Diet Cure for Dyspepsia - Home remedies, symptom, cause, treatment of Dyspepsia

What is Dyspepsia?

Dyspepsia is a word of Greek origin meaning indigestion or difficulty in digestion. Any gastrointestinal symptom associated with taking of food is called dyspepsia. It is one of the most common ailments today and results from dietetic errors.

The stomach, which is the most used organ of the body, resembles a pear shaped pouch. It forms part of the digestive tract which is a tube coiled in loops, nearly 28 feet long. It varies in size and position depending on how much food it contains. An overloaded stomach prevents the diaphragm from functioning properly. It may also press on the heart.

What are the symptom of Dyspepsia?

Abdominal pain, a feeling of over-fullness after eating, heartburn loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting and flatulence or gas are the usual symptoms of dyspepsia. Vomiting usually produces relief. What is vomited is intensely sour to the taste. Other symptoms are a foul taste in the mouth, coated tongue and bad breath. At times a sensation of strangling in the throat is experienced. IN most cases of indigestion, the patient suffers from constipation which adds to the acidity of the system.

What are the causes of Dyspepsia?

The main causes for dyspepsia are overeating, eating wrong food combinations, eating too rapidly and neglecting proper mastication and salivation of food. Overeating or frequent eating produces a feverish state in the system and overtaxes the digestive organs. It produces excessive acid and causes the gastric mucous membrane to become congested. Hyperacidity is the common result. Over-eating makes the work of the stomach, liver, kidneys and bowels harder. When this food putrefies, its poisons are absorbed back into the blood and consequently, the whole system is poisoned.

Dietary Treatment of Dyspepsia and home remedies

The only effective treatment for dyspepsia is a thorough cleansing of the digestive tract and adoption of sensible dietary habits thereafter, along with change in style of living. The best way to commence the treatment is to adopt an all-fruit diet for about five days. In this regimen, the patient should take three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, oranges, grape-fruits, pineapples, peaches and melons. Dried, stewed or tinned fruits, however, should not be taken. No other foodstuff should be added to the fruit meals, otherwise the value of the treatment will be lost.

In case of severe dyspepsia, it will be advisable to fast for two or three days before adopting an all-fruit diet. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may take a restricted diet of easily digestible foods, consisting of lightly cooked vegetables, juicy fruits and butter-milk for about ten days. He may, then gradually embark upon a well- balanced diet as outlined in Chapter 1 ( Diet in Health and disease.).

A home remedy for chronic dyspepsia is to chew about one gram of ginger with powder of rock salt before meals. For flatulence and gas, garlic is an excellent remedy. It neutralises putrefactive toxins and kills unhealthy bacteria. It also eliminates gas and helps digestion.