65 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
65 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
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By Dave Peyton
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Indigestion may be the most prevalent complaint people
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have, outside the common cold.
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It's little wonder that almost everyone suffers from
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indigestion and related problems at one time or another. The
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stomach is does some amazing things to its contents requiring it
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to grind like a grist mill and release an acid so powerful it
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could burn the skin.
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Then what is the answer to indigestion? Well, if you
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suffer from indigestion regularly, it's time to see a doctor
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since indigestion can be a symptom of some other problem.
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But, for those with occasional and simple indigestion,
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there are several natural remedies, some known for hundreds of
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years.
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It may sound unlikely that bran can heal an upset
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stomach or indigestion, but an article in the British Medical
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Journal indicated that bran might work to sooth the stomach as
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well as the colon.
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A total of 70 patients with diverticular disease of the
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colon were given bran to help their colon problem. Of the 70,
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11 of them had complained of nausea and stomach upset. After
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taking an average of two tablespoons of bran daily for several
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weeks, seven of the 11 said their nausea had disappeared and two
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others said their symptoms were relieved. Many cases of
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heartburn were also relieved by the bran.
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Several natural foods and herbs have been shown to
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reduce stomach distress. Following are some of them:
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Papaya: This natural digestive aid helps in digesting
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protein. If papaya is out of season, you can purchase papaya
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supplements at health food stores. Papaya may relieve gas as
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well as stomach upsets and indigestion.
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Fennel: In the famed natural herb book ""Back to Eden,''
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Jethro Kloss says fennel is a remedy for ""gas, acid stomach,
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cramps, colic and spasms.'' Many herbalists say a tea made from
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fennel seeds is a good treatment for indigestion.
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Catnip: Tea made from catnip leaves is a traditional
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remedy for stomach ailments, particularly among lchildren. Kloss
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called it ""very useful in pain of any kind'' and said it was
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excellent in eliminating gas and stomach acid.
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Anise: Sometimes an over-acid stomach comes from too
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many sweets. Herbalists recommend anise seeds in that case. In
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his book ""Nature's Healing Agents,'' Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer
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notes that parents used to give their children cakes covered
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with anise seeds during the holiday season to soothe their acid
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stomachs which came from eating too many sweets.
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Mint: Both peppermint and spearmint leaves are excellent
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for making a tea for nausea, vomiting, diaeehea and colon
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problems. A tablespoon of crushed leaves steeped in a cup of
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water for five minutes can help eliminate all sorts of digestive
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problems.
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Sage: The slightly bitter tea made frokm sage leaves is
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said to be an excellent tonic for intestinal inflamations,
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including stomach inflamations.
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Yogurt: Milk which has been fermented by one of the
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yogurt bacteria has be n found to be soothing to the entire
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digestive tract. In the book ""Encyclopedia of Common Diseases''
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by the editors of Prevention magazine, eating yogurt can sooth
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everything from an enflamed esophagus to colonitis. The book
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quotes a doctor of osteopathy as saying ""If someone comes
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intok my office with a digestive complaint, I askd them to eat a
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ckup of yogurt a day and come back in a week. Only if their
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problem exists - and it often doesn't - do I investigate
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further.''
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