How to Deal with Stomach Bloating and Constipation?
Stomach bloating and constipation are common symptoms that can affect a person's health and cause discomfort, interfering with their daily life. It is important to address these symptoms promptly. Eating apples, drinking yogurt, and consuming foods like onions, Chinese cabbage, and hawthorn can help improve stomach bloating and constipation. Drinking plenty of warm water is also beneficial for bowel movements. Let's take a closer look at how to manage these symptoms.
Stomach bloating and constipation are often caused by indigestion or gastric diseases. Prolonged sitting and lack of exercise can also increase the risk of these symptoms. To improve them, it is recommended to avoid sitting for extended periods and to stand up and move around as much as possible. If the symptoms are severe, professional treatment may be necessary. Massaging the abdomen in a clockwise direction can help promote bowel movements and relieve gas build-up.
Additionally, applying a warm compress using a hot towel or hot water bottle directly to the stomach area can effectively alleviate indigestion and improve constipation. In severe cases, it is advisable to follow the doctor's instructions for medication.
Indigestion refers to a group of chronic or recurrent symptoms of upper abdominal pain or discomfort, such as bloating, early satiety, belching, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, increased flatulence, and constipation. These symptoms are not caused by organic diseases and can be persistent or recurrent, lasting for more than a month or accumulating for more than 12 weeks in the past 12 months.
1. Yogurt: Yogurt is rich in lactic acid, which breaks down lactose in milk into lactic acid, providing health benefits. It also stimulates the secretion of digestive juices and increases stomach acid, thereby enhancing digestive capacity. However, individuals with excessive gastric acid production should avoid overconsuming yogurt, and patients who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery or suffer from diarrhea or other intestinal diseases should also refrain from eating it.
2. Apples: Apples contain fiber that stimulates bowel movements, aids digestion, and helps the body eliminate waste smoothly, thus promoting bowel movements. However, apples contain a large amount of malic acid and should not be consumed on an empty stomach. Additionally, individuals with nephritis and diabetes should avoid eating excessive amounts of apples.
3. Tomatoes: Tomatoes contain a special component called lycopene, which aids digestion and urination and assists in the digestion of fats by gastric juices. However, tomatoes are cold and cooling in nature, and eating too many can lead to bloating and diarrhea. Therefore, individuals with sensitive stomachs should avoid overconsuming them.
4. Hawthorn: Hawthorn is a superior remedy for the treatment of meat stagnation in the stomach. It contains various organic acids such as hawthorn acid and lipase, which enhance the function of enzymes in the stomach, promote the digestion of meat, and aid in the conversion of cholesterol. However, individuals with qi deficiency, spleen deficiency, pregnant women, and diabetics should avoid consuming hawthorn.
5. Chinese Cabbage: Chinese cabbage is rich in crude fiber, which promotes gastrointestinal motility, aids digestion, and prevents dry and hard stool. Generally, Chinese cabbage is suitable for most people to consume, but it should not be eaten with rabbit meat as it can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
6. Onions: Onions contain allicin, which gives them a pungent aroma. They can increase the tension of the gastrointestinal tract and promote gastrointestinal motility, thus stimulating appetite. They are effective for treating loss of appetite caused by atrophic gastritis, gastric motility insufficiency, and indigestion. However, individuals with skin diseases, eye diseases, and intestinal diseases should avoid eating onions as it may exacerbate their condition.
