Handling stomach upsets

Mar 29, 2005

STOMACH upsets usually mean nausea or vomiting, which may be accompanied by abdominal pain and or diarrhoea.<br>While some cases are due to dietary excess (like over-eating, hangover), others are due to food poisoning.

By Sarah Brewer

STOMACH upsets usually mean nausea or vomiting, which may be accompanied by abdominal pain and or diarrhoea.
While some cases are due to dietary excess (like over-eating, hangover), others are due to food poisoning.

Most cases of food poisoning are mild and self-limiting, but more serious cases can cause fever, dehydration and even loss of blood.

Mild stomach upsets can be helped by eating a light diet (like yoghurt, thin soup, scrambled eggs on bread) or drinking plenty of fluids.

Your pharmacist can advise on over-the-counter remedies such as ant-acids, domperidone (which encourages emptying of the stomach to reduce nausea and bloating), simethicone (which helps wind to pass) anti-emetics (to reduce nausea) and electrolyte solutions that help to prevent dehydration.

Extracts of globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus) can relieve bloating and reduce discomfort associated by over-eating by increasing production of bile.

If symptoms persist or are more severe, seek medical advice, especially in the case of infants who can quickly become dehydrated.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});