The experience of a stomach pain starts with a cramp and feels like your abdomen is biting you. Most causes of stomach pain aren’t worrisome and you can get quick aid from a general physician. However, sometimes it can be a sign of severe diseases. This is why, along with the home remedies for stomach pain, you need to know the symptoms, causes, and how to react. Here, we will give you a complete guide on all these aspects.
Table of Contents
Common causes of stomach pain
Just as we have different types of stomach pain like mild, sharp, and cramps, the causes are different too. For example, when you have constipation, indigestion, or a stomach virus, you will feel a certain kind of stomach pain. If you face menstrual cramps as a woman, this pain will be different. Other causes of stomach pain are:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Food poisoning
- Gas
- Crohn’s disease
You might have a stomach pain if you’re lactose intolerant or if you have a pelvic inflammatory disease or ulcers. Some more causes of severe abdominal pain include:
- Hernia
- Kidney stones
- Gallstones
- Endometriosis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Diverticulitis
- Appendicitis
When to see a doctor?
Many of us ignore abdominal pain thinking that it is a mild gastric issue or indigestion. If you’re sure of that and you know the quickest remedy, then it is fine. You can also try home remedies for stomach pain to ease the condition. However, you also need to know when the condition is going out of your hand that validates that you need a doctor.
The first symptom that ensures you need a doctor is when your abdominal pain is severe. You might pop in medicine and see nothing is working. In such a case, you need to rush to a doctor and let him diagnose the condition. If you find the stomach pain reduce and come back again, you need to consult a doctor then too.
Call 911 if your stomach hurts after a recent injury or chest pain. If you have stomach pain along with the symptoms listed below, you need a doctor immediately:
- Fever
- Dehydration
- Dark-colored urine or infrequent urine
- Belly feels thirsty all the time
- Not having a proper bowel movement and more chances of vomiting
- Pain while urinating
- Frequent urination
- Can’t keep food down for long
- If the stomach is tender to a touch
- Pain persists for more than 3 hours and isn’t menstrual pain
- Upset stomach for a week
There can be signs that show up internally and indicate that you need to see a doctor. In such cases, you need to see a doctor right away. These cases are:
- Blood in vomit
- Tarry bowel movement
- Breathing problem
- Regular vomit
- Belly swell
- Yellow skin
- Pregnancy symptoms
How doctors diagnose the abdominal problem?
Now that you know there are plenty of causes of stomach pain, your doctor needs to go through a physical examination. He/she will ask you some questions about the symptoms to understand the type of pain you have.
Check out the questions the doctor might ask you:
- Does it hurt all through the abdominal area or one specific area?
- What time do you feel the pain? Is more in the morning or more at night?
- Does pain come and go? How long does it last?
- Do you feel the pain while eating a certain food?
- Do you drink alcohol and that makes you feel pain?
- Is it menstruation pain? Do you have pain while menstruating?
- Does the pain move to your lower back, groin, shoulders, or buttocks?
- Do you take any medicines or herbal supplements?
- Are you pregnant?
- Do you do any activity to ease stomach pain? Is it eating something or lying down?
- Is there any activity that makes the condition worse?
- Did you have an accident or injury recently?
After your doctor has asked you all that he needed to, he/she will recommend you to get tests done. The tests will determine the cause of your stomach pain. There can be different types of tests that the doctor will ask you to take. Common types of tests are:
- Urine test
- Blood test
- Endoscopy
- CT scan
- Ultrasound
- Barium swallows or enemas
How to settle an upset stomach?
Experiencing left side stomach pain and finding it move to other directions is a common symptom of gas. All of us have this type of stomach pain at some point in time. Problems like stomach upset, indigestion, or dyspepsia after consuming something that our body cannot take is natural and not severe. Such types of conditions might not be a reason to worry and home remedies for stomach pain can cure them.
Symptoms of indigestion or stomach upset
The following lists the symptoms of indigestion or signs you have a stomach upset:
- Acid reflux or heartburn
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Gas
- Farting
- Belching
- Bringing up foul-taste of food or fluid
- Bad breath
- Coughing
- Hiccupping
Best home remedies for stomach pain
Looking for ways how to get rid of a stomach ache in 5 minutes? Check out the top food for stomach ache and ways to use them to cure pain:
1. Ginger
One of the best home remedies for stomach pain and gas is the wonder ingredient of ginger. Ginger is an age-old remedy to cure stomach upset and indigestion. It includes shogaols and gingerols to speed up stomach contractions. It can break foods that cause indigestion quickly.
Ginger is potent enough to reduce vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. People who have an upset stomach add ginger to their beverages like tea and to their food.
2. Mint
Mint is not just an ingredient used for bad breath. It helps you prevent conditions like:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Relieve stomach pain
- Reduce muscle spasms in intestines
According to researchers, mint is an age-old remedy to treat gas, indigestion, and diarrhea. People in India, Pakistan, and Iran have used this extensively for centuries to maintain proper bowels.
Both cooked and raw mint leaves work for these conditions. Many people boil mint leaves and add cardamom while making tea. You can extract juice from mint leaves or buy powder mint and add it to recipes.
