If you’re suffering from gastritis, fortunately there are a number of ways in which you can treat it naturally. However, before we explore gastritis natural treatment options, let’s take a quick look at what is gastritis and see why natural treatment might be the best way to go.
What is Gastritis?
Simply put, gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining (known as the mucosa). When this happens, the cells in the stomach lining produce less acid and enzymes (which help break the food down for digestion), and mucus (which protects the stomach lining from acid).
Common symptoms of the condition are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, bloating, indigestion>, gas, constipation, pain, reflux, and a feeling of heaviness after a meal. Stomach ulcers may form from long term gastritis.
What Causes Gastritis?
Unfortunately, the causes of gastritis are wide ranging and varied. They include:
- Poor diet consisting of fatty foods, continued overeating, excessive drinking of strong coffee, tea, or alcoholic drinks (which aggravate the stomach lining). Food intolerances will also contribute to gastritis.
- Prolonged taking of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin and ibuprofen) which, as a side effect, inhibits the production of the protective compounds that line the stomach. This causes most cases of erosive gastritis, which leads to ulcers.
- Infection with the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria in the stomach. This infection causes most cases of chronic nonerosive gastritis (inflammation without leading to ulcers). H. pylori are primarily transmitted from person to person, or through contaminated water in areas with poor sanitation. It’s quite shocking but according to estimates, 20-50% of the population of industrialized countries like the United States may be infected. Although a H. pylori infection may not cause ulceration, it’s important that it’s treated because it can destroy the cells in the stomach lining that produce digestive acids and enzymes. This can lead to gastric cancer and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.
Natural Ways to Treat Gastritis
Depending on what’s causing your gastritis, the following natural treatments can help.
1. Kiwi Klenz
Made in New Zealand from the extract of both the nutrititious kiwi skin and pulp, this remarkable new natural digestive supplement is an excellent all round remedy for boosting your digestion. It’s the result of the many health benefits of kiwi fruit for digestion. Taking one capsule of Kiwi Klenz is like eating 2 kiwi fruits a day.
Kiwi fruits have been found to be an effective prebiotic, which has been proven to be more beneficial than probiotics for boosting the good bacteria in the digestive tract. This is particularly important if you’re taking antibiotics to try and get rid of a H. pylori infection.
If you’re having issues with constipation, Kiwi Klenz is also excellent for alleviating this. Scientific research has discovered that kiwi fruits are a very helpful chronic constipation remedy. Improvement in colon transit time, and frequency and satisfaction of bowel movements, are all documented findings.
Importantly, kiwi fruits can help increase the digestive enzymes in the stomach, which may be affected by gastritis.
2. Gastronic Dr.
Gastronic Dr, made by Native Remedies in the US, is recommended for gastritis because of its soothing, anti inflammatory blend of herbal ingredients. One of the primary ones is German Chamomile. The therapeutic benefits of chamomile for digestive disorders are well known, as indicated by this research.
There has also been considerable scientific research, such as this study and this study, into the ability of chamomile to inhibit the growth of the H. pylori bacteria.
Another ingredient, meadowsweet, was been found to be effective at treating stomach ulcers in this study. In addition, it encourages the production of stomach acid and digestive secretions.
Gastronic Dr also contains slippery elm, which forms mucilage to protect, soothe, and heal the stomach lining.
3. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Taking an omega 3 fatty acid supplement is very beneficial for reducing inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids are renowned for their natural inflammation fighting capabilities. They inhibit the production of inflammatory compounds in the body, in a similar way to non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, but don’t interfere with the production of the protective compounds that line the stomach.
Two of the best sources of omega 3 fatty acids are fish oil and green lipped mussel extract. It’s likely that you’ve heard of fish oil but what about green lipped mussels?
These mussels, with a green rim, are native to New Zealand. Their remarkable anti inflammatory capabilities were discovered decades ago when scientists were looking for a marine cure for cancer. The mussel extract didn’t help treat cancer. However, patients who were also suffering from arthritis noticed a marked decrease in their inflammatory symptoms.
As well as helping reduce inflammation of the stomach lining, green lipped mussel extract can also protect the stomach lining and help it heal. This scientific study demonstrated the gastroprotective properties of mussel extract, which significantly reduced the occurrence of gastric ulceration from several non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs in rats and pigs (pigs being considered the closest non-primate to man).
For maximum results, green lipped mussel extract can be combined with fish oils. This study supports the use of fish oil for treating gastritis.
Xtend Life, the manufacturer of Kiwi Klenz, also makes superior quality fish oil and green lipped mussel extract. It’s very important to choose a quality product, as some manufacturers use poor quality ingredients and processing methods to keep costs low.
Find out more in this FREE and informative fish oil buyer’s guide and green lipped mussel buyer’s guide.
Thank you for giving me some natural way of helping with gastric problems. I have had problems with digestion for years,