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Miserable Stomach? Try These Holistic Methods for Relief

Prevention:

  1. Heartburn – try to eliminate some of the worst heartburn offenders from your diet. Spicy, fried and greasy foods are pretty clear, but chocolate, tomato sauce and even ketchup can cause your stomach to rebel. Avoid coffee and don’t go to bed for 3 to 4 hours after eating a heavy meal.
  2. Gas and Bloating – Avoid hard candy, fizzy drinks, cauliflower, beans and bran. Artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol and manitol found in sugar free candy and gum can also create a gassy gut.
  3. Gut Health – Probiotics taken daily can help keep “good” bacterial activity in your gut.

Natural Remedies:

  • Peppermint– in the form of tea, capsule or drops taken 30 minutes before a meal can help relax the muscles of your intestines. May also help curb hunger so you eat less too!
  • Ginger Tea – Add a little honey for an additional health benefits. Helps settle the stomach
  • Baking Soda – Mix about 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water to relieve heartburn symptoms. Use with caution, baking soda has a good deal of salt
  • Aloe – Reduces inflammation of the stomach and intestines
  • Heating Pad – Can help ease pain and cramping

To Get Moving:

  1. Prevention – A healthy diet with lots of fiber from fruits, vegetables and whole grains in addition to exercise and tons of water can keep you on track
  2. Occasional Relief – The addition of bulk fiber, mineral/olive/fish oil, psyllium husk to a fruit or vegetable smoothie is a pleasant option to try. Simply adding black strap molasses and lemon juice to a glass of warm water may also help. Specially formulated herbal teas and enemas should be used only when gentle methods have failed.

To Stop Moving:

  1. Follow the “BRAT” diet, an acronym for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. These foods should be added to the diet; they should not replace a normal, well-balanced diet.
  2. Carob powder mixed with applesauce and honey
  3. Blackberry Root Back – A teaspoon of tincture mixed with water every two to four hours.

Sources:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00344/diarrhea.html

http://www.homeremedyshop.com/50-natural-laxatives-that-are-really-helpful/

http://skinnywithfiber.org/10-natural-laxatives-that-will-really-help/

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20527745_5,00.html