Psychosomatics of stomach pain: can the stomach hurt from nerves?

Stomach pain, according to therapists, is one of the three most common complaints with which patients seek outpatient medical care. Abdominal pain can occur for various reasons and be the result of poor eating habits, alcohol abuse, exposure to reactive factors (for example, medications that aggressively affect the gastric mucosa), H. Pylori infections.

A separate nosological group includes pain in the stomach that occurs due to nervousness. Such pain appears when neurohumoral regulation is disrupted as a result of a stress factor and is called gastric neurosis or gastroneurosis. Unlike organic gastroenterological dysfunctions, in which the basic element of treatment is diet therapy, the histological and morphological features of gastroneurosis require initial psychocorrection, after which a replacement and maintenance treatment regimen is selected.

Stomach during stress

Stress is a set of adaptive reactions of a nonspecific type that occur in response to the influence of various physical and psychological stimuli - stressors. It is characteristic that the stressors of neurogenic gastric dyspepsia can be both negative (distress) and positive (for example, worries before an important event or a big win).

In response to strong emotional excitement, a general adaptation syndrome develops, which can manifest itself not only with pain in the stomach, but also with structural changes in the mucous membrane, its ulceration and even hidden gastrointestinal bleeding. These manifestations are part of the so-called “triad” of OSA (general adaptation syndrome), in which, in addition to gastroenterological manifestations, most patients also experience an enlargement of the adrenal cortex against the background of a decrease in the thymus gland, the organ in which the maturation and differentiation of T-lymphocytes of the immune system occurs.

The main mechanism for the occurrence of nervous gastric pain is neurohumoral dysfunction. This is a condition in which the physiological regulation of nerve transmission occurs, that is, the brain-stomach connection is disrupted. Under the influence of various stresses, an imbalance develops between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, which leads to an increase in the tone of sympathetic fibers and a simultaneous slowdown of parasympathetic transmission. Such changes lead to disruption of the innervation of the stomach and pathogenetic changes that form the neurogenic pain syndrome, namely:

dysfunction of secretory function (hypoanacidic or hyperanacidic type);
slowdown or, conversely, pathologically excessive activity of the muscular walls of the stomach (promotes the development of spasms and reflux);
changes in gastrointestinal motility.

During strong emotional experiences, the body also intensively produces a mediator of various inflammatory processes - the hormone prostaglandin. This can lead to the development of a rapid response in the form of inflammation of the gastric epithelium and exacerbation of gastritis and gastroduodenitis in patients with chronic gastroduodenal pathology.

Important! The body's natural reaction to stress is muscle tension, so nervous stomach pain occurs primarily as a consequence of spasms and reflux. Disruption of the innervation of the stomach can also lead to a disorder of secretory function and insufficient or, conversely, excessive production of the main components of gastric juice - barbiturates, hydrochloric acid, pepsin and pepsinogen - responsible for the breakdown and digestion of food.

How does the psyche affect health?

Gastroenterologists, neurologists, and pediatricians argue that stress in the human body disrupts, first of all, the blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract. This leads to disruption of the integrity of the gastric mucosa. Pain appears, becoming symptoms of gastritis, ulcers, disease. They lead to dysfunction of the gallbladder, liver and bile ducts.

The loss of the protective barrier in the stomach, the functions of which were performed by the mucous membrane, gives rise to diseases that affect the rest of the digestive organs.

Symptoms that appear during stress:

My stomach starts to hurt.
Heartburn, belching, rumbling, diarrhea.
Increased gas formation.
Spasm.
Feeling of a lump in the throat.

Human psychology is closely related to physical condition. The emergence of new or exacerbation of existing diseases can occur due to nervousness.

Causes of neurogenic gastric dyspepsia

Nerve pain syndrome (neurogenic dyspepsia) is a fairly common pathological condition that affects patients of any age and gender, including children, but the majority of patients who seek medical help are women aged 20 to 40 years. Despite the absence of an obvious gender predisposition, it is women who more often turn to doctors with complaints of pain in the stomach and intestines that appear on the basis of nervousness, which experts explain by the more unstable emotional lability in this category of patients.

The main factor in the development of neurogenic gastric dyspepsia is stress, which itself can have a different nature of occurrence. The table shows the factors and causes of stress during nerve pain in the stomach:

TOP 10 tips on how to get rid of stomach neurosis.

1. Naturally, first you need to consult a doctor to clarify the diagnosis, since there may be various reasons behind your health condition. When a diagnosis of Gastric Neurosis is made, all the symptoms characteristic of this particular disease will be listed and treatment will be prescribed.

2.Follow your doctors' instructions and remember that treating gastric neurosis can be a long process. Be patient and tune in to a positive outcome, purposefully protecting yourself from stress.

3. Introduce a work regime that would minimize emotional and physical stress. At the same time, the manifestation of activity is not excluded if it is aimed at normalizing the functioning of the nervous system. For example, visiting the pool.

4. Provide yourself with passive rest, including a sufficient number of hours of sleep.

5.As a calming procedure, you can take relaxing baths at night with pine infusions, valerian root, motherwort, tansy, and St. John's wort. Or visit, for example, a massage room from time to time.

How to distinguish nerve pain from gastritis symptoms

Neurogenic dyspepsia differs from gastritis in the absence of any organic (directly related to the functioning and structural state of the organ) causes. Changes in the gastric mucosa in this disorder are expressed not by inflammatory, but by degenerative-dystrophic and destructive processes.

