The belly is a workaholic. He also has no other choice: after all, in the course of a lifetime, an average of 60 tons of food and 50,000 liters of liquid are required for processing. It is not surprising that the gastrointestinal tract occasionally revolts. All the more so as his working conditions become more and more adverse due to lack of exercise, stress and overweight. The disease of civilization Gastritis Indigestion is the number one disease of civilization. One in ten women suffers from recurring heartburn, and the same is true for the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. Gastritis is also a mass phenomenon. One in three women suffers from a lax metabolism, at 12 percent the constipation is chronic. Most are harmless suffering. But that does not change the fact that the complaints affect the quality of life. The affected people can therefore not quite happy about a doctor's findings such as "you are healthy". The walk to the doctor is still worthwhile. The devil of abdominal pain of all kinds is that the symptoms are often fatal. Thus, what is considered chronic gastritis can often be a much more harmless irritable stomach. And: Suffering from the irritable bowel (flatulence, combined with diarrhea or constipation) may become more bearable as soon as one learns that there is no serious illness behind it.

Worrying on the stomach The soul often plays sick with the gastrointestinal tract. Sayings like "something hits the stomach", "prepares stomach ache" or "having anger in the stomach" illustrate this fact. Already in the 40s of the last century, the American gastrointestinal specialist TP Elmy found out: painful stress situations increase the intestinal motility, while the feeling of helplessness inhibits it. People with irritable bowel syndrome are often anxious, depressed people with a high tendency to listen in, my experts. Nervousness, on the other hand, can promote heartburn – after all, unruly natures tend to choke on air. Bacteria as a trigger for gastrointestinal complaints However, the psyche can not be held responsible for any abdominal pressing. The risk of contracting a gastric ulcer by overworking and worrying is, according to recent findings, extremely low. Rather, today a helical bacterium called "Helicobacter pylori" is the main cause of gastric and duodenal ulcer (95 percent) as well as chronic gastritis (90 percent). Contagion occurs from contaminated water, contaminated food and from person to person. The bacterium nests in the gastric mucosa, proliferates there and secretes toxic substances that cause inflammation. It is assumed that every third person carries the germ. However, only in a minority of the microorganism causes the classic, sometimes stabbing and spasmodic symptoms in the upper abdomen.
The culprit is now easier to detect than ever: A new, over-the-counter test from the pharmacy provides certainty. And then? A one-week antibiotic cure has a healing success of 87 percent. The risk of another infection is extremely unlikely. Incorrect diet for irritable bowel Many do not know that too much raw food and fiber can cause discomfort. Especially young, athletic women who are very nutrition-conscious often do too much of a good thing. The consequences are cramping, flatulence and constipation. The reason: too much raw food leads to fermentation processes and a bacterial overgrowth of the large intestine. From three o'clock in the afternoon, vegetables should therefore only be consumed stewed. Also underestimated is the role of countless food intolerances. Unlike the rare food allergies, the body reacts to incompatibilities neither immediately nor extremely strong. With the consequence that these often remain hidden for years.
Particularly common is lactose intolerance (lactose intolerance), which affects 10 to 15 percent of Western Europeans. A deficiency of the enzyme lactase is responsible for the fact that milk sugar in the small intestine can not be properly processed, which leads to abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea. But those affected do not have to avoid all dairy products. Yoghurt, sour milk and cheese contain little or no milk sugar. And even lactose-free milk is now available on the market. Periodic abdominal pain can also be attributed to histamine intolerance. In this case, the tissue hormone histamine, due to a malfunction of the enzyme diamine oxidase, degraded poorly. A handicap that only becomes a problem when you consume additional histamines in the form of cheese, red wine, canned fish or certain sausages. The result is indigestion, coupled with other symptoms such as headache, flushing and heat.
Incorrect eating habits Often less the wrong food than a bad eating technique is the basic evil of a disturbed digestion. The alternative medicine direction FX Mayr, which has prescribed itself like no other to the abdomen, its symptoms and needs, always praises the "extensive chewing". The famous Mayr cure, hard rolls and milk, serves to re-learn precisely this crushing process. Too often it is forgotten that the chemical decomposition of food already begins with saliva. Each bite should therefore be chewed up to 30 times.