The gallbladder can be found under the liver and is a pear shaped organ. This four inch organ is responsible for storing bile, which is a combination of the various fluids as well as fat and cholesterol. These are essential for the body and its metabolism, as the bile helps in breaking down the food that enters the digestive system. With the help of the gallbladder, this bile divides the food into smaller parts within the intestine. This ensures that the energy released by the food is more easily absorbed into the bloodstream. There are a host of problems that can attack the gall bladder including stones, infection and more.

Let us find out the symptoms of a gallbladder attack and the various ways in which it may be successfully treated.

    Pain: One of the most common symptoms of a gallbladder attack includes pain. This can be felt in the section that lies in the middle and the upper right portion of the abdomen. The patient may initially experience mild pain that comes and goes intermittently. Eventually, if the pain is not treated, it can start to radiate on a constant basis and hold the patient in its grip.
    Nausea: Nausea and vomiting are also common symptoms of any gallbladder related problem. Chronic cases usually end up experiencing these symptoms. Nausea and vomiting in such conditions are a result of digestive problems like acid reflux which can be caused due to the gall bladder condition.
    Fever: If there is an infection in the gall bladder, then the patient may also experience fever and chills. This will require immediate treatment and the prescription of antibiotics. If it is not treated on time, the problem can become serious and dangerous.
    Loose Motions: Diarrhoea is a problem faced by many patients suffering from this condition along with jaundice and lighter coloured stools.

Treatment: Mostly, doctors will recommend surgical methods to deal with gall bladder attacks and conditions. A laparoscopic surgery may be conducted to remove the gallbladder. Also, medication will be prescribed to dissolve the gallstones that may have been caused by cholesterol. The patient will also have to undertake many lifestyle changes in order to successfully treat this condition over a period of time.

One will have to avoid greasy and oily food. Also, the fat intake of the patient will have to be reduced so that the cholesterol build up does not affect the gallbladder again. The patient will also have to add fibre to his or her daily diet, in the form of fruit and oats. This will help in improving the bowel movements as well.

The Symptoms and Treatment of Gallbladder Attack

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disease. GERD occurs when stomach acid or, occasionally, stomach content, flows back into your food pipe (esophagus). The backwash (reflux) irritates the lining of your esophagus and causes GERD.

Both acid reflux and heartburn are common digestive conditions that many people experience from time to time. When these signs and symptoms occur at least twice each week or interfere with your daily life, or when your doctor can see damage to your esophagus, you may be diagnosed with GERD.

Complications associated with GERD
Over time, chronic inflammation in your esophagus can lead to complications, including:
1. Narrowing of the esophagus (esophageal stricture): Damage to cells in the lower esophagus from acid exposure leads to formation of scar tissue. The scar tissue narrows the food pathway, causing difficulty swallowing.
2. An open sore in the esophagus (esophageal ulcer): Stomach acid can severely erode tissues in the esophagus, causing an open sore to form. The esophageal ulcer may bleed, cause pain and make swallowing difficult.
3. Precancerous changes to the esophagus (Barrett's esophagus): In Barrett's esophagus, the tissue lining the lower esophagus changes. These changes are associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. The risk of cancer is low, but your doctor will likely recommend regular endoscopy exams to look for early warning signs of esophageal cancer.

Tips to Manage GERD 
1. Maintain a healthy weight: Excess pounds put pressure on your abdomen, pushing up your stomach and causing acid to back up into your esophagus. If your weight is healthy, work to maintain it. If you are overweight or obese, work to slowly lose weight   no more than 1 or 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week. Ask your doctor for help in devising a weight-loss strategy that will work for you.
2. Avoid tight-fitting clothing: Clothes that fit tightly around your waist put pressure on your abdomen and the lower esophageal sphincter.
3. Avoid foods and drinks that trigger heartburn: Everyone has specific triggers. Common triggers such as fatty or fried foods, tomato sauce, alcohol, chocolate, mint, garlic, onion, and caffeine may make heartburn worse. Avoid foods you know will trigger your heartburn.
4. Eat smaller meals: Avoid overeating by eating smaller meals.
5. Elevate the head of your bed: If you regularly experience heartburn at night or while trying to sleep, put gravity to work for you. Elevate your bed
6. Don't smoke: Smoking decreases the lower esophageal sphincter's ability to function properly.

