Do you frequently find yourself feeling bloated especially after meals? Do you experience nausea and belching?  Or do you usually suffer from vomiting and stomach discomfort? While these symptoms may sound not too serious, don’t take these for granted. You may be a victim of dyspepsia or indigestion. Chronic recurrence of dyspepsia may be more alarming than you think.

People who experience severe symptoms of this condition may find it difficult to go to work. And while antacids can relieve dyspeptic symptoms, some sufferers endure extremely painful stomach discomfort. This forces them to go through expensive diagnostic procedures. Add up the frequent visits to the doctor and dyspepsia could be very costly to any individual.

Causes

There are many causes of dyspepsia. The most common cause is the interaction of the stomach acid with the sensitive protective lining of the digestive system called the mucosa. This results to irritation and inflammation that can lead to the symptoms of indigestion.Other causes of dyspepsia include eating too much, especially greasy and spicy foods. It could also be due to eating too fast. If you like to drink a lot of coffee, then you could have dyspepsia later on. The same goes if you are fond of drinking alcohol and eating chocolate.  Emotional stress and depression could also cause this digestion problem.In some cases, dyspepsia can be a symptom of a more serious problem like stomach cancer.  In fact, it could also be due to non-gastrointestinal diseases such as thyroid disease, diabetes, hyperparathyroidism or overactive parathyroid glands, and kidney ailment.

When to See a Doctor

Mild indigestion can be treated with antacids.  But there may come a time when the stomach discomfort becomes too unbearable for you that you have to see a doctor for medical help. You should also visit a specialist if you notice that your weight has gone down, your appetite has been affected, and you excrete black stools. Medical help is also required if the dyspepsia is accompanied by sweating, shortness of breath, and yellow coloring of the skin and eyes.

Treatment

There are various treatments for dyspepsia depending on its cause. One of these is Nexium which is especially made for indigestion caused by eating too much fatty foods.  It is a proton-pump inhibitor that lessens that amount of acid secreted in the stomach. Aside from dyspepsia, it is also used in curing gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD and Zollnger-Ellison syndrome. Of course, you’re likely more interested in learning how to prevent dyspepsia.  There are many things you can do to avoid this discomfort. First is to eat small meals.  Avoid eating late at night so that your stomach will have enough time to digest your food. As much as possible, your last meal should be two hours before you go to bed. Avoid eating fatty and spicy foods. Lessen your intake of coffee, chocolates and alcohol.  Exercise regularly to improve digestion but don’t do it an hour after a meal. Finally, limit stress by doing relaxation exercises like yoga.