Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas is very hard to treat. A hard diet, taking medication often allows only to remove acute symptoms of the disease. Therefore, many people turn to folk remedies - herbal infusions and similar medicines. Not so long ago, there was information that the treatment of pancreatitis is actively promoted by ordinary baking soda. However, there are no official comments on the part of medical specialists yet, but there is a positive experience of its application, which patients actively share with each other. 
Useful properties of soda
Soda or sodium bicarbonate has many useful properties. Studies of the effects of chemical processes that can occur when soda interacts with various tissues of the human body have revealed the following positive effects from ingesting soda inside:
- Improving the supply of oxygen to the body cells, which increases the efficiency of their activity, prevents cancerous tumors and other negative consequences from lack of oxygenin organism. With pancreatitis soda, increasing the supply of oxygen to the pancreas, accelerates the process of its recovery.
- Being inherently alkali, baking soda reduces acidity in the gastrointestinal tract, stabilizing digestion and preventing development of ulcers. Also due to this chemical property, soda increases alkaline stores in the body.
- The action of soda is also expressed in normalizing the acid-base balance, reducing the level of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which relieves the pancreas and promotes a faster recovery of the patient.
- Sodium bicarbonate helps to improve the assimilation of B vitamins, which are necessary for the functioning, including, and pancreas.
- Surplus soda, arising during the treatment, can easily be excreted by the kidneys from the body.
Therapeutic effect of
Many scientists have studied the ways of treating various diseases with soda. Neumyvakin I.P.achieved the greatest success in this matter. In his writings, he substantiated the therapeutic effect of soda on many internal organs of man, including the pancreas.
So, this gland, in the course of its functioning, releases a special pancreatic or pancreatic juice that enters the duodenum. Further, after ingestion of food from the stomach into the intestine, digestion begins, which is expressed in the breakdown of fats, proteins and carbohydrates with the help of alkaline enzymes contained in pancreatic juice.
In inflammation of the pancreas, it ceases to supply the duodenum with the necessary enzymes. Then the body, in order to digest food, begins to direct hydrochloric acid from the stomach into the duodenum. As a result, there is a violation of the acid-base balance in the body.
Treatment of soda in this case is due to the fact that it performs some functions of the pancreas, restoring the balance of acid and alkali in the gastrointestinal tract, reducing the excessive level of hydrochloric acid and promoting normal digestion of food. As a result, the burden on the diseased organ decreases, and he recovers much faster.
The role of soda in therapy
However, it can not be considered that soda intake can completely replace the complex treatment of pancreatitis. Sodium bicarbonate is just an adjuvant that helps accelerate the processes of restoring the normal functioning of the pancreas.
In addition, you must follow a strict diet, in the first few days of an attack of acute pain, it is possible to completely exclude food intake. Then gradually it is recommended to eat only porridge, and only in a week it is possible to add certain fruits to the food. For a long time you will have to exclude from the diet all fried, spicy and fatty, as well as any alcohol.
Diet, like all complex treatment, should be prescribed only by a doctor. This will exclude the acceleration of the recovery process and choose the optimal method of treatment, including the selection of medications.
Limitations when taking soda in pancreatitis
In addition to the fact that soda can not be replaced by a complex treatment for pancreatitis, one should not take it for a long time or permanently, even despite the presence of improvements in the patient's well-being. If you take sodium bicarbonate for a long time, the following side effects may occur:
- Diarrhea and other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract due to an excess of alkali in the body;
- Dizziness;
- Swelling of the mucosa, increased thirst, which can even lead to hypertension.
The most important contraindication may be that with prolonged intake of soda, the body will get used to receiving alkali from outside, which means that the amount of its independent production will decrease, which will lead to a violation of the acid-base balance, which will be much harder to restore.
It is absolutely forbidden to take soda for patients with low acidity. In this case, the appearance of various ulcers and erosions in the stomach and duodenum. Thus, instead of a curative effect, an additional disease will appear. It can also occur if the dosage is disturbed. The intake of sodium hydrogencarbonate can also have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, when using this method of treatment, it is necessary to get consultation with a doctor.
How to prepare and take a solution
There are several recipes for taking soda in pancreatitis. So, for example, many recommend taking a solution of baking soda with lemon juice inside( a glass of water should account for half a spoonful of soda and 10 ml of lemon juice).
Milk can be used instead of water in this solution, but this prescription can not be used during the period of exacerbation, when the use of milk protein is prohibited.
Also effective is a mixture of one part of soda with three parts of honey. This mixture must be heated on low heat until a uniform mass is formed, then cool and take it for a week( store it in the refrigerator).
However, for all recipes, there are the following general recommendations for the intake of sodium hydrogen carbonate in pancreatitis:
- Soda should be taken only in an empty stomach, so it should be taken 30 minutes before meals or an hour after meals;
- The most effective solution is if taken in the morning on an empty stomach;
- Dosage of soda should be gradually increased from 1/5 teaspoon to half.
It is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's recommendations in terms of dosage and duration of admission, as well as monitor the body's response. If, after taking the solution, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or pain in the abdominal area occurs, you should either reduce the dosage, or refuse to take it.
Prevention of pancreatitis with soda
For prevention, soda can be taken in small doses. Most often in the form of a solution of half a teaspoon in a glass of warm water. Drink it should be in small sips 2-3 times a day before eating. Replace soda in the prevention of pancreatitis can mineral water with a high content of alkali, for example, Borjomi. The preventive course lasts, as a rule, not longer than a month. Then you need to take a break and, if necessary, resume taking sodium bicarbonate solution.
In the acute period of the disease, the dosage and concentration of the solution should be selected individually and only after consultation with the attending physician. Otherwise, you can get negative side effects and only complicate the process of recovery.
Thus, chronic pancreatitis of soda, of course, does not completely cure, but promotes activation of recovery processes, normalizing the balance of acid and alkali in the body and discharging the pancreas. However, with long-term admission or incorrect dosage, various side effects are possible. To avoid them it is possible, constantly consulting with the doctor and harmoniously combining folk remedies for the treatment of pancreatitis with medication and a strict diet.