Did You Know GERD Is More Than Heartburn?

Homeopathy has proven to be very successful in treating many digestive problems. However, certain warning signs should not be ignored. A timely medical diagnosis and opinion is important if the following occurs:
1. Vomiting
2. Sudden and severe abdominal pain
3. Abnormal loss of weight
4. Abnormality in normal bowel habits including constipation or persistent looseness

Some digestive problems and their remedies are discussed below:

Heartburn: This is a burning sensation that results from acid from the stomach, being squirted into the food pipe. An elevating sensation is felt from the chest to the end of the throat. Consumption of some common food and drinks like caffeine, acidic juices, alcohol, chocolate or carbonated beverages can increase the secretion of acid in the stomach. Over dosage of medicines like aspirin and ibuprofen can also cause heartburn. Remedy: Calcarea carbonica is widely used for relieving chronic cases of heartburn that occur mostly in people who experience cramps in the stomach and intense heartburns. Lycopodium brings relief in cases where regurgitation and heartburn occurs after small snacks.
Bloating: This is caused due to the presence of excess gas in the colon, small intestines or the stomach. It results from high stress levels, poor diets and daily need for medications. Remedy: Carbo vegetabilis (made from vegetable charcoal) is renowned for its capability to absorb toxins and along with Lycopodium, is recommended for digestive problems resulting from excess gas.
Dyspepsia: This is an uncomfortable feeling or pain, which occurs in the upper abdominal regions which is caused due to improper consumption of food and is commonly referred to as indigestion. If the condition is prolonged, a doctor must be visited. Remedy: Anacardium is a remedy that is useful for people who experience frequent and periodic bouts of upper abdominal pain.The remedy Argentum nitricum is suggested for people who experience Dyspepsia along with nausea. This is a pain in the upper abdominal region along with retching of mucus. Another remedy for this condition is Nux Vomica. This is suggested for people who are usually restless.
Treating flatulence and dyspepsia that is experienced by people after consumption of starchy and fatty foods requires Natrum carbonicum. These people cannot consume milk and often have a number of food allergies. Phosphorus is recommended for people who vomit along with their dyspepsia even though they usually crave short term solutions, like cold drinks.

Digestion - How Homeopathy Can Aid it?

Heartburn is the name given to that burning sensation in your chest or throat that happens when acid rises up from your stomach into your mouth. Heartburn is a common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, also called acid reflux.

The commonest heartburn trigger is your diet. Spicy, heavy food causes acid reflux. Coffee, soda, tomatoes, alcohol and chocolate are culprits too. Obesity, smoking and medications for hypertension and cancer are the causes of heartburn too.

Certain people are more susceptible to heartburn. Sportspeople experience heartburn more, usually because exercise is a big trigger. It does so by putting increased pressure on the abdomen, which can increase the risk of acid reflux.

What can you do when heartburn strikes?

Wear Loose Clothes- Heartburn happens when stomach contents go back into the food pipe where the stomach acid burns tissue. If tight clothes constrict your abdomen, you can experience more heartburn. To get immediate relief, you can just loosen the belt of your trousers.

Proper Posture- Sitting up or standing straight can control heartburn. A slumped body posture can compress the internal organs including the stomach. An immediate quick fix is to lengthen your spine by gently moving your head towards the ceiling.

Eat Less- Overeating can cause the door between the stomach and food pipe to open, allowing contents to flow back and cause heartburn.

Quick Home Remedies-

Drink teaspoonful of baking soda mixed into a glass of water whenever you suffer from heartburn. This is a home remedy that works.

Raise your body, if you re lying down and experience heartburn. Use a pillow to elevate your body waist-up. This will get rid of heartburn fast.

Chewing gum can neutralise stomach acid. This is because gum increases saliva which clears off acid in the gut.

Avoid Cigarette Smoke- Smoking, both active and passive are harmful, if you suffer from heartburn.

Over-the-counter Medications- Antacids, H2 blockers, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are all effective in treating heartburn. PPIs work by blocking acid production, H2 blockers reduce the amount of acid in your stomach and antacids neutralise stomach acid.

