Calming Stomach and Gastric Upset
Part 1: Nausea and Heartburn
By John Steinke, LAc
The gastro-intestinal tract has two primary
nutritional functions. The stomach,
or gastric region, begins the
process of digestion to prepare food for
assimilation in the small intestines. The
intestines sort through the digested components
so they can be absorbed into the
bloodstream, or passed through the alimentary
canal to be excreted.
Part I of this article will examine the
two primary forms of discomfort indicating
poor digestion: nausea and heartburn. Both
conditions can arise from illness, aging,
overeating, eating the wrong foods, and
excessive consumption of alcohol and soft
drinks. They are also commonly seen side
effects of prescription and over-the-counter
medicines. While nausea and heartburn are
not diseases, they can by symptomatic of
different conditions that can accompany or
trigger other serious disorders.
In addition to addressing the most
common causes of gastric upset, I will also
review the potential benefits of GastroCalm®, Tango Advanced Nutrition's
enhanced version of one of the most popular
digestive herbal formulas used throughout
Asia to settle the stomach and promote
proper digestion.
Nausea
Nausea is the queasy sensation in the stomach
that is often accompanied by the urge to
vomit. Food, alcohol and motion sickness
are obvious culprits, but nausea can also be
triggered by a host of other causes, many of
which do not begin in the stomach itself.
Migraine headaches, Meniere's disease,
prescription medications and even common
dietary supplements are frequent contributors
to nausea symptoms.
Nausea Related to Food,
Alcohol and Travel
We've all done it before - had too much
to eat and drink during the holiday festivities.
As a result we experience gastric
upset in the form of nausea, vomiting,
bloating, gas, belching, dyspepsia (heartburn),
diarrhea and general discomfort as
our stomach tries to calm down. Toss in
travel across time zones and a touch of
motion sickness and the problem can
become unbearable.
Nausea Related to Food Poisoning
Consuming contaminated or tainted foods
is another common factor contributing to
gastric upset. According to the Centers for
Disease Control, every year approximately
76 million people in the United States
get sick from eating contaminated food,
and approximately 5,000 of those people
will actually die from foodborne illness.
Nausea and Migraines
Migraines are a neurological syndrome
characterized by altered bodily perceptions
(i.e., visual disturbances or "aura")
and throbbing headaches. Migraine sufferers
often experience nausea and vomiting
accompanied by a pronounced and
extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia),
sounds (phonophobia) and odors (osmophobia).
In severe attacks, even normal
activities such as standing or walking can
intensify pain to the point where normal
function is completely disrupted.
Migraines strike women three times
as frequently as men, affecting 5% of men
and 17 percent of women in the United
States, and an estimated 240 million people
worldwide suffer 1.4 billion migraine
attacks each year. In spite of these numbers,
according to the International
Headache Society, many migraines go
unrecognized and under-treated due
largely to the fact that there are no recognized
biological markers to confirm the
diagnosis.
While the exact cause of migraine is
not fully understood, migraines can be
triggered by internal and external factors,
such as stress, anxiety, food allergies, hormones
and changes in light, heat and altitude.
When triggered, the nervous system
responds with increased serotonergic
activity in the brain, vasodilation of the
extracranial blood vessels, and concomitant
vasoconstriction of the intracranial
blood vessels. Nausea is one of the main
physical symptoms frequently seen in
migraines, occurring in up to 20 percent
of migraine episodes.
While current therapeutic options for
migraines are often not effective or are
accompanied by troublesome side effects,
GastroCalm can be very effective in
calming the nausea that occurs with
migraines. In my clinical experience,
GastroCalm by itself sometimes eliminated
migraine headaches by reducing nausea
at the first onset of symptoms.
In situations where allergies are leading
to migraines, AllerPhase may help to
short-circuit an attack by halting or calming
the underlying allergic reaction. Taken
together, GastroCalm and AllerPhase may
help to prevent or reduce the incidence of
episodes while mitigating the headache
pain and nausea associated with migraines.
Nausea and Meniere's Disease
Meniere's disease is a common disorder
characterized by sudden and debilitating
attacks of violent vertigo (dizziness)
accompanied by fluctuating hearing loss,
ear fullness and/or tinnitus and nausea.
While the exact cause of Meniere's is not
known, autoimmune reactions, including
allergies and migraines, are implicated as
triggers that lead to fluctuating pressure
changes in endolymph, a fluid in the inner
ear. As this fluid accumulates in the inner
ear it is thought that excess fluid can burst
from its normal channels in the ear and
flow into other areas, causing damage.
We know from previous comments
from customers that AllerPhase is very
effective at interrupting allergic responses
and resolving fluid accumulations in the
nasal passages and lungs. It is likely that a
similar benefit occurs in the ears, and that
AllerPhase may help in halting and alleviating
vertigo and ear fullness during
attacks of Meniere's.
Nausea is another common symptom
in Meniere's attacks. As with migraines,
this symptom does not have a cause in the
stomach, but arises from the inner ear,
much like motion sickness. While
AllerPhase may help to reduce Meniere's
attacks, GastroCalm may also aid in alleviating
the nausea that does occur with
full-blown episodes.
