Gastritis ( abdominal Discomfort, abdominal pain,etc)

Gastritis is the inflammation of the stomach or the mucosa. The stomach is a hollow muscular organ located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen. It is a part of the digestive system. The top part of the stomach is connected to the esophagus, and the lower part is attached to the duodenum. The stomach wall is lined with several layers of different tissues. The layers – from the exterior to the interior – are serosa, muscularis externa, sub mucosa and mucosa.  Serosa is the outermost layer of the epithelial and connective tissue that is a part of the peritoneum. The next layer, or the muscularis externa, helps in churning, mixing the food, and propelling it towards the intestines by contracting and relaxing. The sub mucosa layer contains the blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves. The inner most layer or the mucosa is a soft, smooth surfaced layer that contains gastric glands and gastric pits. The gastric glands have various cells that produce mucus, an enzyme named pepsinogen, hydrochloric acid and the gastric intrinsic factor which helps in absorbing vitamin B12. The mucus protects the stomach tissue from being eaten away, damaged, or corroded by its digestive secretions.

The hydrochloric acid kills micro organisms swallowed along with food and activates pepsinogen into pepsin to help in digesting proteins.  Any factor that disrupts the protective mucus barrier of the stomach exposes the stomach tissue to harm by the strongly acidic stomach secretions. This results in the inflammation of the stomach lining or the mucosa and is called gastritis. Gastritis may be acute or short term and chronic or long term in nature. It can also be nonerosive or erosive. In nonerosive gastritis, only the stomach lining is inflamed. In erosive gastritis, the mucus lining erodes, which leads to breaks, sores or ulcers in the stomach lining. Another form of gastritis is atrophic gastritis in which the gastric gland cells are destroyed due to long term inflammation and replaced by intestinal and fibrous tissue. This leads to the impairment of the production of hydrochloric acid, pepsin, and gastric intrinsic factor.

 Atrophic gastritis is either the result of long term Helicobacter pylori infection or is autoimmune in origin.  Homeopathic treatment for gastritis is very effective. Homeopathic medicines help to reduce the inflammation of the stomach lining and the symptoms that arise subsequently. These medicines are selected for each case individually as per the presentation of symptoms. Homeopathic treatment for gastritis is very helpful for both short term and long standing gastritis. If started well in time, homeopathic treatment for gastritis is quite beneficial in preventing the development of sores and ulcers in the stomach lining.

Top homeopathic medicines for gastritis are Arsenic Album(burning sensation superior symptom of this drug) , Argentum Nitricum, Phosphorus, Lycopodium, and Bismuth.

 Causes and Symptoms of Gastritis

 The primary causes of gastritis are infection with Helicobacter Pylori bacteria,

excessive use of (pain killer tablets allopathic medication) non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, and high alcohol intake. Other predisposing factors for gastritis include

 stress, injuries, burns, smoking, and Crohn’s disease.

 A person suffering from autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s disease and Type 1 diabetes will be prone to gastritis. The signs and symptoms of gastritis include pain in the upper mid abdomen that may be burning, aching or gnawing in nature, fullness or distension of the stomach, nausea, vomiting, belching, loss of appetite and anemia.