Before we begin, it’s important to note that you should tell your healthcare provider if you experience abdominal pain on a regular basis, so you can get a proper diagnosis and treatment. And severe abdominal pain may mean you have a serious health condition that needs immediate medical attention.
Keep reading to learn how you can find relief when dealing with IBS pain.
There are a variety of ways to apply heat to your stomach, and all of them work. You can choose the one that you like best and is most convenient for you:
Use a heating pad. Be sure to protect your skin with clothing or a towel. Try a hot water bottle. This is an excellent choice when you need pain relief as you sleep. Apply sports creams that treat pain by creating a warming sensation. Pain reliever creams and ointments are a good method of fast pain relief on the go.
Peppermint tea is a good choice to soothe your stomach. Chamomile tea can also help calm the stomach. Anise tea is good for constipation. Fennel tea is good for digestion issues.
If you are following a low-FODMAP diet, you may want to avoid chamomile and fennel tea. A low-FODMAP diet is one that restricts certain types of carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that the small intestine can’t absorb easily. It is a common treatment for IBS.
Keep your kitchen pantry well stocked and try to have tea bags with you when you are out and about.
Once your pain has eased, you can slowly go back to eating your regular diet. If you have IBS and you have frequent stomach pain, you will want to find a long-term way of eating. Choose foods that help ease your IBS symptoms.
Peppermint oil has been shown by research to be antispasmodic. This means that it reduces muscle spasms and cramping, which can ease the pain you’re feeling. Gas-relieving products are easily available at stores. If your abdominal pain feels more like trapped gas than cramping, you may find relief by taking a product containing simethicone, a medication that makes gas easier to pass.
Relaxation exercises are a way to break the cycle of anxiety and pain. They offer a way to “turn off” the anxious feelings. Of course, they work better with regular practice, but can still offer some benefits for immediate pain relief.
Three basic types of relaxation exercises are:
Visualization Deep breathing Muscle relaxation
With a little experimentation, you can decide which methods work best for you.
After you have calmed your body with relaxation exercises, stimulate your imagination and dream up a few soothing pain-relieving images. Here are some possibilities, but feel free to come up with your own:
Imagine a white healing light coming into your body and swirling all around your belly, healing and soothing your aggravated digestive tract. Imagine that the pain is a hard ball of wax that is slowly melting as you envision a warm, healing heat spread through the area. Imagine that a soft, healing balm is making its way through your system, serving to cool, soothe, and calm the inflamed tissue.
The quickest way is to download an app on your smartphone or other mobile device. There are quite a few IBS-specific hypnotherapy apps available. It’s best to find one that’s backed by research, like Nerva.
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Some people with IBS apply soothing heat to the belly using a heating pad or hot water bottle. They may try sipping herbal teas that help with stomach pain.
Other patients with IBS find that over-the-counter medications and creams can help. Sometimes relaxation techniques such as visualization, deep breathing, or hypnotherapy can help people with IBS deal with stomach pain.
A Word From Verywell
If you have IBS, you know that it can make life challenging. It’s important to find the pain-relieving methods that work best for you. Talk with your healthcare provider to discuss your unique situation so they can help you treat your IBS effectively.
