updated: 06/19/2019
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Children are easily vulnerable to illnesses though they are taken care of well. One of the most common health issues kids are facing is indigestion. Indigestion is not a disease, but an impact from the wrong diet or due to some circumstances. This article below gives you not only the necessary information about indigestion but also the home remedies which are easy to do with natural ingredients to deal with this disease.
What Is Indigestion?
As we mentioned above, indigestion is not a disease. Indigestion (or can be called dyspepsia) is an uncomfortable feeling in your belly. It may be along with a burning or pain sensation in parts of the stomach [1].
What Are Common Causes Of Indigestion?
There is a multitude of reasons resulting in indigestion:
- Eating and drinking habit
Eating too much can cause indigestion as the amount of inhaled food into the body is too fast for the stomach process well. In some cases, eating heavy-fat or spicy foods or drinking alcohol, coffee, or using tobacco can cause indigestion.
- Lifestyle
Life is fraught with difficulties. Anyone may face with physiological disturbance. People encounter stress from many different sources. Experiencing emotional stress may easily result in indigestion problem. For example, if a person is suffering from emotional stress such as divorce or mental issues they may be vulnerable [5].
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- Medications
For those who take medicines such as things containing steroids, antibiotics or aspirin; etc. will have side effects on belly [6].
What Are Symptoms Of Indigestion?
Anyone may have a stomachache from time to time. If you are faced with symptoms below it is highly likely that you are suffering indigestion [7]. Note that you must visit your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
- Have an uncomfortable feeling in the upper belly or have flatulence, heartburn because food has not yet processed completely.
- Bloating, especially after eating
- Right after eating, feel nausea or dizziness due to acid reflux
- Easily Full after eating even little amounts
- Poor appetite
When To See A Doctor?
Chronic indigestion, if not treated by a healthcare professional, may lead to serious consequences [8][9]. So you should ask for help from a doctor in case you have some below signs:
- Vomiting or vomit accompanied with blood
- Weight loss
- Lack of appetite
- Upper or lower abdominal pain
So now that you have equipped yourself with necessary information about what indigestion is and its symptoms; let’s find out what the best home remedies for indigestion are.
Top 12 Effective Home Remedies For Indigestion
1. Change Your Eating Habits
- Reduce Amount Of Some Foods: Firstly, you should avoid overeating fat or caffeine (alcohol, coke, coffee, chocolate, etc.) [10][11] or fried foods [12]. Avoid these foods that are hard to digest.
- Eat Small Meals: Dividing your time to savor the meal is one of the most effective ways to get rid of indigestion. Instead of eating three main meals as you usually do, now you can eat 5 to 6 times per day. Small meals help your belly work more effectively and efficiently [13].
2. Adjust Lifestyles
- Use comfortable clothes: Avoid should clothes because there is a likelihood that such clothes will make indigestion worse.
- Wait 3 hours between eating and lying down or going to bed
- Wait at least 2 hours to exercise viciously after eating. A light walk can help indigestion after eating.
- Avoid Stress. Although it is unavoidable with difficulties in life, you should find a way to savor the moments, reduce stress, and relax by listening to music or travelling [16].
3. Ginger
Among home remedies for indigestion, do not forget to use ginger! Besides being well-known for a healthy spice, ginger is also known as an excellent natural antibiotic for health with minimal side effects when taken in moderation [20][21]. With a small dose of ginger, if you are too full and have indigestion, take ginger follows:
Method 1: Ginger Tea
- Peel off the ginger skin
- Slide some pieces of ginger; then put into a pan
- Place in a stove then turn to medium heat
- Pour water and boil for 10 minutes
- Strain the water
- Add lemon or honey to it (depends on your taste)
- Stir well so the ingredients can cooperate
- Now savor this ginger tea
Method 2: Chew on Raw Ginger
- Slide some pieces of ginger
- Chew on the piece of ginger after eating to help with better meal digestion
Method 3: Ginger with Foods
- Take one fresh piece of ginger
- Clean then remove its skin
- Grind into small pieces
- Add ginger with your favorite food like porridge or noodles
- Stir the mixture well
Caution: Although ginger’s effectiveness for heartburn relief and gastrointestinal upsets is widely recognized, those considering ginger as therapy needs to seek advice from the doctor, particularly for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or being diagnosed with any health condition or taking any prescription medications.
