Heartburn Remedies

Choosing the right diet for gerd (gastroesophageal reflux disease) relies on identifying foods that cause heartburn and avoiding them. More specifically, it relies on identifying the foods that cause heartburn for you because when it comes to acid reflux, not all foods have the same effect from one person to another. One simple way to identify foods to avoid with gerd is to keep a heartburn diet diary.

How And Why To Keep A Gerd Diet And Heartburn Diary

To keep a heartburn diet diary, all you’ll need is a pen and a small notebook you can keep notes in. For a few weeks keep track of everything you eat. Write down the type of food, how much you ate, whether or not you ate it in combination with something else, and what date and time you ate it.

Next, also keep track of how you feel afterward and write down any time you experience heartburn and the severity of it. For example, is it mild, temporary heartburn, or does it seem to be constant heartburn that persists and won’t go away for several hours?

You might also want to keep track of any activities you perform after eating. For example, did you go for a walk? Did you lie down on the couch and watch tv? All of these details can be important in identifying foods to avoid with acid reflux and can help you discover simple heartburn remedies at home.

After a few weeks, read back through your diary and try to identify patterns. For example, did you experience severe heartburn every time you ate chocolate? Was acid reflux at its worst whenever you would lie down after a meal? Did drinking milk help or hurt your heartburn? Do certain foods seem to cause heartburn by themselves or is it only when you eat them in combination with something else?

The answers to these types of questions can be the key to identifying heartburn causes and getting heartburn relief.

What Is Heartburn?

Heartburn is a burning sensation often felt in the middle of the chest after eating. It is the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (more commonly known as GERD or acid reflux) which is a condition in which acidic liquids in the stomach back up into the esophagus. Since the esophagus is not designed to handle these liquids, the end result is pain, discomfort, and damage to the lining of the esophagus over time.

What Causes Heartburn And Acid Reflux?

In your body, the esophagus is responsible for transporting food from your mouth into your stomach.

In his best selling heartburn treatment guide, “Heartburn No More”, acid reflux expert, Jeff Martin, describes the causes of heartburn in the following way, “Normally, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), located at the bottom of the esophagus, serves as a one-way valve that opens automatically to allow food to enter the stomach and closes automatically to prevent the acidic content of the stomach to reflux into the esophagus. However, when the LES “relaxes”, is weak or loose, and doesn’t operate accordingly and in appropriate times (e.g. stays open when it needs to be closed), the content of the stomach flows back into the esophagus.”

The end result is heartburn which can vary in severity based on several different factors including:

• Genetic disposition to heartburn
• The muscular tone of the LES
• The type of liquid refluxing back into the stomach
• The quantity of liquid refluxing back into the stomach
• The ability of the esophagus to naturally cleanse itself
• Lifestyle choices such as lying down after meals, smoking, lack of sleep, and drinking alcohol
• Drugs (such as calcium channel blockers) which can dilate blood vessels and weaken the LES
• Eating certain foods which either relax the LES or contribute to a more acidic environment in the stomach
• Obesity
• Difficulty properly chewing and swallowing food
• Pressure on the abdomen due to pregnancy in women
• Stress
• Development of a hiatal hernia
• Over acidity of the stomach leading to Candida growth

Because of the complex relationships between many different primary and secondary causes of heartburn, the condition is not easily treated with simple over the counter drugs like antacids which is what led Jeff to developing his, “Heartburn No More” treatment system.

Acid Reflux Foods To Avoid As Part Of A Gerd Diet Menu

First, keep in mind there is no diet for gerd which is set in stone and proven to stop heartburn 100% of the time. There are, however, certain foods which have a tendency to cause heartburn more often in more people, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they will cause heartburn in you. Use the following information only as a general guide to help you identify foods you may want to avoid as part of an acid reflux diet.

Here is a list of some foods that cause acid reflux and heartburn symptoms in many people. Some don’t necessarily cause heartburn, but may irritate heartburn symptoms for different reasons. They have been broken down into categories with short explanations of why you should or shouldn’t eat them.

