What is Indigestion?

Indigestion is a general term given to different kinds of problem in the stomach and the digestive system which stops the system from digesting food or certain types of food properly and causes various forms of discomfort for the patient. Indigestion is also called dyspepsia. Though normally considered easily treatable, prolonged symptoms can often suggest serious problems. The chronic cases might be symptomatic of ulcers in the stomach, or Acid reflux problem, or even motility problem – which is where the stomach muscles are not able to squeeze the food properly.

Symptoms and Causes of Indigestion

Indigestion manifests in different symptoms but the most common ones are – heartburn or a burning sensation in the upper abdomen region, nausea and often vomiting leading to body fluid loss, stomach cramps and bloated uncomfortable stomach, flatulence and uncontrollable burping,

Bitter acidic taste in the mouth caused by acids in the stomach pushing upwards, etc

In most cases, Indigestion is caused by overeating or eating too fast ie gulping down food without proper chewing and eating spicy and fatty food which is difficult to digest easily. These causes are best addressed with home remedies for indigestion. However, there are some more complicated causes which sometimes need attention of physicians for proper curing. If a person suffers from ulcers in the stomach or any part of the intestine, he or she is very likely to suffer from regular indigestion problems. Indigestion is also very common in pregnant women. Very often, anti- inflammatory drugs cause indigestion in some people while others suffer the acid reflux problem where the stomach acids meant to help indigestion tends to come up the esophageal tract causing bitterness in the mouth. Some patients suffer from a ailment called functional or nonulcer dyspepsia – where the stomach muscles are not able to contract and expand adequately to help push food down the digestive tract – causing digestion problem for the patient.

Home Remedies for Indigestion

In most cases, indigestion has to be cured with changes in way of eating - avoiding the specific foods and situations that triggers the indigestion in the first place. There are also various home remedy for indigestion which help in such cases. The total treatment can thus be in two ways-

Diet for indigestion - Lifestyle Change – Meals should be taken on time and there should preferably be two or three regular meals – with snacking in between totally cut down. Food needs to be chewed properly – so eat slowly. Right after eating, it is not advisable to play any sport or do any strenuous activities. Large meals, fatty and rich spicy food should best be avoided. Regular exercise of at least 30 minutes each day is good for digestion. Caffeine is not good for Indigestion patients – so avoid too much of tea and coffee as well as chocolates. Tobacco and alcohol are also high on the avoidable list.

Dietary supplements – The best indigestion home remedies are dietary supplements that are there on every average kitchen shelf and are therefore ready to administer. Every family has their own home remedies for indigestion but here are some of the very common ones –

A tablespoon of lemon juice in warm water - drunk before meal helps prevent acidity. This is one of the simplest natural remedy for indigestion.

Tea is a very helpful remedy and it is best supplemented with ginger, peppermint, or other herbs like the chamomile. Such teas drunk after meals help digestion greatly.

Ginger is another very good home remedy for indigestion. It can be taken with tea as ginger tea after meals or a small piece can be chewed with some salt five to ten minutes before meal to prompt digestion. This is a greatest indigestion treatment.

Honey, taken in equal parts with lemon juice is also of great help. This is one of the simplest indigestion home remedies.

Another effective indigestion remedy is water, with 2/3 drops of mint oil, can be taken every 3 or 4 hours to help digestion.

Flatulence can be addressed by taking water mixed with baking soda.

Indigestion cure - 2 pinches rock salt and half tsp carom seed (ajwain) can be chewed together and then swallowed with water to give relief to gas also.

Three tablespoon full curd with some black pepper and a big pinch of sea salt together with 5/6 basil leaves. This is one of the important home remedies for indigestion.