Stomach Pain and cancer natural methods to deal with these
issues
October 14 2018 by
Ray Sahelian, M.D.
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gastrointestinal health through natural ways)
Stomach pain could be a minor, temporary symptom due to a
virus or indigestion, or It could point to serious underlying health trouble.
Concern arises when the stomach pain contains over days and weeks.
See a doctor if your stomach pain is accompanied by the
following symptoms:
Severe pain or regularly recurring pain;
Pain lasting for hours or days;
Stomach
pain that wakes you from sleep;
Pain that impairs your ability to work or perform routine activities;
Loss of weight or appetite.
Taking one of the most-prescribed medications in the world -- proton pump inhibitors -- might dramatically increase a person's risk for kidney failure and kidney disease. The study was released April 2016 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Doctors prescribe proton pump inhibitors, also known as PPIs, to help people who suffer from regular heart burn, ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease or acid reflux. They are sold under the names Prevacid, Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, Aciphex and others.
Cause from prescription medications
Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 2015. Drug-induced dyspepsia. Gastrointestinal
symptoms are among the most common side effects of drugs. There is a broad
spectrum of symptoms. Patients often report upper abdominal pain, an early sense
of satiety, epigastric discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen or behind the
breastbone, flatulence, diarrhea or constipation. Some of these symptoms are
attributed to the stomach or upper abdomen by the patient and/or the physician.
"Stomach pain", pain in the epigastric region, occurs in most cases in
combination with other symptoms such as a feeling of pressure in the upper
abdomen or bloating, early satiety, nausea or vomiting--a combination called
dyspepsia. Given the high frequency of these symptoms in the general population
and the large number of medications many patients are taking, it can be very
difficult in a given patient to differentiate between drug-induced side effects
and spontaneously occurring symptoms.
Stomach cancer causes and prevention
Eating a lot of hot dogs, salami, bacon, smoked ham, or other processed meat
products may raise the risk of stomach cancer. Besides salt and nitrites or
nitrates, processed meats often contain cancer-causing nitrosamines, which may
be responsible for the link. Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes increase
the risk of stomach cancer.
PPIs, Proton Pump Inhibitors, such as commonly used drugs like Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid, may increase the risk for stomach cancer.
Men exposed to certain forms of lead at work face an elevated risk of stomach cancer. The risk is linked to working around organic lead -- mainly in jobs where men are exposed to leaded gasoline in its liquid form -- and to jobs where they breathed in large amounts of gasoline fumes.
A salty diet may increase the risk of stomach cancer by 10 percent, South Korean researchers found in a study of more than 2 million people. Jeongseon Kim and colleagues from the National Cancer Center Research Institute in Goyang-si, South Korea found a "weak but positive" association between a preference for salt and an increased risk of stomach cancer. Although the mechanisms by which salt may be involved in the development of stomach cancer remain unclear, restricting salt intake is thought to be beneficial for preventing gastric cancer. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.
Natural supplements and herbs for stomach cancer
Broccoli sprouts or taking broccoli sprout supplements may be helpful.
Curcumin
Cell Physiol. 2018. Potential therapeutic effects of curcumin in gastric cancer.
Curcumin has efficient chemosensitizing effect and also inhibits viability,
proliferation, and migration of gastric cancer cells mainly via cell cycle
arrest and induction of apoptosis by both mitochondrial-dependent and
-independent pathways.
Garlic
Nutr Cancer. 2015. Meta-analysis: does garlic intake
reduce risk of gastric cancer? Garlic intake appears to be associated with
reduced risk of gastric cancer.
Nutr Cancer. 2014. Gastric cancer and allium vegetable intake: a critical review
of the experimental and epidemiologic evidence. There are suggestions of an
anticancerogenic effect of allium vegetables and their associated organosulfur
components against several cancer types, including gastric cancer, but the issue
remains open to discussion and quantification. The present critical review
discussed the history, the health properties, the chemistry, the
anticancerogenic evidences from experimental studies, and the anticancer
mechanisms of allium vegetables. We also summarized findings from
epidemiological studies concerning the association between different types of
allium vegetables and gastric cancer risk, published up to date. Available data,
derived mainly from case-control studies, suggested a favorable role of high
intakes of allium vegetables, mainly garlic and onion, in the etiology of
gastric cancer.