Nausea and Medications
Gastric upset and nausea are common side
effects of a large number of medications
(for an extensive list of over 3,900 prescription
and OTC medications that can
cause nausea, visit: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.
com/symptoms/nausea/sideeffects.
htm). The problem is particularly
pronounced when one has to take more
than one medication at the same time. In
my practice GastroCalm has proven to be
a safe option to mitigate or reduce the nausea
occurring from medications.
Heartburn and Gastric Acid
Heartburn, acid reflux, dyspepsia - all are
names for the painful, burning discomfort
experienced as stomach acid backs up
into the esophagus and irritates sensitive
tissues. Gastroesophageal reflux, or GER,
is a common, occasional symptom that
everyone experiences from time to time.
Of a more severe nature, GERD, or gastroesophageal
reflux disorder, is a chronic,
persistent problem often accompanied
by dry cough, asthma symptoms and difficulty
swallowing. If the situation is left
unresolved, GERD can lead to more serious
health problems.
GastroCalm can be very helpful in
diminishing the symptoms of heartburn,
and may interrupt the progression of acid
reflux into more serious disorders. This is
illustrated in the following letter sent to us
by a naturopathic doctor who frequently
recommends GastroCalm to his patients.
"I recently treated a 50-year-old male
for a second recurrence of GERD.
Various medications and supplements
had helped somewhat. When I placed
him on GastroCalm, 2 capsules, 3 times
daily, over the course of about five
weeks he was able to eliminate his medications
and most of his other supplements.
He has also returned to eating
regular foods with no ill effects. He now
takes GastroCalm as needed for occasional
rare flare-ups upon overeating."
Sleep Apnea Linked
to "Silent Reflux"
Incidence of nighttime acid reflux has
been linked with significant sleep disruptions,
according to a survey presented at
the 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the
American College of Gastroenterology.
Researchers at the University of
Arizona have found that sleep impairment
occurs more than twice as frequently in
people with GERD (42 percent) than
those without GERD (20 percent).
These findings confirm a previous
study of 81 patients with documented
sleep complaints. Of those with reflux, 94
percent reported that acid reflux interrupted
their sleep. Based on this study,
William C. Orr, Ph.D. of Lynn Health
Science Institute in Oklahoma City speculated
that "Silent reflux" may be a significant
cause of sleep disturbances in
patients with unexplained sleep disorders.
In another sleep study presented by
researchers at Duke University Medical
Center, gastric reflux was found to be
common and frequently severe in 168
patients undergoing sleep studies for
sleep apnea. These patients had frequent
daytime and nighttime heartburn symptoms.
Those with sleep apnea reported
much lower quality of life on a selfadministered
questionnaire.
By helping to alleviate acid reflux
during the day and at night, GastroCalm
may significantly improve the quality of
sleep and thereby also quality of life.
GERD Linked to Asthma
Studies have shown that anywhere from
50 to 90 percent of patients with asthma
also experience some aspect of GERD.
For asthmatics, GastroCalm may help to
reduce the frequency with which they
experience heartburn. Interestingly, new
research shows that controlling heartburn
may also contribute to a reduced incidence
of asthma.
In laboratory experiments with mice,
Dr. Shu Lin, an assistant professor of surgery
and immunology at Duke University,
has found that inhaling tiny amounts of
stomach fluid that have backed up into the
esophagus – a hallmark of GERD – can led
to changes in the immune system that can
contribute to the development of asthma.
Dr. Lin suggests that by reducing
gastric reflux, people with GERD can
lessen their chances of developing asthma.
She recommends that people with
heartburn eat smaller meals, have their
last meal of the day several hours before
going to bed, raise the head of their bed a
few inches, maintain a healthy weight and
limit intake of fatty foods, coffee, tea, caffeine
and alcohol.
Summary
GastroCalm is an enhanced version of
Pill Curing, one of the most popular
digestive remedies used daily by millions
of people throughout the world. We have
enhanced the traditional formula with the
addition of Hawthorn fruit (Fructus
Crataegi) to aid in the digestion of meats
and fat. We have also included Pueraria
flower to reduce reactions to alcohol consumption.
This gentle, balanced herbal
formula supports rapid relief to alleviate
nausea, vomiting, belching and excessive
stomach acid. And in cases of gastrointestinal
distress accompanying the flu or
common cold, GastroCalm may be combined
with ImmunoPhase.
GastroCalm is also perfect for those
experiencing occasional stomach upset
resulting from overeating and consuming
alcohol, and offers relief for those experiencing
queasiness or stomach distress
related to new foods and/or motion sickness
[car, plane, train, boat, etc.].
GastroCalm is a very useful remedy
for improving digestion and resolving the
two most common types of digestive disorders
- nausea and heartburn. Because
nausea and heartburn are common discomforts
that appear with - and may trigger
- other conditions, the formula may
aid in resolving other health issues related
to gastric distress. Please note that we do
not recommend that GastroCalm be used
for nausea during pregnancy.