Watch for these symptoms... The causes of indigestion
Indigestion is the result of an organic or functional disturbance occurring at any step of the digestive process. Food cannot be fully digested, absorbed, or eliminated. The medical term for indigestion is "dyspepsia." In some cases, dyspepsia can be a symptom of a significant illness, but it is generally classified as a mild digestive disorder.
SYMPTOMS OF INDIGESTION
Indigestion presents with a variety of different complaints depending on where in the digestive system and process the disturbance occurs. Bloating, cramping, fullness, gas, heaviness, a feeling of satiety, and stomach pain felt in the upper abdomen are all complaints of indigestion. The most frequently described complaint is a feeling of fullness and satiety in the stomach. The comparison "it feels like there's a stone sitting in my stomach" is the most typical and common way of describing it.
This is followed by acid reflux, burning, and bloating in the stomach. Bloating, one of the frequent findings of indigestion, can sometimes be severe enough to make breathing difficult, which creates the need to burp. Consuming baking soda, mineral water, and antacid tablets to help with burping is also a common behavior.
The next stage of indigestion is nausea and the urge to vomit. Food failing to move through the digestive tract can lead both to a decrease in appetite and to the person seeking relief through vomiting. In cases that worsen and persist for a long time, headache, sleep disturbance, and fatigue are also conditions we frequently encounter in the clinic.
Another consequence of indigestion is weight change. Since food is not fully digested, weight gain may begin after some time. However, the opposite — weight loss — is also seen quite frequently in people with serious indigestion complaints. This weight loss results from the person, wishing to avoid these complaints, eating less and subsequently avoiding food altogether. In cases of significant weight loss, a weakened immune system and frequent illness, restlessness, depression, anemia, and constant fatigue are also conditions we encounter in the clinic.
THE CAUSES OF INDIGESTION
Digestive disorders usually arise as a result of poor habits. To eliminate a symptom, the causes must first be identified and removed. As with all diseases, the severity and extent of the condition varies depending on the organ and function affected.
Digestive enzymes are the substances that break down food. The liver, pancreas, gallbladder, stomach, and small intestine are the organs that produce enzymes. Digestive enzyme deficiencies are the most important cause of indigestion. In any disease or functional disorder of these organs, regardless of the cause, indigestion may be the first complaint encountered.
For example, since the pancreas, among its many functions, produces enzymes and special secretions for the digestion of all major nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat), a person with a disease of this organ experiences indigestion after eating, regardless of which food group is consumed. In the case of a functional disorder in the liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts — which are responsible for fat digestion — a person naturally experiences indigestion when that food group is consumed. The best-known example of this is people who have gallstones.
Enzymes are activated and set into motion by certain minerals in the body. Consequently, mineral deficiencies (such as zinc and magnesium) are also an often-overlooked cause of indigestion resulting from impaired enzyme function. The indigestion seen in diabetes or in cases of disrupted intestinal flora is, just like in pancreatic diseases, another example of indigestion resulting from enzyme deficiency.
Stomach acid is needed for the digestion of proteins. In certain stomach diseases, if the stomach cannot produce enough acid, protein digestion cannot occur adequately, and the clinical picture again presents as indigestion.
Not drinking water, or drinking too little, is the cause whose mechanism is easiest to understand. In a digestive system lacking sufficient water, digestive difficulties and constipation, along with every kind of digestive system complaint, are commonly encountered.
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