You can also buy mint candies to reduce the pain from the stomach and freshen your mouth. Mint candies can ease heartburn as well.
3. BRAT diet
People who have diarrhea might need to follow the BRAT diet. BRAT includes Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. All of these have starch in them that binds food together and makes your stool firm. You might go to the washroom infrequently, but it treats diarrhea with time.
The BRAT diet might taste bland but that’s also why it doesn’t irritate the stomach, intestine, and throat. The diet can soothe tissue irritation that results from acids in vomit.
The BRAT diet is highly nutritious and includes potassium and magnesium that your body loses during vomiting and diarrhea.
4. Lemon and baking soda
There are some studies which record that you should mix a lemon extract with water and add a pinch of baking soda to relieve digestive problems. The mixture releases carbonic acid that helps reduce indigestion and gas. The remedy also improves intestinal mobility and liver secretion.
Lemon helps us break down fat and promotes digestion. It neutralizes bile acid and reduces acidity in the stomach.
You simply need to add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in 8 ounces of water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and mix well. Drink the beverage and you will easily fight acid problems within an hour.
5. Cinnamon
Cinnamon has substances that can reduce bloating and gastric issues. It has a high amount of antioxidant level that eases digestion and reduces the risk of damage and irritation of the digestive tract. The best antioxidants present in cinnamon include eugenol, linalool, camphor, and cinnamaldehyde.
There are other potent elements in cinnamon that reduce belching, cramping, along with bloating. It neutralizes the acidic content in your stomach and reduces the chances of heartburn.
If you have a stomach upset, you must add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder or an inch of a cinnamon stick to your recipes. You can also add it to tea and have a cup of it every day. Repeating this 2-3 times a day will help relieve indigestion.
6. Cloves
Cloves help you reduce gas from the stomach and increase gastric secretion. It speeds up slowing digestion and reduces pressure from cramping. Cloves can also reduce vomiting and nausea.
People who have an upset stomach must try and mix 1-2 teaspoons of powdered cloves and add 1 teaspoon of honey to it. Follow this once every day before bedtime.
If you have heartburn or nausea, add cloves to 8 ounces of boiling water rather than having tea. Drink the water twice per day and the condition will improve.
7. Cumin
Cumin seeds have active ingredients to help you:
- Reduce indigestion
- Fight stomach acids
- Decrease gas
- Reduce inflammation in the intestine
- Work like an antimicrobial element
If you upset your stomach, add 1-2 teaspoons of powdered or ground cumin in your meals. You can also add cumin seeds in boiling water to make tea. As per the traditional medical system, chewing a few raw cumin seeds can soothe heartburn. It can inevitably work towards reducing gastric issues.
8. Figs
Figs include substances that work as a laxative and treat constipation. It improves bowel movements and has compounds that treat indigestion. If you have a constant problem of stomach upset, you must add figs to your daily diet.
You can also use 1 to 2 teaspoon of fig leaves and add it to boiling water. Make tea like you normally do and drink the tasty beverage. Note that people who have diarrhea must avoid eating figs.
9. Aloe juice
Aloe Vera is a wonder plant that gives you plenty of benefits. Along with various other beauty and health benefits, this plant helps you:
- Reduce stomach aid
- Improve bowel movements
- Remove toxins
- Improve protein digestion
- Balance digestive bacteria
- Reduce inflammation
According to a study, researchers found out that people who drink 10 ml of aloe juice every day for a month, reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal reflux disease. Aloe juice also treats heartburn, vomiting, nausea, belching, flatulence, food regurgitation, and acid.
10. Basil
Basil improves appetite and digestion. You might only use this for garnishing your food, but you won’t know much difference it makes. Basil leaves relieve stomach cramps, improve appetite, and overall digestion. The eugenol content in basil leaves reduces the level of acid in the stomach. It also includes a high amount of linoleic acid and has anti-inflammatory properties.
You can add both fresh and dried basil leaves to your meals to find the symptoms reduce. If you need an immediate result, you can mix half a teaspoon of dried basil leaves or 3 fresh leave in warm water to make tea.
11. Rice
People who have rice as their staple should stick to it. Having a small amount of rice adds good carbs to your body. It helps improve bowel movements and absorbs fluids that contain toxins.
Rice can ease cramps and pain due to the high level of potassium and magnesium. If you vomit due to diarrhea, eating a cup of plain rice can ease your pain.
Wait for a few hours after you vomit and take medication, and then have rice. Within 2 days, you will find the condition reduce. Note that rice is a part of BRAT diet and doctors often recommend you to have it to treat acidic conditions.
12. Coconut water
Coconut has several benefits and is one of the best home remedies for stomach pain. It includes high levels of magnesium and potassium that reduces pain, cramps, and muscle spasms.
Coconut water is useful to rehydrate and is often altered against sports drinks. It has low calories and gives instant energy. Just sip 2 glasses of fresh coconut water every 6 hours and find your stomach soothe within a day.
Final thoughts
Now you have the best home remedies for stomach pain, you need to know what is easily available to cure your condition right now. Isn’t it amazing that you will find most of these in your kitchen or a grocery store next to you?
Having the right kind of food keeps stomach problems at bay. If you add the above elements to your diet, you will stay fit and healthy.
