
- Drinking a lot of coffee or liking spicy food is also a contributing factor to gastritis.
- However, stress over a certain period of time is often enough to cause gastric mucosal inflammation. In another article, we have therefore listed the best tips for calming you down.
- Painkillers can not only lead to acute gastritis. The inflammation can also become chronic with this cause.
- In addition to this chemical trigger, there are also autoimmune and bacterial causes of this form of gastritis.
- Chronic gastritis caused by bacteria is most common. The culprit has a name you may have heard before: it is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.
- These bacteria have a trick to survive the stomach acid unscathed. With the help of the enzyme urease, they create a less acidic environment in the gastric mucosa. In such a case, you should definitely see a doctor, as no home remedies will help here.
- Acute gastritis is not pleasant. In addition to a feeling of pressure and abdominal pain, there is also flatulence, belching, nausea, and a bad taste in the mouth.
- Chronic gastritis is often asymptomatic. Nevertheless, they should definitely be treated if they are discovered by an incidental finding.
These home remedies help with gastritis
If you have acute gastritis, your doctor will probably prescribe you acid blockers that inhibit the formation of stomach acid. But there are things you can do yourself to help your stomach heal.
- Anyone who is ill needs protection. This also applies to the stomach. So don’t burden him unnecessarily. Light fare, small portions – that’s what your stomach needs now. Giving up food altogether is not a good idea. Then your stomach has nothing to do, but it still produces gastric acid. After all, this has no other point of attack than the gastric mucosa itself.
- Vegetables, especially potatoes, steamed or boiled are stomach-friendly foods. Dairy products are also recommended. But choose the low-fat version here until your stomach is fit again.
- Spicy food, coffee, alcohol, sweets, and cigarettes are taboo. If you find it difficult to give up the fags, you will find valuable tips on how to quit smoking in a separate article. Stomach-friendly green tea is popular. Chamomile or fennel tea are also helpful.
- Properly prepared, flaxseed forms beneficial protection for the irritated gastric mucosa. To do this, soak two to three tablespoons of ground flaxseed in half a liter of water overnight. The next day, briefly boil the flaxseed pulp and then strain it through a fine cloth. Drink the brew prepared in this way throughout the day.