Foods To Heal The Esophagus

When you’re looking for heartburn relief, it may be necessary to let your esophagus heal for a couple of days. During this time you’ll want to choose soft foods such as cooked veggies, soft fruits, soup, mashed potatoes, and cooked fish. Avoid crunchy and hard foods that can further irritate the esophagus such as:

• Popcorn
• Toast
• Breakfast cereals

Foods That Relax The LES

Foods that relax or weaken the LES make it easier for stomach fluids to reflux back into the esophagus. Therefore, try to avoid heartburn causing foods like:

• Fried foods
• High fat foods
• Butter and margarine
• Spicy foods and spices such as garlic, chili, and curry
• Many desserts
• Chocolate

Gas Forming And Acidic Foods

These foods contribute to a higher concentration of acid in the stomach and should therefore be avoided if you suffer from heartburn:

• Alcohol
• Coffee
• Beans
• Carbonated sodas

Heartburn Aggravating Foods

These are the most notorious foods that cause heartburn and aggravate acid reflux. Take a close look at these while developing a diet for acid reflux and eliminate them if you think they may be contributing to your heartburn.

• Dairy products, especially cow’s milk
• Chocolate
• Sugary fruit drinks
• Tangy citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit
• Tomato based foods
• Onion
• Peppermint
• Coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages

With a little patience and some careful tracking in a food log, you can identify a good diet for gerd that will be full of nutritious, tasty foods that can reduce heartburn symptoms. And if your heartburn still persists, it may be time for a more permanent heartburn remedy.

Which heartburn home remedies work to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), more commonly known as acid reflux?

If you suffer from acid reflux disease and have ever experienced heartburn pain, then you know just how much it hurts. To give you an idea of just how painful acid reflux symptoms can be, severe cases of heartburn commonly cause people to mistake the burning sensation in their chest for a heart attack.

This article will teach you what to take for heartburn and show you how to get rid of heartburn quickly from the comfort of your own home.

Persistent heartburn is a problem for many people. However, many of the methods explained below only work temporarily because they focus on reducing heartburn symptoms rather than treating the root causes of acid reflux. For more permanent heartburn relief, a holistic approach is needed like that found in Jeff Martin’s best selling treatment system, “Heartburn No More”.

What helps heartburn?

Before figuring out exactly what to do for heartburn, it’s important to briefly revisit the causes of acid reflux.

In simple terms, acid reflux refers to a condition where the stomach backs up its liquid contents into the esophagus. It is generally triggered after eating and certain foods can further exasperate the condition.

When your stomach contents back up into your esophagus it irritates the esophageal lining and creates pain. Over time this can result in scarring and can lead to abnormal cell changes in the esophagus which can eventually lead to cancer. Thus, preventing and curing severe or chronic acid reflux should be a top priority for those who suffer from it.

What does heartburn feel like?

The term “heartburn” refers to the most common symptom of acid reflux: a burning sensation often felt in the middle of the chest which can be quite painful. Even though heartburn is actually a symptom of acid reflux and not a disease itself, many people use the terms interchangeably. Here are some more examples of signs of heartburn and what heartburn feels like to some people:

• A burning feeling in the chest that sometimes radiates up toward the neck
• A feeling of pressure behind the breastbone that most commonly occurs directly after eating
• Pain centered around the chest that often occurs when you lie down or bend over directly after eating
• Burning sensations in the throat often coupled with bitter or acidic tasting fluids like those experienced when you throw up
• A feeling like food is stuck in the esophagus

Heartburn Home Remedies – What Is Good For Heartburn?

Finding a good heartburn home remedy isn’t always easy. Because many home remedies for heartburn focus only on symptoms and not on the actual causes of acid reflux, they must be used over and over again every time heartburn flairs up. Many heartburn sufferers resort to things like antacid pills, but long-term use of these can be harmful to the body and they won’t prevent heartburn from coming back.

Here is a list of 5 of the most common heartburn home remedies. We will be exploring many of these in more depth in some of our future posts.

Antacids – The first of several heartburn relief home remedies is antacids. These are over the counter (OTC) drugs like Tums, Rolaids, and Pepto Bismol which are used to neutralize stomach acid by emptying it from the stomach. They should be taken either just before a meal or an hour after a meal for best results. Long-term use of antacids can be harmful and can result in side effects such as nausea and diarrhea.

Raw Honey – Raw honey is another heartburn home remedy that has antibacterial, antiviral, and antibiotic properties. It works quickly to reduce infections and inflammation in the esophagus.

