The stomach contains acid with a high pH to kill bacteria and other harmful microbes present in the food and help kickstart the digestion process and the food’s breakdown to absorb essential nutrients absorbed by the digestive tract.
What is Gastritis?
It is a condition that affects the stomach and causes the inflammation of the stomach’s inner lining, which prevents the acid from corroding the outer walls of the stomach. When the inner lining is affected by this disease, the acid present in your stomach helps you digest food and starts hurting your organ. This is a painful gastrointestinal condition that affects about half the worldwide population at some point in time. Every year 90 million new cases of Gastritis are reported throughout the world annually.
What is the difference between Gastritis and Indigestion?
Gastritis is a disease that affects the stomach and causes inflammation of the stomach lining. Gastritis symptoms are caused by inflammation and vary from person to person, depending on the severity of the condition and its health. Gastritis symptoms may include bleaching, hiccups, abdominal bleeding, blood in your vomit or stool, etc., and affect the day-to-day life of the one suffering from it.
While some of these symptoms mimic those of indigestion, there is a difference between indigestion and Gastritis. Indigestion is the inability of the body to process the food your intake. It is another word for having an upset stomach, and it is a symptom of a disease or a problem rather than a disease. It is characterized by nausea, the feeling of fullness, and heartburn.
Indigestion is a commonly observed symptom of Gastritis. However, this symptom can occur due to a wide range of gastrointestinal problems and does not necessarily indicate Gastritis.
What are the Types of Gastritis?
While this refers to a condition that affects the stomach lining and is characterized by symptoms pertaining to the stomach, it can be broadly categorized into two types. The following are the two types-
- Erosive Gastritis- this is the advanced stage and is more painful. Erosive Gastritis is when the stomach lining is inflamed and undergoes erosion due to this condition. It is also known as erosive Gastritis and is caused by a sinful lifestyle such as smoking, consuming too much alcohol, or eating spicy and fatty food.
- Non-erosive Gastritis- as the name suggests, this is the type where there is inflammation of the inner lining of the stomach, but there is no erosion, and the stomach lining is intact.
Symptoms of Gastritis
There are several telling signs to help you figure out if you are suffering from this disease or not-
Abdominal Pain
Most people who suffer from this condition experience pain in their abdominal region. This pain is chronic but may not be continuous. The pain tends to flare up after meals and stays for long periods, sometimes for several hours. Most commonly, people experience pain between their chest and navel when they are suffering from this condition.
Chest Pain
Another common symptom of this condition is experiencing chest pain or discomfort, especially after a heavy meal. This symptom is similar to indigestion and tends to feel like heartburn caused due to acidic reflux. This pain is best described as a gnawing sensation in your chest and tends to be persistent, often continuing for long durations.
Blood in Vomit or Stool
Since the condition affects the walls’ inner lining and erodes it in some cases, there is significant damage caused to the organ. The damage caused to the organ may result in bleeding, which is observed when the patient vomits or excretes wastes since this blood passes through the digestive tract along with the other contents in the stomach.
Bloating
Since the condition affects the rate at which food is processed and digested, it tends to lead to indigestion. This, along with the swelling of the inner stomach lining due to inflammation, tend to make the patient feel bloated despite a decrease in their appetite.
Vomiting
Since the stomach’s inner lining is inflamed and irritated, the body tries to get rid of the discomfort. It causes the body to reject food as a way to eradicate any external inputs that may be causing such a reaction. This causes frequent vomiting, which may be bloody, depending on the severity of the condition and if the disease is erosive.
How to heal Acid Reflux and Gastritis: Arvin’s Healing Journey!
Conclusion
If you are suffering from one or more of these symptoms for prolonged periods, you may be suffering from Gastritis. If you are still unable to determine the problem and need help to determine what you are suffering from, you should consult a medical professional who can heal Gastritis naturally. Suppose you want an alternative method to allopathic medication and medical treatments. In that case, you can contact High Carb Health to access services that help you tackle the condition naturally with a healthy lifestyle and diet.
