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Dehydration and dyspeptic pain – Part 2

By Paul Joseph Nanna
11 August 2016   |   1:49 am
This is the concluding part of this article that I started writing last week.
Water

Water

This is the concluding part of this article that I started writing last week.

When the water is inadequate like in a state of dehydration, the water in the mucus layer will be depleted making the layer thin.

More importantly the sodium bicarbonate buffer solution will be in short supply and unable to neutralize all the hydrochloric acid in the stomach content. The result is that some acid will eventually pass through the mucus layer to the other layers of the stomach. The acid being corrosive destroys these unprotected layers giving rise to what is known as dyspeptic pain. When this condition becomes chronic the acid will ‘eat’ into the underlying muscular layer and form an ulcer.

Long before the development of an ulcer the patient complains of pain. This should be considered as a sign of local dehydration in the GIT. At least two glasses of water drunk one hour before meals should prevent this pain and eventual ulcer formation. It is water drunk before a meal that will be poured into the mucus layer that protects against ulcer.

The water you drink while eating does not act to protect against dyspeptic pain and ulcer formation.
Furthermore, this acidic stomach content must not get into the duodenum without any form of protection. The duodenum does not have a mucus layer like the stomach wall. The pancreas, apart from the production and secretion of insulin and enzymes also secretes a watery bicarbonate solution into the duodenum before the acidic stomach contents arrive. The pancreas needs a lot of water to produce this alkaline solution. In a state of dehydration enough of this solution is not produced. The pyloric valve which controls the emptying of stomach contents into the duodenum is stimulated into action by the availability of the alkaline solution in the duodenum. It is this alkaline solution that protects the duodenum against the corrosive stomach contents.

Motilin is a hormone which causes the pyloric valve to open. It is the initiator of the rhythmic contractions of the intestine known as peristalsis. As this happens the pyloric valve opens and closes allowing stomach contents into the duodenum intermittently. Motilin secretion is dependent on the volume of water available in the GIT and production of the bicarbonate buffer solution. In other words, motilin is only secreted when there is adequate protection for the duodenum. If this is not so motilin is not secreted and the pyloric valve remains tightly shut. The only way left for the evacuation of the stomach content is through the oesophageal opening. As the pyloric end of the stomach remains closed anti-peristaltic movements become established and stomach contents begin to move backward and upwards emptying into the oesophagus which results in vomiting.

The oesophagus does not have any form of protection against the acid content of the stomach making it susceptible to the corrosive action of the stomach contents. This causes pain that is usually referred to as heart burn. This is a form of dyspepsia which is felt mostly at the top of the stomach. Apart from this, there is a feeling of fullness in the stomach. As these anti-peristaltic waves continually move the stomach contents upwards, vomiting may occur. After vomiting, the individual usually feels relieved, the pain subsides and the fullness is reduced.

Furthermore, as these anti peristaltic waves move the stomach contents into the oesophagus, part of the stomach under the diaphragm may herniate through the hiatus (opening in the diaphragm through which the oesophagus passes) causing more pain. This condition is known as hiatus hernia.

The bottom line is that all these conditions are complications of dehydration, which can be prevented by drinking sufficient amounts of water regularly. Our bodies ought to be sufficiently hydrated all the time. This is especially moreso as there is no storage tank of water inside the body.

Sufficient water in the body will ensure adequate production and release of the bicarbonate buffer solution by the pancreas. This is the solution that protects the stomach wall and duodenum against the damage that the acid can cause. If the duodenum is well protected, the pyloric valve will open and discharge the acidic stomach content in there.

Dyspeptic pain, ulcer, heart burn and hiatus hernia are all caused by lack of sufficient water in the body. Drinking water (alkaline water), regularly and daily will surely bring healing.

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