We’ve all experienced the occasional upset stomach—pain,bloating, belching or cramping—and we often know exactly why we wound up in the situation. An excessive intake of fried or high-fat meals, drinking alcohol or going to bed too soon after eating: any (or all) of these can cause a stomachache to pop up. Still, while we might know what causes gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, we sometimes find ourselves doing it anyway.
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So when an ounce of prevention is long past being an option, what can we do to relieve an already-upset stomach? Many over-the-counter medications offer quick relief, but these tried-and-true home remedies can also be effective go-to solutions. Here are a few different types of stomachaches, plus easy ways to help find relief for each.
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The Fastest Ways to Relieve Your Stomach Pain
For Bloating and Gas: Sip Some Seltzer
For Acid Reflux: Try Baking Soda in Water
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For Nausea: Chew on Ginger
You can get ginger in the form of tea, ginger chews or real ginger ale— though, without standardized dosing, you may need to experiment with what an effective form and dose are for you. Consult your healthcare provider before supplementing with concentrated ginger extract, especially if you take medications with a blood-thinning effect.
For Over-Fullness: Find Some Fennel
Chewing fennel seeds and sipping fennel tea are common remedies in some Asian cultures while heating herbal poultices with fennel and applying them on the skin has been part of traditional Chinese medicine. Candied fennel seeds and fennel teas are widely available for purchase online. Fennel-derived colic remedies may pose a safety issue for infants. Still, they shouldn’t be used without a green light from your child’s pediatrician, per a 2020 review published in theInternational Journal of Pediatrics.
Like many traditional remedies, fennel hasn’t been studied much in a scientifically controlled manner in human subjects. However, the literature is full of studies of the digestive effects of fennel oil added to cow and broiler chicken feed and rat and guinea pig chow. But a few randomized, controlled human studies in China have investigated various fennel preparations. A 2015 study published in theJournal of Sichuan Universityfound that fennel tea (5 grams of fennel seeds in about ½ cup of boiling water may help with bowel motility. Even more so, a 2020 publication inSurgeryfound that heated fennel therapy (500 grams of fennel, heated in a microwave, wrapped in a towel and placed on the belly could promote gastrointestinal motility following abdominal surgery.
The Bottom Line
While time might be what you need to find relief from an uncomfortable stomachache, there are plenty of science-backed home remedies you can try out to help you find relief faster. Whether it’s acid reflux or nausea causing your stomachache, bloating or a general feeling of being too full, try out these helpful tips for easing your upset stomach.However, you should be aware that stomach symptoms could indicate more severe conditions. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have consistent stomach pain and other symptoms like nausea and vomiting.
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