Gut Pains

About three or four percent of medical consultations concern gut or stomach pains The priority is to arrive at as accurate a diagnosis as possible and to decide whether it is serious, and the degree of urgency. In most cases it is not serious.

• If you have had these symptoms before and recognize them, you may know that they can be dealt with simply using a previously tried remedy or something quick and effective. Nevertheless, it will pay to follow the advice below:
• Be suspicious if:
  - you are relatively old
  - you are male
  - the pain is intense, median, and impairs sleep
  - the gut is very hard, and painful when breathing
  - you have not had a bowel motion and are not normally constipated
  - you have a temperature
  - you are vomiting repeatedly
  - you have serious diarrhoea
  - there is blood in the stools
  - you are losing weight

Caution: In the above cases, do not treat yourself. Go to your doctor without delay.

Homeopathy

There are three types of pain in the gut: due to cramps, burning, and flatulence.

Stomach cramps

Colocynthis, Magnesia phosphorica

Colocynthis

- Vegetable origin: bitter apple
- Homeopathic remedy for violent, intermittent, cramp-like pains
- Characteristic sign: relieved by pressure on the affected region

Magnesia phosphorica

- Chemical origin: magnesium phosphate
- Homeopathic remedy for unbearable, intermittent neuralgia
- Characteristic sign: improved by warmth

Burning Dains

Arsenicum album, Iris versicolor

Arsenicum album

- Chemical origin: arsenic anhydride
- Homeopathic remedy for burning pains
- Characteristic sign: improved by warmth

Iris versicolor

- Vegetable origin: iris
- Homeopathic remedy for burning in the mouth, on the tongue, and in the stomach or the intestine
- Characteristic sign: hyperacidity

Pain due to flatulence

Carbo vegetabilis, China

Carbo vegetabilis

- Vegetable origin: wood charcoal
- Homeopathic remedy for flatulence in the pit of the stomach
- Specific sign: worsened by warmth

China

- Vegetable origin: cinchona bark
- Homeopathic remedy for distension throughout the intestine
- Two specific signs: improvement with warmth and firm pressure

Four granules of one of these remedies at 5c, to be sucked like sweets, alternately, between meals. The intervals should be increased as improvement occurs.

• You can use Gastricumeel@ (Heel) which contains Carbo vegetabilis D6, Nux vomica D4, Argentum nitricum D6, Acid arsenicosum D6, Pulsatilla D4 and Antimonium crudum D6:
  - Available in packs containing 50 and 250 tablets
  -In general, one tablet to be dissolved under the tongue three times daily. In acute disorders initially one tablet every 15 minutes

Herbal treatment

Angelica, anise, and fennel- for pain.

Anise, fennel and mint - for wind.

Hawthorn, lime and valerian - for spasm.

Anise

A plant native to the Mediterranean basin. It has numerous digestive properties: it reduces colic, relieves nausea, aids digestion, and is effective against wind. For these reasons it is used both in the kitchen and in herbal remedies.

Fennel

Fennel seed is used in treating abdominal pain, relieving stomachache and flatulence. It is also mildly diuretic, and is sometimes used in slimming diets.

Lime

This familiar tree is both antispasmodic and mildly sedative. It encourages sleep and combats the symptoms of stress, which makes it useful in treating abdominal pain of nervous origin.

Valerian

The remarkable sedative properties of valerian have been known since antiquity. It encourages sleep and is mainly used to treat the symptoms of anxiety. At the same time it is very effective against spasm and cramps. Its only defect is its smell.

• You can use Valerian/Hops Complex (Bioforce), a mixture of valerian and hops:
  - Available in drop bottles of 50ml
  - Take 20 to 30 drops in a little water, half an hour before bed
• You can also drink one or two infusions per day of anise, boldo, fennel, dandelion, or mint
  - One teaspoonful of the plant (bought loose from a herbalist) to one cup of water .