4. Herbal Tea
Drinking a glass of herbal tea is useful, helping you avoid indigestion. All you need to do is put herbal tea into hot water; then cover the cap of glass for five minutes. Later, you can enjoy the drink. But please take into your mind that drinking warm and hot tea is better than being served with a cold one. There are different kinds of herbal for your choice. We will mention two most popular herbal teas for acid reflux [23][24]:
Method 1: Peppermint Tea
- Take a dozen of fresh peppermint leaves
- Wash them then grind to release as many oils as possible
- Add this pure oil into a glass of hot water
- Stir well
- Let it sit for at least 5 minutes, then enjoy
In case fresh peppermint leaves are not available, you can resort to peppermint tea bags, which are undeniably convenient thanks to their portability.
- Pour hot water into a glass of water
- Dip the tea bag and wait for three minutes
- Savor the tea
Method 2: Fennel Seeds
- Take a teaspoon of dried fennel seeds
- Soak with hot water for three minutes
For another usage of fennel seeds, you can eat directly
- Buy dried fennel seeds at grocery or drug stores
- Take one teaspoon of fennel seeds
- Chew before swallowing
5. Carrots
Carrots and juice contain nutrients that make it one of the effective home remedies for indigestion.
- Squeeze two carrots to get water then this drink may help your abdomen feel better. You can put the drink in the fridge for it is better to drink cold.
- Instead of drinking, you can add carrot with rice (boil well to make sure they are soft to digest better)
6. Cucumbers
Cucumber not only contains fiber but also has a high amount of water, which is good for your health, especially avoiding dehydration. Fruit containing a lot of water like cucumber is beneficial for improving ingestion [26].
You can eat cucumbers raw or cut up slices into water
7. Grapes
Like oranges, grapes are rich in fiber which may eliminate indigestion and provide adequate nutrients [30]. Therefore, you can substitute dessert fruits from oranges into grapes that will together bring the desired benefits to the stomach.
8. Yogurts
Although milk may cause flatulence, yogurt is good for the intestinal thanks to lactobacillus in yogurt, which helps kill harmful bacteria that lead to flatulence. Hence, yogurts are useful in keeping the digestive system healthy and one of the easy-to-do home remedies for indigestion you should not skip [31].
Caution: Some types of yogurts contain too much fat, especially saturated fat which might increase the risk of reflux since the fat stay in the stomach longer, stimulating more acid release and may irritate your stomach. So high in the dose of yogurt will trigger heartburn. Doctors recommended that if we eat in moderation, yogurts may alleviate indigestion in some people. Additionally, when choosing yogurts, it is essential that low-fat and fat-free yogurts are safe choices for anyone.
9. Massage The Abdomen With Essential Oils
Essential oils are becoming more and more popular and are recommended by numerous people thanks to their benefits for soothing heartburn [32]
There are different ways to use for heartburn relief:
You can take advantage of some hot oils or a mixture of garlic oil and soybean oil with a ratio of 1: 1.
- Then gently massage around the navel in a clockwise direction and reverse quickly. You will soon have a pleasant feeling.
- Use your thumb, press in the abdomen several times in a straight line from the middle of the chest through your belly and about 5 cm above the belly.
- Conduct this many times so you can experience positive impacts.
Thank you for taking your time reading the effective home remedies for indigestion that we have mentioned above. Among those methods, you can choose the most suitable way for yourself. Practice some of those methods, you will see how fully effective they are.
However, all content provided is for informational & educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate for you and to avoid the side effects when applying these methods. In addition, asking for healthcare professional’s advice may help you know that you have to take medicine or not.
In case you want to contribute any comments about our article today, you can feel free to give us your point of view. We always try our best to reply to your response. We hope that this article will help you have better digestive health. Moreover, if you want to know more about homemade treatments for other diseases, do not skip Home Remedies page.
The content in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician before starting a diet, exercise, or supplement regimen. This article is intended for educational purposes only.
