Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffDigestive problems can occur for many reasons, including lifestyle choices you can control. In general, to keep your digestive system healthy, doctors recommend that you:
- Practice good eating habits. Just as important as what you eat is the manner in which you eat. Eat moderate portions, eat at regular times and relax while you eat.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Digestive problems can occur no matter what your weight. But heartburn, bloating and constipation tend to be more common in people who are overweight. Maintaining a healthy weight can often help prevent or reduce these symptoms.
- Get plenty of exercise. Aerobic exercise that increases your breathing and heart rate also stimulates the activity of intestinal muscles, helping to move food waste through your intestines more quickly. It's best to aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week. Check with your doctor before you begin an exercise program.
- Manage stress. Stress increases your risk of heart attack and stroke, dampens your immune system, and can trigger or aggravate skin problems. It also increases stomach acid production and slows digestion. Because stress is unavoidable for most people, the key is to learn to handle it effectively — a task that's made easier by a nutritious diet, adequate rest, regular exercise and healthy ways to relax. If you have trouble relaxing, consider taking up meditation or studying yoga or tai chi. These disciplines can help focus your mind, calm your anxieties and reduce physical tension. In addition, therapeutic massage may loosen taut muscles and calm frazzled nerves.
References
- Gastritis. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/gastritis. Accessed Feb. 23, 2009.
- Yardley JH, et al. Acute and chronic gastritis due to Helicobacter pylori. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 23, 2009.
- Yardley JH, et al. Metaplastic (chronic) atrophic gastritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 23, 2009.
- Yardley JH, et al. Classification and diagnosis of gastritis and gastropathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 23, 2009.
- H. Pylori and peptic ulcer. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hpylori. Accessed Feb. 23, 2009.
- Francis DL. Gastritis. In: Hauser SC, et al, eds. Mayo Clinic Gastroenterology and Hepatology Board Review. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Clinic Scientific Press; 2008:67.
- Picco MF. (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 25, 2009.
