Emotional Gastritis: Symptoms, Causes And Treatments
Stomach problems cause a lot of discomfort, and emotional gastritis is one of the worst in this area. While there are many possible causes for abdominal pain, some of them seem to be solely due to emotional issues. This is also the case with emotional gastritis.
The condition is caused by inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which is located inside the stomach. It causes all kinds of symptoms and discomfort. The major difference between these and other types of abdominal pain is that it is not caused by a bacteria, but by stress and anxiety. In this article we will show you what you can do about it.
What are the symptoms of emotional gastritis?
Like many other diseases of the gastric mucosa, emotional gastritis has many symptoms that are closely related. It must be borne in mind that these symptoms can occur separately (in the case of acute gastritis) or also continuously (in the case of chronic gastritis). Below we will look at the most common symptoms.
Stomach ache
The most prominent symptom of the condition is abdominal pain. During periods of high stress, this can be very intense. People who suffer from emotional gastritis describe it as a pain similar to that of stomach ulcers. This is not a surprise, because in both cases the source of the problem is inflammation of the gastric mucosa.
Premature feeling of being full
People who suffer from this stomach condition often say that they have little appetite at times when they are most affected by stress. In this way, many patients reduce the amount of food they eat on a daily basis. That can affect their well-being even further.
Feeling of heaviness
This is also described as the feeling that food remains in the stomach for too long. This is caused by poor digestion.
Gastric acid
One of the most annoying symptoms of emotional gastritis is the feeling of heartburn. It is a burning sensation in the digestive system that can be especially annoying during moments of high stress.
Nausea and Belching
If the food is not digested enough, many people also suffer from belching and they are often nauseous.
Causes of Emotional Gastritis
Unlike many conditions that affect the gastric mucosa, which are caused by bacterial infections , emotional gastritis is caused only by emotional issues. If we ignore problems like stress, anxiety and frustration, they can become chronic and cause this type of gastritis.
If we heal the underlying emotional problems, the condition can resurface sporadically. But if we have an anxious personality, emotional gastritis can also become chronic. It then becomes a problem that can only be treated from a psychological approach.
Therapy
This stomach condition is caused by emotional problems. It is important to combine treatments to combat it. Treatment should focus on three variables: medical help, emotional help, and dietary changes.
Let’s take a look at these three.
Medical assistance
Like the majority of conditions associated with stomach inflammation, we can reduce the symptoms of emotional gastritis with medication. These drugs include Omeprazole and Meloxicam, among others. These protect the stomach walls from the excess acid, which reduces the pain.
But as with mental health problems, pharmaceutical treatments should only be prescribed as an adjunct to other forms of treatment. Medicines alone will not solve it. They are good at masking the symptoms, but not at treating the root of the problem.
Emotional help
The main cause of emotional gastritis is stress. Therefore, you can only solve this condition by learning to deal with negative emotions. There are different types of treatments that are suitable for this, from psychotherapy to learning relaxation techniques.
Adjusting to your diet
And finally, experts have shown that certain natural remedies can fight emotional gastritis. In combination with the two treatments mentioned earlier, a healthy diet can help to resolve it.
