Indigestion & Reflux - Treat the underlying cause

Indigestion & Reflux

Article by Angela Haldane

Q. Can you please tell me about reflux and indigestion. My 17 year old son has been to the doctor who put him on medication for a month, and if this doesn’t settle it in a month he is to have a gastroscopy. He said it is not common in young people. It occurs about 3am after a dinner eaten at 8pm.

A. The abdominal discomfort that occurs an hour after a meal or during the night is a primary symptom of a duodenal ulcer, (rather than a stomach ulcer). They are 4 times more common in men than in women. This can be determined with the gastroscopy.
Diet and stress can play an adverse role.
It can also occur with some medication like Nurofen, Iboprofen, NSAIDS.

I would recommend a consultation with a naturopath / medical herbalist  - Natural Ange to address long term management.
In consultation we can address the appropriate herbal medicine required, foods and avoiding food intolerances, and improving the Gut microbiome – optimising beneficial bacterial growth.

Eat more fish/vegetarian diet rather than heavy red meats until he improves.