Diagnosis

If a patient complains about stomach cramps after eating, the first step is to find out where exactly the pain is located, how often the stomach cramps occur after eating and after which meals they occur. It is also asked whether the patient suffers from other complaints besides the stomach cramps after eating, such as vomiting, blood in the stool, fever or weight loss. In addition, the doctor can palpate the patient’s abdomen and perform a blood test. If there are indications of a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, further examination procedures, such as a gastroscopy, are used.

Therapy

The treatment of stomach cramps after eating depends on the cause of the symptoms. In principle, medicinal, surgical and conservative measures are considered.Drugs used to relieve discomfort after eating have antispasmodic (so-called spasmolytics), analgesic (so-called analgesics), and acidic (so-called antacids) effects. Antibiotics may also be necessary, for example, to treat inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, a stomach ulcer and an infection of the gastrointestinal tract.

Surgical treatment is the method of choice for patients with gastric cancer and also for patients with a stomach ulcer is sometimes necessary. For harmless stomach cramps after fatty and rich food, a number of conservative measures are available. These include: The use of heat pads can also alleviate stomach cramps by increasing the blood circulation in the stomach.

Relaxation exercises also have a positive effect. In the case of food intolerances or allergies to certain foods, the therapy consists of a diet in which the intolerant food is avoided.

Herbal teas (herbs have calming, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects)
Linseed (linseed contains mucilaginous substances that lie on the stomach lining and protect against gastric acid)
Ginger (ginger contains an active ingredient that absorbs acids)
Caraway oil (caraway oil has a calming and antispasmodic effect and also stimulates digestion) and
Honey (honey contains substances that support the regeneration of the stomach mucosa)