Home Treatment for Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is swelling or inflammation of the pancreas. It's very painful and can be fatal in severe cases.

If your pain starts suddenly and lasts for a few days, you have an acute form of pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis requires immediate hospital attention, and should not be treated at home.

If your pain is long-lasting and occurs over many years, you have the chronic form. While there is no cure for chronic pancreatitis, lifestyle changes and natural remedies can help you manage your symptoms and prevent flare-ups.

Read on to learn more about the various natural home treatment options for chronic pancreatitis, including diet and lifestyle changes.

What Causes Pancreatitis?

Your pancreas is located behind your stomach in the upper part of your belly. When you eat, it makes juices containing enzymes that break down food. When your pancreas gets swollen or inflamed, the enzymes mistakenly attack the very tissues that make them.

There are two types of pancreatitis: acute and chronic.

Acute Pancreatitis

Every year in the U.S., about 275,000 people are hospitalized with acute pancreatitis. Gallstones are the most common cause. Other causes include:

• Excessive alcohol consumption and binge drinking 
• Hypertriglyceridemia (high blood fat levels)
• Accidental damage or injury to the pancreas (for example, during a procedure on the pancreas)
• Medication side effect
• Viruses like mumps or measles
• Hypercalcemia (high blood calcium levels)
• Autoimmune pancreatitis (the immune system attacks the pancreas)

Depending on the severity, symptoms of acute pancreatitis may include:

• Sudden, severe pain in the center of your stomach that may radiate along your back or below your left shoulder blade
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Indigestion
• Fever
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes)
• Tenderness or swelling of the abdomen
  

Acute pancreatitis requires treatment in a hospital setting, and you should never try to treat acute pancreatitis at home. Treatment often involves intravenous (IV) fluids. Healthcare providers deliver antibiotics, liquids, and painkillers directly into a vein through the IV in your arm.

Chronic Pancreatitis

For chronic pancreatitis, the most common cause is heavy alcohol use, which is defined as drinking four to five alcoholic drinks a day. Other causes of chronic pancreatitis include:

• Gallstones
• Cystic fibrosis
• Medications
• Genetic disorders

Symptoms may include:

• Stomach pain that can be sudden, severe, or chronic
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Fatty stool
• Glucose intolerance
• Chronic diarrhea
• Back pain

This form of pancreatitis can worsen over time and cause organ damage, diabetes, kidney failure, and breathing problems.

There is no cure for chronic pancreatitis, but certain home treatments can help you manage symptoms and prevent flare-ups. This includes eating right, watching your weight, exercising regularly, and avoiding alcohol.

How Is Pancreatitis Diagnosed?

Pancreatitis is diagnosed using your medical history, a physical exam, and lab and imaging tests. Your healthcare provider will ask you about your symptoms and family history.

During the physical exam, your healthcare provider will press on your abdomen to check for pain, swelling, or tenderness.

Several lab tests may be ordered, as well as imaging tests, such as:

• X-rays
• Ultrasound
• Computed tomography (CT)
• Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)
• Upper endoscopy
• Endoscopic ultrasound
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
  

Can You Test for Pancreatitis at Home?

No, you cannot test for pancreatitis at home. While there are rapid urine tests available that don't require any lab processing, these must be performed by a healthcare provider.

What to Eat and Drink if You Have Pancreatitis

People with severe cases of pancreatitis can become malnourished. Many need total parenteral nutrition (intravenous feeding that bypasses the gastrointestinal tract). Fasting for several hours or days may relieve pain due to a chronic pancreatitis flare-up. However, fasting is done under the supervision of a healthcare provider who will feed you nutrients through an IV drip inserted into your vein.

When your healthcare provider clears you to eat again, you can make several diet and nutrition changes at home to relieve pain and inflammation safely.

• Start with smaller, more frequent meals. Following a low-fat diet that limits greasy, fried, and processed foods can lessen pain and prevent more attacks. That’s because the more fat you eat, the more digestive enzymes your pancreas releases. Higher levels of enzymes can cause an attack.

• Drink plenty of fluids. Pancreatitis can cause dehydration, so drinking plenty of fluids is essential. Many healthcare providers recommend keeping a water bottle with you and drinking at least 8 cups of water during the day.
• Limit caffeine. Because caffeine can cause dehydration, they recommend sticking to just one cup of coffee or tea per day.
• Avoid alcohol. Even if you have a mild case of pancreatitis, healthcare providers recommend not drinking any alcohol. This can worsen symptoms and cause more attacks.

Weight Loss

Acute pancreatitis is becoming more common in the United States. Unhealthy diets and higher rates of obesity may be responsible for this trend because a high-fat diet increases the risk of gallstones.

Studies have also shown that being obese can worsen the severity of acute pancreatitis. Fat in and around the pancreas can cause inflammation. In severe cases, this can damage cells and tissue within your pancreas.

If you're obese, your healthcare provider will likely recommend losing weight to prevent flare-ups. Losing weight requires behavior and lifestyle changes like exercising more and limiting your portion sizes. You might also want to ask your healthcare provider about seeing a registered dietitian and getting help from a fitness expert.

Natural Remedies for Pancreatitis

Research on the use of natural remedies for pancreatitis relief is limited. There is some evidence that certain supplements may ease symptoms. Here’s a look at findings from those studies:

Antioxidants

In one review, researchers looked at 12 studies involving 585 people living with chronic pancreatitis. Some took antioxidants; some didn't. The participants rated their pain on a scale of one to 10. The researchers found that one-third of the people who took the antioxidants reported having less pain after six months.

However, the number of pain-free patients at the end of the study was the same in both groups. The people who took the supplements also reported having more side effects, like headaches or upset stomachs.

Patients with pancreatitis have lower levels of antioxidants and higher levels of free radicals—unstable molecules in the body that can damage cells and cause illness. Other studies have found no benefit to treatment with antioxidants.

Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid. It helps break down food and boosts your immune system.

Infection is a common cause of death among people with severe acute pancreatitis. Glutamine supplements have been shown to increase the immune response, so it may help people fight off infections.

In one study, researchers reviewed 12 clinical trials with a total of 505 patients with acute pancreatitis. Healthcare providers treated some with glutamine. Others didn't get the supplements. The study found that the patients treated with glutamine were:

• 40% less likely to have complications, especially infections
• 70% less likely to die than those who didn't take the supplement

However, the researchers say the treatment only helped patients fed through tubes. There was also no difference in the length of hospital stays between patients who got the treatment and those who didn't.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

These are nutrients you can get by eating salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds. Some small studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce inflammation from pancreatitis and repair damaged tissue.

Researchers reviewed eight clinical trials involving 364 participants with severe acute pancreatitis. Some were treated with omega-3 fatty acids. Others weren't.

The researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced the risk of death by about 75% among the patients who were treated with the supplements via feeding tubes. These patients were also less likely to get infections and had shorter hospital stays than those who didn't get the supplements.

Patients fed through feeding tubes benefitted more than those who could eat normally.

Summary

Pancreatitis is painful swelling or inflammation of the pancreas that can be acute or chronic. In severe cases, it can be fatal. With chronic inflammation, making specific lifestyle changes can help ease pain and lessen the risk of future attacks. These changes include avoiding alcohol, limiting caffeine, following a low-fat diet, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Some small studies have suggested that using supplements to treat people with severe cases of pancreatitis may help lessen their pain, avoid infections, and live longer. However, more studies are needed and it's too early to tell whether these remedies can benefit all people with pancreatitis.