Stomach Acid and Problems Digesting Foods

Problems in digesting food can manifest in a number of ways. They can be chronic genetic conditions, diseases or physical injuries. Understanding how gastric acids function and maintain digestion efficiency can help get you back on your feet when you're not feeling your best.

• Digestive System

Symptoms

• Issues involving gastric acid often result in a uniform set of symptoms. Nausea, heart burn and dyspepsia are all symptoms that manifest inside the stomach. Other digestive ailments produce symptoms later in the digestive track, most commonly in the form of diarrhea or constipation.

Types

• Nausea, dyspepsia and other stomach ailments often point to specific diseases. The most common source of stomach discomfort is gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is a chronic condition that either drains gastric acid too quickly, hurting the mucosal coating, or prevents stomach acid from leaving. However, the same symptoms can also indicate an ulcer.

Diet

• A number of stomach and intestinal ills can be alleviated with dietary changes. General dyspepsia can be soothed by adding mint or ginger to meals. More problematic are the dietary constraints--avoiding fatty foods, milk and citrus--of those suffering from ulcers. Pain due to peptic ulcers can also be alleviated by the consumption of cabbage juice. A wide variety of stomach ailments can be alleviated simply by switching from three large meals to five or six small meals throughout the day.

Treatment

• Treatment for stomach acid problems and digestive issues depends upon the particular malady. Most peptic ulcers are caused by the H. pylori virus, which can be treated with antibiotics. Genetic illnesses, such as Crohn's disease, often require corticosteroid treatments during outbreaks and immunosuppressants during remission. Often, general dyspepsia can be relieved with bismuth, which is the main ingredient in over-the-counter stomach treatments such as Pepto-Bismol. Bismuth treats a wide variety of stomach acid problems by absorbing excess stomach acid.

Considerations

• Digestive problems and stomach issues are a symptom of many different kinds of ailments, making it difficult to determine the difference between a standard dyspepsia or diarrhea and more severe problems. In general, if digestion issues produce bloody stool or vomit, seek medical attention. This could indicate cancer, a genetic disease or a severe ulcer. Similarly, any chronic pain should be treated seriously. Even if pink bismuth, such as Pepto-Bismol, consistently alleviates symptoms, no one should experience digestive problems every day.