The stomach

The stomach is a very elastic organ. Empty, it is a kind of flat bag about twenty centimeters long, but after a hefty meal it can stretch to a maximum of fifty centimeters. In total, as much as three liters of food and fluid can fit inside it. On average, a meal stays in your stomach for about three hours. If you eat a lot and/or fat, digestion takes longer.

The stomach is a temporary reservoir for ingested food. The inside of the stomach is lined with mucous membrane. Various glandular cells in the stomach wall produce mucus, stomach acid, protein-splitting enzymes and Intrinsic Factor (important for vitamin B12 absorption). The contraction of muscles in the stomach wall mixes these substances with the food pulp. In the stomach there is an acidic environment which is necessary for protein digestion and killing bacteria or parasites that enter with the food. The stomach wall is protected from this acidic environment by the mucous membrane. If the mucosa does not provide adequate protection or too much stomach acid is produced, it can lead to ulceration in the stomach.

Psychological aspects of the stomach

The psychic aspects of the stomach have to do with thinking and worrying. The stomach energy has great influence on the ability to empathize and sympathize. A harmonious stomach energy expresses itself in a relaxed, caring, sympathetic and supportive attitude. Any imbalance in the lunar energy leads to much thinking/worrying, insecurity and excessive worry. Worry and anxiety conversely also have a negative influence on the stomach energy.

Hurried eaters, who don’t give themselves much time for anything, strain gastric energy. Conversely, low gastric energy also brings with it hurried eating habits and usually a poor response to filling the stomach (feeling full, food won’t go down, nausea, heartburn).

Digestion of food

Food is kneaded by the gastric peristalsis and mixed with stomach acid and enzymes. Necessary for proper functioning is that a large amount of food does not have to be processed at once and that the food has already been prepared by the saliva. To optimize gastric digestion, the following advice is important:

  • Drink a glass of water before or while eating.
  • Don’t eat too fast and chew the food well.
  • Avoid other activities during meals (newspaper, television, heated discussions).
  • Proper positioning of the stomach is important for its peristalsis. Try to stay upright for 10 minutes after eating (post-dinner) and do not lie down or go straight to work.

  • Leave a space of three hours between meals.
  • Preparing a fresh meal is preferable to reheating food. By seeing and smelling food, the stomach is prepared for the arrival of food.
  • It is advisable to eat carbohydrates separately from proteins and fats.

Stomach complaints: one in four Dutch people suffer from stomach complaints.

1. Abdominal pain after eating

This is one of the most common stomach complaints. In fact, the cause of this pain is often in the food you ingest.

Probably one of the following:

  • you eat too much
  • you eat too spicy
  • you eat too fat
  • you have a food intolerance

2. Stomach upset due to food poisoning

When you have contracted food poisoning, you may suffer from the following symptoms:

  • diarrhea
  • abdominal cramps
  • vomit
  • nausea

3. Stomach complaints due to stress

In addition to being partly responsible for many ailments, stress can also be one of the causes of stomach upset. Stress causes your body to go into what is called

“flight or fight” state can be. In this state, your body thinks you are about to fight or run causing your stomach to “lock up.

4. Gastric ulcer

In a gastric ulcer, the mucosal lining of the duodenum or stomach is damaged to the extent that the nerves in the connective tissue are exposed. When the acidic gastric juice comes into contact with these nerves, the result is intense pain. The cause of an ulcer is often the bacteria called Helicobacter Pylori.

5. Heartburn

Heartburn is characterized by burning belching that travels from the abdomen toward the upper abdomen and esophagus. Stomach acid symptoms occur not only from excess stomach acid but also from stomach acid deficiency.

If excess stomach acid is the cause of the symptoms, you will see the following symptoms:

  • many farmers
  • lots of perspiration and heat attacks
  • Being restless, talking a lot, easily irritated or angry
  • diarrhea
  • also burning sensations elsewhere in your body and tendency for inflammation (with pain and/or fever)

If heartburn is the cause of the symptoms, you will also see the following symptoms:

  • gas formation, belching and bloating after meals.
  • Hypersensitivity to foods and/or chemicals
  • decreased appetite for heavily digestible foods such as meat or legumes, slow digestion, constipation bad breath or body odor
  • intestinal parasites
  • mental fatigue
  • tendency to depression
  • feeling of heaviness
  • difficulty waking up
  • little or no perspiration

6. Stomach upset due to medication use

Another cause of stomach upset is the long-term use of certain painkillers that are also anti-inflammatory. Drugs such as ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen (all belonging to the group of NSAIDs) contain substances that affect the stomach lining. This can cause it to irritate. Every year, about 5,100 people suffer severe gastric bleeding as a result of using NSAIDs. Of them, 540 die. Patients who use this type of painkiller for a long time are often prescribed a drug that protects the stomach lining as a precaution.