Melatonin- A common sleep inducing supplement is being investigated as a heartburn remedy.

Always remember to check with your doctor before taking any herbal remedy or supplement for heartburn. This is because supplements can have side effects or can interact with medications you may already be taking.

Common tips to prevent heartburn are to eat at least three hours before bedtime, avoid lying down immediately after eating and staying away from fatty and spicy foods. Maintaining a healthy weight is also key to preventing heartburn. It also helps if you do mild exercise regularly.  

How To Get Relief From Heartburn?

If you are experiencing heartburn during pregnancy, it is important for you to know about the ways of dealing with it. Heartburn, which is a fiery, painful sensation, occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) starts leaking or relaxing. This makes your stomach acids to flow up into the esophagus, resulting in acidity or heartburn. Pregnant women are more susceptible to heartburns because the relaxing hormone slows down the rate of digestion, thereby keeping food in the stomach for longer duration and triggering acidity.

Here are the various measures you should take for dealing with acidity during pregnancy:

Follow regular eating patterns: Overeating triggers heart burns, and hence, you should eat less. During pregnancy, there is much less space in the stomach for it to expand. Maintaining a healthy diet in lesser quantities will help you in eliminating the heartburn throughout your pregnancy. You should eat several small meals a day instead of having two or three large meals. It is easier for your body to digest smaller meals.
Avoid trigger foods: You need to identify the common foods, which trigger your heartburn, and eliminate them from your diet. You should abstain from consuming acidic food items like tomatoes, citrus fruits, fried and spicy food, coffee, carbonated drinks, and alcohol.
Focus on fluids: A liquid diet causes much lesser problems compared to solid food products as they can move through your stomach quickly. You should consume milkshakes, soups, yoghurt, smoothies, puddings, and protein shakes. Try to take liquids, which are rich in protein like dairy products. While having solid foods, ensure that you chew them very well.
Sleep properly: In order to avoid heartburn during the night, you must not eat anything three hours before going to sleep. You should make the head of your bed elevated by placing books or any solid object under the bed s legs. You should sleep on your left side, which will make it difficult for stomach acids to travel up to your esophagus.
Sit or stand up right after a meal: After taking any meal, you should take a short walk, undertake some housework, or sit down for a while. Avoid lying down, and abstain from doing anything for which you have to bend over.
Wear comfortable clothes: You should wear loose-fitting clothes for dealing with acidity or heartburn during pregnancy. Tight clothing puts extra pressure on your abdomen, which is already crammed. This is capable of worsening acid reflux. Therefore, you should choose loose fitting maternity wear for eliminating acidity and heartburn.


Acidity During Pregnancy - How It Can Be Dealt With?

When you have pain in the stomach that is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, chances of you having chronic gastritis are high. This is an issue that specifically affects the stomach and is caused because the lining of the stomach gets inflamed and swollen and in some cases it may get damaged. The deterioration of the lining may be caused because of a bacterial infection and that would have to be treated with specialised medicines and treatment methods.During that time you may feel like there is something wrong with your digestive system and you may need to see a doctor for the constant pain that you have to go through as soon as you eat something.

Getting help
There may be times when you can no longer cope with the pain that may be occurring in your stomach. You may want to go to sleep or just sit still and do nothing; however, you cannot spend your entire life in that manner and you may have to consult an expert to get relief from the problem. One of the first steps in coping with chronic gastritis is to make sure that you make important lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy, choosing the right timings for eating, cutting down on alcohol and smoking and making sure that you choose a well-qualified and experienced doctor for getting the treatment.

Treatment
Apart from lifestyle changes, it is highly essential to follow a medication routine in order to beat the chronic gastritis completely. Doctors may suggest you take the medication according to the severity of the problem, but before that, you may be asked to go through a number of tests to confirm the problem. The tests may range from regular blood tests, stool tests, to endoscopy or even biopsy in some severe cases. After the testes are done, the doctors may be further sure about the the problem and that would be of great help in treating the issue with much more ease and expertise.

While it may be obvious to you that you suffer from chronic gastritis due to the constant pain in the stomach, it is also important to understand that the problem should not be taken lightly and that the right steps of the treatment should be taken in time before the problem gets worse.

Chronic Gastritis - How to Cope with it?

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