Gastritis

🌿 Overview

Gastritis often signals an underlying problem: gastric or duodenal ulcers, iron-deficiency anemia, B12 deficiency, or bacterial infection of the stomach lining. Chronic gastritis differs from acute gastritis — chronic cases can persist for extended periods. The cause must be identified and treated. Medications are a frequent but overlooked cause.

Common signs

• Burning or discomfort in the upper abdomen
• Nausea, sometimes vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Belching and bloating
• Acute: symptoms last 24–72 hours
• Chronic: symptoms persist or recur over weeks or months

🔎 Why it happens

Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.

• Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine — the most common direct causes
• Medications: NSAIDs, aspirin, steroids, and many prescription drugs
• Helicobacter pylori infection
• Underlying disorders: gastric or duodenal ulcers, iron deficiency anemia, B12 deficiency
• Spicy, irritating foods; vinegar, pepper, mustard, pickles
• Coarse vegetables; fried foods; large meals eaten too fast
• Stress and emotional disturbance

✅ What to do

Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.

1. Stop smoking, drinking, and using alcohol — these are the primary direct causes
2. Review all medications — NSAIDs, aspirin, and steroids are common causes
3. Calendula teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea →: soothe and heal the stomach walls
4. Aloe vera juice: promotes healing of inflamed stomach lining
5. Chamomile, ginger, or turmeric: reduce inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More →
6. Marshmallow root or slippery elm: soothe and coat the stomach
7. FomentationA hot, moist cloth pressed on the body — classic hydrotherapy. How to make a fomentation → over the stomach area, 3 times daily, 15 minutes at a time; then heating compressA cloth soaked in warm or cold liquid, held on the skin. How to make a compress → during intervals
8. Withhold all food in acute stage; rest in bed
9. Hot leg pack followed by heating compressA cloth soaked in warm or cold liquid, held on the skin. How to make a compress → to legs
10. If vomiting in the morning: omit the evening meal; apply fomentationA hot, moist cloth pressed on the body — classic hydrotherapy. How to make a fomentation → over stomach in the evening

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🍽️ Eating to help

Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.

Favor these

• Calendula tea
• Aloe vera juice
• Chamomile, ginger, or turmeric tea
• Marshmallow root or slippery elm tea
• Mild, soothing foods when symptoms allow

Go easy on

• Mustard, pepper, vinegar, strong acids, sugar, preserves
• Cheese, all alcoholic beverages, tea and coffee
• All indigestible and irritating substances
• Coarse vegetables, pickles, fried foods, fats
• Flesh foods: fish, fowl, and meat (all increase HCl and are slow to digest)

Avoid hasty eating. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. The Dr. Kellogg dietary approach for gastritis: graduated cold baths twice daily, no flesh foods, no fried foods, no coffee or tea.

💬 Ask Remy about Gastritis