One of the organs that play a major role in human digestion is the stomach. The stomach has a very large role in the human digestive system. Before food enters and is digested by the intestine, the stomach holds the food and converts it with enzymes produced from the stomach.
In the stomach, there is acid that is hydrochloric acid. The role of this acid in the digestive system is to help break down food. If within reasonable limits, the role of stomach acid is to break down food and digest and absorb nutrients in food.
Stomach acid is corrosive. Although in the stomach there is a layer of mucus that can protect this stomach organ, if stomach acid in the body experiences a spike, of course it can endanger human health.
Several kinds of gastric health problems that arise include:
1. Stomach ulcer
Gastric ulcers arise due to wounds in the stomach caused by the eroded gastric mucus layer. One of the causes is a bacterial infection that causes the mucus layer to erode. Symptoms that can be felt are usually the onset of nausea, abdominal bloating, frequent belching, pain in the pit of the stomach.
2. GERD
GERD is another word for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Condition when food and drink that has reached the stomach rises back into the esophagus which has been mixed with stomach acid. Usually people with GERD feel a sour or bitter taste in their throat. Not only that, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty sleeping are also felt by GERD sufferers.
3. Gastritis
Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach wall. Gastritis appears categorized into two types, namely acute and chronic gastritis. The causes of gastritis are various, including long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, excessive alcohol consumption, to autoimmune diseases.
Sometimes, gastritis can appear without symptoms in some people. However, if a gastritis sufferer shows symptoms, it can be identified by the characteristics of the patient feeling nausea, vomiting, hiccups, pain in the pit of the stomach, to black stools
To prevent the onset of disease in the stomach and maintain gastric health can be done in several ways, such as:
1. Manage stress well
Along with the rapid development of the era, humans are also required to improve the performance and mobility of daily life. It is not surprising that in one day humans are expected to be able to complete several jobs at once. Also demands to complete all these matters on time. This can trigger stress.
Excessive stress can trigger an uncomfortable feeling in the upper abdomen. This discomfort can cause several complaints related to the digestive system such as constipation, abdominal bloating, and abdominal pain.
2. Maintain a good diet
Eating has an important role to carry energy in the body so that the body can work optimally. Eating regularly in the morning, afternoon, and evening can help our digestive performance well. Unfortunately, many of us have irregular eating patterns for various reasons. This irregular eating pattern is not good for the work of the human stomach. Humans are recommended to eat every 3 to 4 hours so as not to trigger excess stomach acid.
3. Consume water regularly
In addition to keeping the body hydrated, drinking water regularly also has a good impact on the health of our digestive organs. Regular consumption of water can keep stomach acid levels from rising excessively. This water consumption is of course adjusted to the needs of each person.
4. Reduce drinks containing caffeine
Caffeine is a substance that is usually contained in coffee, tea, and chocolate. For people with stomach pain, you should reduce or even stop consuming caffeine. Caffeine can trigger an increase in gastric acid secretion.
5. Consumption of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain lots of nutrients, fibre, and vitamins. Fibre consumption is very good for human digestive performance. Fibre helps the digestive organs digest food more easily. The easy process of digestion of food produces softer stools so that the process of defecation becomes easier.
6. Don’t lie down immediately after eating
Usually, after we finish eating our body will feel relaxed and we want to lie down because we are full. However, lying down after eating is very dangerous for our health conditions. Sleeping after eating causes acid reflux which can trigger GERD and other gastric problems.
7. Visit the doctor regularly
Any disease that we suffer from will be better if it can be handled and supervised directly by experts. This includes maintaining gastric health. It is better if we immediately meet and consult directly with a doctor who understands more about our health condition. The right treatment for our health conditions will certainly be more secure and can avoid worse side effects if we carelessly treat our own bodies without any scientific basis on health