9 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Stomach Ache
Stomach ache is a very common misnomer for abdominal pain; it is just one of the several causes of abdominal pain. Your abdomen comprises all the organs between the front part of your thorax (chest) and the pelvis, therefore, pain from any of these organs is termed abdominal pain. Nevertheless, we will still refer to it as stomach ache for the purpose of this article.
Stomachache is very common, and everyone must have experienced it at some point in time. While severe stomachache is a medical emergency that needs to be treated by your doctor, you can easily treat mild aches by just making good use of the things available in your kitchen.
Are you ready to explore the several options of home remedies for stomach pain available for you? Let’s ride on!
Home Remedies for Stomach Pain
When you are busy with some projects in the office or lying down peacefully at home, you might start to feel some uneasiness in your stomach.
This could be because there has been an accumulation of excess gas in your stomach, heartburn from peptic ulcer or gastroesophageal disease, cramping from diarrhoea, constipation, or just a bad reaction from the food you ate a few minutes or hours ago.
Whichever one it is, there are several home remedies for stomach pain that you can try to get immediate relief before going to the hospital for appropriate evaluation and treatment. Thus:
1. Give It Some Time
Stomach aches are sometimes mild and all you need to do is to give it time. A good example is a diarrhoea from mild food poisoning or from eating food that your stomach is not used to. In such situations, by allowing your body to flush itself of the offending food, you will be okay in no time.
2. Drink Enough Water
Water is necessary for a lot of functions in the body. This includes digestion and absorption of food. In cases of stomach pain due to diarrhoea or constipation, it is imperative to take enough fluids. Adequate water intake helps in preventing and relieving constipation.
Furthermore, dehydration due to diarrhoea or vomiting could be very dangerous if body water is continuously lost without being replaced. Taking adequate water in such situations, therefore, comes in very handy.
Apart from the water lost to vomiting and diarrhoea, some important substances in your body, known as electrolytes are lost as well, therefore doctors recommend taking Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) in such situations since they also contain glucose, salt, and other electrolytes needed by the body.
Here is a quick guide on how to prepare ORS at home.
3. Take a Warm Bath or Use a Heating Pad
The use of heat as a natural remedy comes in handy especially when the pain is a result of muscle cramps. In this case, taking a warm bath or applying a heating pad or bag to the aching area will relax the tense muscles and ease your symptoms. Heat therapy can also be used for indigestion.
Be careful not to use excessive heat to avoid causing harm to yourself.
4. Add Some Ginger to Your Tea and Cooking
Ginger has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties that make it a good natural remedy for a lot of diseases.
Adding ginger to your tea and cooking can be very helpful for treating your upset stomach. It helps with nausea, indigestion, and other symptoms as well.
5. Increase Your Fiber Intake
Constipation, as earlier mentioned, is an important cause of stomachache. This can be prevented, as well as treated, by incorporating a good amount of fibre-containing foods into your diet. There are several options available. These includes:
- Fruits like apple, banana, citrus, strawberries
- Potatoes
- Barley
- Oats
- Dried beans
- Whole grains
- Most vegetables etc.
6. Potash Used to Be a Wonder Drug
The popular kanwa (potash) in Northern Nigeria has been used for ages to ease symptoms of stomach aches, especially if it is due to acid reflux, constipation, or spasm.
According to research, potash has many other uses e.g. in fertilizer production, toothache treatment, as a preservative, fire extinguishing, cleaning purposes, etc.
Nevertheless, medical experts have warned that its excessive use could result in decreased sperm production, kidney failure, and heart diseases (arrhythmia), so it is best to use safer alternatives.
7. Peppermint Helps to Relax Your Tense Muscles
The menthol content in peppermint helps to ease your symptoms of a stomachache. It has also been shown to relax muscles when a person is having abdominal cramps.
However, it is not recommended for you if you are suffering from a peptic ulcer or any acid reflux disease.
8. Aloe Vera Juice Can Ease Several Symptoms of Stomachache
The juice from the Aloe Vera plant contains substances that may ease your symptoms by reducing inflammation, encouraging bowel movements to treat constipation, improving digestion of proteins, reducing excessive stomach acid, removing toxins, etc.
9. You Can Use Over-the-Counter Medication
There are several over-the-counter medications available, depending on the symptoms you are having. This includes laxatives for constipation, loperamide for diarrhoea and cramps, antacids for reflux disease, and pain relievers like paracetamol.
Nevertheless, you should always consult with your doctor before you buy and take any medication.
Things You Should Avoid When You Have a Stomach Ache
- Avoid lying down too quickly after a meal: this is especially important for people experiencing acid reflux. Lying down immediately after a meal will push the acidic contents of your stomach upwards, eventually causing heartburn.
- Avoid carbonated drinks: carbonated drinks can easily cause an increase of gas in your system, resulting in burping and flatulence. Excessive amounts of gas will likely cause stomachache, so it is preferable to reduce your intake of such drinks and swap them with water, fruit juice, or the likes
- Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol
- Avoid foods that are difficult to digest
- Avoid improperly cooked food
When Should You Seek Medical Care?
Using the above home remedies for stomach pain might be all that you need for a mild ache, but sometimes it can be severe or be associated with some symptoms that will necessitate you to see a doctor as soon as possible for specialized evaluation and treatment. These include:
- Blood in stool
- Bleeding from the anus or rectum
- Severe pain
- Effortless weight loss
- Yellowing of the eyes
- Severe vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Difficulty swallowing
- Stomachache during pregnancy
- Heartburn that does not get better after taking over-the-counter antacids
FAQ
Q: Should I take antibiotics for a stomach ache?
A: There are several causes of stomach ache and each is treated differently. Antibiotics should only be used when it is evident that harmful microorganisms are responsible for causing the ache. This will be confirmed by your physician.
Q: Should I be worried if I experience recurrent stomachache?
A: Recurrent stomach aches could mean that you have an underlying problem that needs to be treated. You should consult your doctor for immediate and appropriate investigations and treatment.
Conclusion
We believe that by reading up to this point, you are now enlightened on several home remedies for stomach pain that you can easily try at home. However, this should not stop you from going to the doctor for professional treatment if your symptoms persist.
Have you tried any of these methods before? Please share your experience with us in the comments section below.