Eradicating Helicobacter pylori bacteria with a short course of antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors reduces the risk of gastric cancer in otherwise healthy and asymptomatic H. pylori–positive adults.
Stomach pain in a child
Kids suffering from unexplained tummy aches can feel better if they -- and their
parents -- get some therapy. So-called functional abdominal pain, which has no
apparent physical cause, is a common problem among children, Dr. Rona L. Levy of
the University of Washington in Seattle says drugs have little benefit in
treating this type of stomach pain which can often persist into adulthood and
may be related to irritable bowel syndrome. When parents respond in a concerned,
fearful way to their children's reports of stomach problems and pain, this can
make a child's symptoms worse. Referral of kids with unexplained stomach pain
and their parents to trained behavior therapists "may be appropriate in some
situations. American Journal of Gastroenterology, online March 9, 2010.
Nausea and vomiting
Am Fam Physician. 2013. Evaluation of nausea and vomiting: a case-based
approach. In the absence of acute abdominal pain, significant headache, or
recent initiation of certain medications, acute nausea and vomiting is usually
the result of self-limited gastrointestinal infections. Nausea and vomiting is
also a common adverse effect of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgical
anesthesia. Other potential diagnoses include endocrine conditions (including
pregnancy), central nervous system disorders, psychiatric causes, toxin
exposure, metabolic abnormalities, and obstructive or functional
gastrointestinal causes. The likely cause of acute nausea and vomiting can
usually be determined by history and physical examination.
Dyspepsia information
Dyspepsia is a chronic or recurrent pain or discomfort centered in the upper
abdomen; patients with predominant or frequent (more than once a week) heartburn
or acid regurgitation, should be considered to have gastroesophageal reflux
disease (GERD) until proven otherwise. Dyspeptic patients over 55 years of age,
or those with alarm features should undergo prompt esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).
In all other patients, there are two approximately equivalent options: (i) test
and treat for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) using a validated noninvasive test
and a trial of acid suppression if eradication is successful but symptoms do not
resolve or (ii) an empiric trial of acid suppression with a proton pump
inhibitor (PPI) for 4–8 weeks.
Emails
I continue to follow your articles and find them extremely beneficial. For the
first time ten months ago I had 65 day bout with esophagitis, hiatal hernia
(mild) and stomach inflammation. I never experienced heart burn, nor problems
swallowing. Mainly, very sick, with some nausea, but no vomiting nor diarrhea.
Just an over-all sick feeling with chills.After 2.5 months medication it left,
but seems to try and come back for whatever reasons. My doctor told me if it
comes back take Pepcid again, which I have. He also told me to just eat whatever
unless that items causes me issues. I have since learned and read that was not
necessarily good advice, and have altered my eating habits dramatically, but
still do not feel 100%.This past Saturday I had a bad case but felt better
Sunday.I have spoken to several nutritionist, but cannot get a definitive answer
on such questions as: As long as I am not having a problem should I take a good
muti vitamin? Or during a mild flare-up, is there a particular vitamin that does
help such as a good Omega 3? Should I eat yogurt, if so, what brand? Is whole
grain breads okay? White rice? I do not drink sodas except an occasional Sprite.
I do not eat desert like chocolate anymore. I generally try and eat everything
that is healthy and exercise except set ups, etc. My doctor also told me I would
always have the hiatal hernia – so I want to do everything I can in order not to
get sick again.
A. Taking a multivitamin 2 or 3 days a week is a good idea for most
people. Small amounts of yoghurt that have probiotics is helpful. I prefer whole
grains to white rice.