Nerve pain can be distinguished from similar manifestations associated with functional damage to the gastrointestinal tract by the following signs:

pain and discomfort in the stomach are most often not associated with food intake and occur mainly after exposure to stress factors;
pain associated with eating occurs after eating any food, even if it meets the principles of dietary nutrition recommended for gastroenterological patients;
Bad breath (a consequence of the growth and activity of pathogenic flora of the stomach) is usually absent.

An important diagnostic criterion is the fact that nerve pain in the stomach is quickly relieved by sedatives, while the positive response to standard drug correction of gastroenterological diseases is weak or completely absent.

What can slow down the healing process?

It is also necessary to remember that some habits and actions can worsen the condition and slow down the healing process.

Low physical activity or exercise appropriate to health and age.
Incorrect distribution of work and rest.
Frequent consumption of alcohol and caffeinated drinks, smoking.
Taking medications in the absence of recommendations for their use, self-medication, regular use of untested folk remedies.
Uncontrolled dieting, fasting or eating too often. Fatty and spicy foods can also have a negative effect.
Lack of microelements necessary for the body in the diet.
Refusal of medical examinations, ignoring problems associated with the psychological state.

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Dystonics need to remember that eliminating unpleasant symptoms with the help of medications, massages and other methods is not a panacea. In order to return to the usual rhythm of life and once and for all forget about the pain in the stomach from excitement, you need to put your psychological state in order. The best solution in this case is to attend sessions with a psychotherapist.

How to treat stomach pain due to nerves

It is important to understand that the treatment of neurogenic pain differs from the standard treatment of gastritis and related diseases. In all cases, therapy must begin with the elimination of all provoking stressors and normalization of the patient’s psycho-emotional state.

Psychocorrection

Psychotherapy is the main method of treating nervous pain in the stomach, which is necessary to thoroughly study the stress factor and eliminate its influence on the functional state of the digestive organs. A psychotherapist will help establish the psychological and behavioral characteristics of the individual, neurotic deviations, and character traits (for example, people of the hypochondriacal type are more susceptible to neurogenic pathologies).

At the initial stages, tactics of cognitive behavioral analysis and psychoanalysis are used. If this is not enough, or the stressor of gastroneurosis was a severe stressful situation, body-oriented therapy is used.

The doctor also gives the patient recommendations regarding lifestyle. Patients with nervous stomach pain are advised to walk more, walk away from busy roads and large industrial enterprises, avoid communicating with unpleasant people, watching emotional films or TV shows. In some cases, practicing solitude is useful, so for several days the patient should avoid attending public events and being on crowded streets.

In the treatment of gastroneurosis, it is also important to provide conditions for healthy and restful sleep. Before going to bed, it is useful to ventilate the room for 20-30 minutes: this will provide an influx of oxygen, reduce the temperature in the room and help you sleep better.

Note! In the absence of contraindications, psychotherapy is combined with available relaxation methods: baths, yoga, meditation, art and audio therapy, and aromatherapy.

Drug treatment

In uncomplicated cases, in the absence of any psychopathological pathologies, it is usually sufficient to take sedatives on a plant basis: tincture of valerian or motherwort, “Evening” dragees (valerian and hop cones), medications (Persen, Novo-PASSIT, Relaxozan ").

Herbal medicine for nerve pain in the stomach

Treatment of nerve pain with herbs is also an effective method that perfectly complements the main scheme for correcting neurotic status.

Herbal collection

This collection copes well with flatulence, a feeling of fullness in the stomach and cramping pain. The marshmallow rhizome included in its composition is a source of mucus that envelops the stomach, protects it from internal damage and helps eliminate digestive disorders.

To prepare the infusion, you need to mix all the ingredients in a glass container and pour 500 ml of boiling water over them:

marshmallow rhizome – 30 g;
dried motherwort – 80 g;
dried dried fruit – 40 g.

Cover the container with a lid and leave for 6 hours. The finished infusion must be filtered. Take half a glass before each meal for 2 weeks. The table shows folk remedies for stomach pain:

Lavender infusion

Lavender is one of the best herbal remedies for treating pain in neurogenic gastric dyspepsia. It effectively eliminates spasms, prevents the development of reflux conditions, calms, improves appetite and helps fight nausea. You can drink lavender infusion instead of tea, adding a little natural honey to it. This drink before bed is especially useful: it helps relieve stress, improves sleep quality and reduces the likelihood of headaches in the morning.

Wine-honey drink with aloe

This drink helps cope with increased irritability, fatigue, and anxiety. It can be used by people who regularly experience increased nervous tension (for example, associated with work), suffering from headaches, and manifestations of asthenia. Natural red wine also contains large amounts of antioxidants, which slow down the aging process and inhibit oxidative reactions, minimizing the effects of oxidative stress.

This drink is prepared as follows:

Pour 300 ml of dry red wine into a container (take only good quality wine).
Add 200 ml of freshly squeezed aloe juice and 4 tablespoons of liquid honey.
Mix everything thoroughly and refrigerate for 7 days.

You should take this drink 4 times a day, 30 ml after meals. The duration of treatment depends on the severity of neurotic disorders and the frequency of stomach pain and can range from 1 to 3 months.

Conclusion

Stomach pain is an unpleasant condition that can cause serious complications if not treated promptly. If stomach pain appears due to nervousness, in addition to the gastroenterologist, the patient should also visit a psychotherapist, since the consequences of neurogenic dyspepsia can be severe eating disorders: bulimia and anorexia. Treatment of such pain involves, first of all, psychopathological correction. Auxiliary methods include physiotherapy, diet therapy, herbal medicine. Once a year, spa treatment is recommended at resorts specializing in balneotherapy.