Tips help manage queasy stomach
Q: My doctor says I have functional dyspepsia. To me, it’s just a perpetually queasy gut any time I eat. Since it isn’t a sign of some serious disease, he says I should just change my eating habits. What do you suggest?
A: Stomach problems with no easy-to-pinpoint cause are troubling. Fortunately, there are a few things to ease your discomfort. They range from stress reduction techniques like meditation, yoga and exercise to an elimination diet that identifies foods that may be causing you tummy trouble. Typically, spicy, fatty foods as well as alcohol, caffeine and carbonated beverages can trigger that kind of gut discomfort.
For help setting up a meditation routine go to mindful.org and search for “start your day with meditation.” Instructional yoga videos are on my.clevelandclinic.org.
To do an elimination diet, choose one food or type of food to cut out of your diet for at least a month. See if your symptoms improve. Add it back in. Do symptoms worsen? If that food doesn’t seem like a trigger, try eliminating and reintroducing another.
It’s also smart to eat more slowly. Put your fork down after every bite. Chew each bite carefully. Also try eating smaller meals more frequently.
Longer-term changes that may prove very effective include achieving and maintaining a healthy weight; reducing visceral belly fat (it is both inf lammatory and crowds your internal organs), and reducing chronic fatigue by being checked for sleep apnea. Between 12% and 22% of folks with moderate or chronic sleep apnea also experience functional dyspepsia.
How about supplements? Mayo Clinic suggests asking your doctor about taking a combination of peppermint and caraway oils or artichoke leaf extract. And they say Iberogast, with extracts of nine herbs, may relieve gastrointestinal spasms and improve your gut’s motility. In addition, a Japanese herbal remedy called Rikkunshito may improve abdominal pain, heartburn and bloating. And so may Dr. Mike’s favorite: 2,000 milligrams of bovine colostrum daily.
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevity playbook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com. Submit your health questions at www.doctoroz.com.