Natural for stomach ache What really helps against stomach upset

Do not immediately take tablets: what helps with stomach problems
Be it for sumptuous meals, foods that are not so well tolerated, or simply because you are more "sensitive": stomach problems are common. The quick grip on tablets is then usually not advisable. A longer-term medication can harm the body. Various home remedies can help with ailments in the gastrointestinal tract.

Listen to your own body
Gastrointestinal complaints are common. Stress is a common reason for stomach ache. In some people, the cause is also the glass of wine in the evening or fiber-rich food that they can not tolerate. You should not reach for tablets immediately. For a sensitive stomach, it's better to listen to your own body.

Usually, simple home remedies can help against stomach problems and heartburn. Nevertheless, many sufferers quickly resort to medication. This can result in long-term side effects. (Image: drubig-photo / fotolia.com)

Home remedies for heartburn
The advises Hans Michael Mühlenfeld from the family doctors association. In a message from the news agency dpa, he said: "It's best to try for yourself if you can not eat a particularly fatty meal that well."

In addition, most people are better off eating several small portions and chewing each bite well. According to the doctor, home remedies such as a glass of milk or Bullrich salt help against heartburn - "everything that binds acid".

One of the best home remedies for heartburn is raw sauerkraut, according to other health experts.

Healthy food and relaxation
Smoking and consumption of alcohol, certain foods such as chocolate, greasy or spicy meals or carbonated drinks should be reduced if necessary.

Since stress is a major trigger for heartburn, relaxation exercises offer stress relief, such as yoga or autogenic training.

It is also useful to suggest methods for digestion, for example with the help of Swedish bitter or by extensive chewing of the food.

From home remedies for stomach aches, there are, among other home-made Magentees, for example with fennel or cumin.

Medications are often tempting
Although the symptoms can often be resolved naturally, both doctors and patients resort too often to gastric acid blockers, so-called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)..

"These funds help very well," Mühlenfeld said dpa. "It is accordingly tempting to take them," said the doctor, who has his practice in Bremen.

More side effects than previously known
Recently, the German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS) warned against long-term side effects such as osteoporosis.

In a press release they wrote: "Recently there are increasing indications that a long-term intake of PPIs could cause more side effects than previously known."

PPIs such as omeprazole should therefore only be taken if the doctor has prescribed them and their dose is really necessary. They are used, among other things, in stomach diseases caused by acid.

"In some cases, their use as" stomach protection ", ie as a precaution of gastric bleeding, triggered by the long-term use of certain drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, meaningful and important," said the DGVS expert Professor. med. Matthias Ebert, in a message. (Ad)