DEAR DOCTORS: Sometimes when I get nervous, my stomach will knot up and start to ache. Sometimes I even get diarrhoea, which is embarrassing. Why does that happen? Should I see a doctor? I’d like to know about any natural remedies that might help, and also any medications.
DEAR READER: Tell someone you’ve got butterflies in your stomach, and it’s likely they know how you feel. It’s part of a connection between emotion and the gut that has been recognised for millennia.
But for some people, the physical response to certain emotions, including anxiety, is far more pronounced. Rather than just a few flutters, they experience symptoms that can become severe. The stomach pain that you have described, as well as the spasms, are common in such cases. Additional symptoms can include loss of appetite, unusual hunger, indigestion, flatulence, diarrhoea, constipation and…
