Festive season has started and one can sense around that Christmas and New Year are just going to come shortly.

For many individuals, celebration of a festival just means to eat and booze to make merry. In this mood of celebration, they tend to eat more and drink more than their capacity thus increasing chances of becoming sick afterwards.

People should be aware of these disorders. They should   know how to prevent them. If at all one falls sick, he or she should be able to manage it at the earliest before becoming sicker.

 The most common digestive disorders which result due to over eating or eating too much of food are nausea, vomiting, heartburn, flatulence, hiccoughs and constipation. One may have one or more than one of these disorders. Although not so common, some persons can develop diarrhoea after a binge of over eating.

Digestion is usually impaired by eating too much of fried or spicy food, particularly when one is not habituated to it. Eating in a large quantity, more than one’s usual intake or eating very fast also results in digestive disorders. Vomiting also occurs due to taking excess alcohol. Some persons are not able to tolerate large quantities of tea and coffee and develop dyspepsia due to taking large amounts of tea or coffee.

 Vomiting usually occurs after over eating, eating fried or hot spicy food to which one is not accustomed .Quantity of food which cannot be tolerated by the stomach is usually thrown out. Before the actual vomiting one may have sense of nausea. There may be associated feeling of sour taste in mouth, burning sensation in chest and abdomen. One also has a sensation of bloating of abdomen and or an uncomfortable fullness in the stomach.

If one has constipation and does not clear his bowels regularly, he also develops sense of bloating and fullness in abdomen along with heart burn.

Once when somebody develops a digestive disorder after a celebration, it is not only painful but also embarrassing for him. This is more so when he is with other people.

Therefore it is prudent to be vigilant to see that one should not become sick during the celebration of any festival or during any occasion, whatever it may be.

Taking small quantities of food is always recommended to prevent digestive disorders. Small quantity of food taken is always better tolerated and digested as compared to a big meal. If one is not used to taking very hot or spicy food, he should avoid it, come whatever may be the occasion. 

Alcohol is harmful for overall health of an individual and therefore best avoided. One should also avoid taking excess of tea or coffee.

There are numerous home remedies available for dyspepsia or other digestive disorders. They have been proven to be useful by the experience of people using it. Drinking hot water with small amount of lemon juice is useful to reduce bloating of abdomen. Taking cold milk in small quantity is useful to reduce   nausea and heart burn. Similarly drinking hot water before sleeping or as first thing in the morning clears the bowels and cures constipation. There are several such indigenous cures available. They are very beneficial as first aid remedy, when somebody has a digestive disorder. In mild problems, it can serve as a cure also by reducing the symptoms and preventing its exacerbation.

Nausea and vomiting along with heart burn can be treated symptomatically with medicines that reduce the increased acid production of the abdomen like aluminium hydroxide, omeprazole, e.t.c., drugs. . Anti-vomiting drugs are useful to stop vomiting.   Mild laxative drugs can be used to treat constipation.

After recovery from a bout of digestive disorder one should take a light meal to give rest to the digestive system and allowing it to recuperate very well.

Just with simple precautions, one can enjoy a festival and avoid getting sick after it.

Dr. Rachna Pande
rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk