GASTROPARESIS

Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine. Normally, after you swallow food, the muscles in the wall of your stomach grind the food into smaller pieces and push them into your small intestine to continue digestion. When you have gastroparesis, your stomach muscles work poorly or not at all, and your stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Gastroparesis can delay digestion, which can lead to various symptoms and complications.

SYMPTOMS OF GASTROPARESIS: -

The symptoms of gastroparesis may include:

• feeling full soon after starting a meal
• feeling full long after eating a meal
• nausea
• vomiting
• too much bloating
• too much belching
• pain in your upper abdomen
• heartburn
• poor appetite

Certain medicines may delay gastric emptying or affect motility, resulting in symptoms that are similar to those of gastroparesis. If you have been diagnosed with gastroparesis, these medicines may make symptoms worse. Medicines that may delay gastric emptying or make symptoms worse include the following: narcotic pain medicines, such as codeine , hydrocodone , morphine, oxycodone  , and tapentadol some antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline , and venlafaxine some anticholinergics —medicines that block certain nerve signals some medicines used to treat overactive bladder pramlintide.

CAUSES OF GASTROPARESIS: -

In most cases, doctors aren’t able to find the underlying cause of gastroparesis, even with medical tests. Gastroparesis without a known cause is called idiopathic gastroparesis.

Diabetes is the most common known underlying cause of gastroparesis. Diabetes can damage nerves, such as the vagus nerve and nerves and special cells, called pacemaker cells, in the wall of the stomach. The vagus nerve controls the muscles of the stomach and small intestine. If the vagus nerve is damaged or stops working, the muscles of the stomach and small intestine do not work normally. The movement of food through the digestive tract is then slowed or stopped. Similarly, if nerves or pacemaker cells in the wall of the stomach are damaged or do not work normally, the stomach does not empty.

In addition to diabetes, other known causes of gastroparesis include:

injury to the vagus nerve due to surgery on your esophagus, stomach, or small intestine

hypothyroidism

certain autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma

certain nervous system   disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosisviral infections of your stomach.

COMPLICATIONS OF GASTROPARESIS MAY INCLUDE: -

• dehydration due to repeated vomiting
• malnutrition due to poor absorption of nutrients
• blood glucose, also called blood sugar, levels that are harder to control, which can worsen diabetes
• low calorie intake
• bezoars
• losing weight without trying
• lower quality of life.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT OF GASTROPARESIS: -

The homoeopathic system of medicine works very well to manage the symptoms of Gastroparesis. Symptoms like bloated Abdomen, stomach fullness, heartburn, and stomach pain are well managed by Homoeopathic remedies.

 The medicines that can be thought of use are: -

• Lycopodium
• Hydrastis
• Pulsatilla
• China
• Nux vomica
• Bismuth
• Carbo Veg etc