Whether you want to treat this on your own or get help from a professional, a good starting point is to gain some understanding of what is causing the pain. If you have severe pain in one side of your buttocks, you have narrowed the field slightly.

Dietary fiber, defined as edible but nondigestible carbohydrate-based material, is available naturally in many plants, vegetables, cereals and grains, playing an important role in gastrointestinal health. The average American is deficient in fiber, which includes both the soluble and insoluble types.

Gas is a symptom caused by air in the digestive tract, while bloating refers to a feeling of enlargement or swelling of the abdomen. These common digestive symptoms often occur together, resulting in intestinal cramping and discomfort.

A distended stomach, commonly referred to as bloating, is often caused by gas. Though the condition is uncomfortable, it normally goes away within a few hours. Children frequently develop a loose stool and diarrhea along with bloating when they overeat, suffer from minor illnesses, or have food sensitivities.

If you notice that you develop an upset stomach every time you eat grilled cheese, you should avoid eating that food until you can be seen by your doctor. FamilyDoctor.org states that the most common causes of dyspepsia, the medical term for upset stomach, are peptic ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Diarrhea is the second most common reported illness in the United States. Bouts of diarrhea may be acute and last only one to two days, or the condition may be chronic, lasting four weeks or more.

A hiatial or hiatus hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes through a weakened portion of the diaphragm, a large muscle that separates the abdominal and chest cavities.

Food poisoning causes several symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and sometimes a fever or headache. The illness is caused by eating food or consuming beverages that have been contaminated with a bacteria or other toxin, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) explains.

When you push your body during exercise or exercise without the proper nutrition, a wave of nausea could interrupt your workout. Sickness and vomiting often cut a workout short, since you then have to attend to your symptoms.

Soy products are used as a safe alternative to diary products, but for some people, eating soy can be an unpleasant experience. Stomach pains from tofu and soy are most likely related to a soy allergy. Tofu is textured soy protein that is used for cooking and substituting for cream, eggs and butter in various recipes.

The symptoms of heartburn occur when the lining of the esophagus is irritated by stomach acids that have backed up into it. A band of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus is called the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES. The LES opens to allow food into the stomach, and then closes.

Colitis is the medical term that describes inflammation of the colon, or large intestine. Infectious colitis is inflammation of the colon caused by an infectious agent. These include bacteria, viruses and parasites.