Apple Cider Vinegar – A third home remedy for heartburn is organic apple cider vinegar which helps to maintain a proper acid-alkaline balance in your body and can be drank daily to help relieve acid reflux symptoms.

Chewing Gum – Heartburn remedies at home can be as simple as chewing gum. Chewing sugar free gum directly after a meal can help stimulate saliva production which can aid in the digestion of foods in the stomach, thereby helping to prevent reflux and heartburn.

Baking Soda – Home heartburn remedies also include drinking baking soda. Baking soda acts like an antacid to help neutralize acid in the stomach. Many people report feeling heartburn relief after taking 1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with water.

Although the above 5 home remedies are commonly used for treating heartburn, they can’t be relied on to permanently cure heartburn and acid reflux. Permanent heartburn relief requires a much more powerful holistic approach: Holistic Heartburn Home Remedies

Many heartburn remedies exist that take different approaches to acid reflux treatment.  These remedies can generally be broken down into two types (conventional remedies and natural, holistic remedies) and can often be performed at home.

Although developing home remedies for heartburn is not a new science, these two contrasting approaches can have largely different results when it comes to providing long-lasting heartburn relief.  Let’s take a closer look at conventional versus holistic heartburn treatment.

Conventional Versus Holistic Heartburn Remedies

Conventional medicine often takes a singular approach to treating conditions and diseases such as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), more commonly known as acid reflux.  This singular approach treats the body as a collection of separate and distinct organs.

What this means is the heart is treated separately from the lungs, the liver is treated separately from the kidneys, etc.  Conventional medicine often fails to recognize the individual parts of the body function together as a whole.  In the human body, what affects one organ almost always affects another.

This narrowed view often means conventional medicine focuses largely on treating symptoms (e.g. heartburn) rather than the root causes of health problems (e.g. the causes of acid reflux).  This type of medicine focuses on making patients “feel comfortable” through the use of drugs, ointments, and creams.  Conventional heartburn remedies are no different and support this fact.

Conventional heartburn treatments often consist of the following:

• Antacids designed to work quickly to neutralize stomach acid by emptying it from the stomach.

• H2 Blockers that attach to receptor cells in the stomach and stifle acid production.

• Prokinetics (Pro-Motility Drugs) which enhance stomach muscle tone and help it expel its contents more rapidly.

• Proton Pump Inhibitors which block the production of stomach acid while simultaneously helping the esophagus heal.

The problem with the above heartburn remedies is they focus solely on treating symptoms.  So while they might make you feel better by providing heartburn relief temporarily, they do little to cure acid reflux and prevent heartburn from coming back in the future.

Natural remedies for acid reflux, on the other hand, take a more holistic approach to relieving heartburn and keeping the condition from coming back.  They seek to “cure” the disease rather than simply “patching” it.

Holistic medicine focuses on nature and the laws that govern it.  It views the body as a whole and not just as individual organs.   The entire body is impacted negatively or positively as a whole by everything that enters it.

When describing the belief system of holistic medicine in his best selling ebook, “Heartburn No More”, medical researcher and former chronic acid reflux sufferer, Jeff Martin, states, “The laws responsible for illness cannot exist in a healthy and complete body.  A good allegory to that perception is that darkness cannot exist in the presence of light.”

When compared to conventional medicine, natural, holistic medicine looks to heal the body by nourishing it and building a strong immune system rather than using drugs and ointments to mask symptoms.  Natural medicine believes in the ability of the body to heal itself when it’s purged of unnatural elements and toxins and kept in a state of balance and stability.

Therefore, natural remedies for acid reflux and heartburn generally focus on the following:

• Quick relief of heartburn symptoms to allow the body to start the healing process

• Dietary changes to optimize digestion

• Natural supplements to provide the body with vital vitamins and minerals which cannot be produced within the body itself and must be obtained from outside sources

• Body detoxification and parasitic cleansing

• Strategic methods for bringing the body back into balance

Natural heartburn remedies opt to avoid the temporary “quick symptom fix” and instead attack the causes of acid reflux head on to provide a permanent solution to the problem.

For those looking for an actual heartburn cure and not just temporary heartburn relief, we highly recommend Jeff Martin’s unique, 5-step holistic system, “Heartburn No More “.