What Are The Causes And Symptoms Of Indigestion
What Are The Causes And Symptoms Of Indigestion
Your body, for most of the day, digests your food. Digestion is an essential part of your body processes, and without it you would be unable to function. There are many people who suffer from indigestion however, so today we will look at the digestive process and the causes and symptoms of indigestion.
Digestion is the process of breaking your food down into small amounts that are small enough for the body to absorb into the bloodstream. That is how the nutrients such as the vitamins and minerals in your food are transferred from your food into your body to kickstart all the body processes that require these nutrients.
The process of digestion begins in your mouth when you chew your food, aided by chemical digestion from enzymes in your saliva.
The food that you eat every day moves through your body, beginning in your mouth, and transits right through your entire digestive system until the unwanted and unneeded parts are excreted.
There are a number of different organs in the body which perform an essential role in the digestive process. The stomach for example has powerful acids which continue the work done by the teeth and the saliva to break your food down into smaller and smaller components. This process continues in the small intestine with the aid of the pancreas and the liver, and it is in the intestine that the nutrients and fluids pass through into the bloodstream.
Good digestion is a purely unconscious process. You don't need to make a decision to start your body digesting its breakfast, it all happens automatically. You don't even know about it.
But you certainly know about it if you are suffering from indigestion. Indigestion is a general term referring to a range of unpleasant symptoms which emanate commonly from the stomach. These can include nausea, pain, gas and bloating and more, and for those suffering from serious indigestion can be very unpleasant.
The causes of indigestion can be simple, from gobbling your food too fast to eating too much fatty or spicy food, to smoking or more such as anxiety or pregnancy.
However a wide range of underlying medical conditions can also cause indigestion and for this reason if you are a new sufferer the first step you should take is to consult your doctor to investigate the possibility of a related medical condition.
Indigestion can be accompanied by heartburn, though this has nothing to do with the heart and everything to do with your stomach. It is caused by acid in the stomach coming up the oesophagus, and whilst the stomach lining protects you from the burning sensation of the acid the lining of the oesophagus does not, and the pain associated with heartburn is caused by the burning of this stomach acid.
Sometimes it's a relatively simple matter to make a few dietary changes and change a few dietary habits and your indigestion is cured. For instance if you like your spicy foods it would certainly not hurt to change your diet for a period of time by eliminating spicy foods to see what difference this makes. Reducing your consumption of alcohol can sometimes help as well.
Indigestion is extremely common in our society, and is often not associated with a serious medical condition. The market for products to combat indigestion, and in particular to combat acid reflux which is another name to heartburn, makes millions of dollars for many drug companies.
However using over-the-counter products to cure indigestion may not be the best remedy. Often the best remedy for indigestion is just to improve your digestion.
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