Natural Heartburn Remedies
Heartburn and acid indigestion are very common, affecting more than half of all Americans at least once a month. Most people choose to ease their suffering with various over-the-counter antacids, the worst treatment for heartburn or acid indigestion.
If the body is producing too much stomach acid, the body is having trouble digesting food. Neutralizing or decreasing the stomach acid will cause the body to pass partially digested food through the digestive system where it will rot and feed parasites and yeast, causing long-term, serious health repercussions. A study in Holland showed that people using acid suppressing drugs were four times more likely to develop pneumonia when compared to people who did not use those drugs.1
Antacids are never good for your health (and the calcium antacids are a terrible source of calcium). There are easy, natural alternative treatments that work and work fast.
Obesity can cause heartburn by causing the stomach and/or the esophagus to be squeezed out of its proper position, a condition called hiatal hernia. Pregnancy can also cause displacement.
Smoking and overeating are also causal factors. Symptoms increase if you lie down immediately after a meal.
If you have chronic heartburn or acid indigestion, you need to change your lifestyle. Start with a healthy diet. Lose weight. Avoid trigger foods. Stop overeating. Stop smoking. Don't lie down right after you eat. And don't practice yoga handstands on a full tummy either!
When you do overindulge or eat trigger foods, try a natural cure that's
If the body is producing too much stomach acid, the body is having trouble digesting food. Neutralizing or decreasing the stomach acid will cause the body to pass partially digested food through the digestive system where it will rot and feed parasites and yeast, causing long-term, serious health repercussions. A study in Holland showed that people using acid suppressing drugs were four times more likely to develop pneumonia when compared to people who did not use those drugs.1
Antacids are never good for your health (and the calcium antacids are a terrible source of calcium). There are easy, natural alternative treatments that work and work fast.
Common Causes of Heartburn
Chronic heartburn is a sign of poor health, which is a result of poor diet. When coffee, soda, dairy, fried foods, or refined foods like cereal or bread cause heartburn, your body is telling you to stop eating these foods.Obesity can cause heartburn by causing the stomach and/or the esophagus to be squeezed out of its proper position, a condition called hiatal hernia. Pregnancy can also cause displacement.
Smoking and overeating are also causal factors. Symptoms increase if you lie down immediately after a meal.
If you have chronic heartburn or acid indigestion, you need to change your lifestyle. Start with a healthy diet. Lose weight. Avoid trigger foods. Stop overeating. Stop smoking. Don't lie down right after you eat. And don't practice yoga handstands on a full tummy either!
When you do overindulge or eat trigger foods, try a natural cure that's
After reading this article, please also read our Letter from the Editor in this month's issue titled Natural Remedies, What You Should Know.
good for you.
The acid in apple cider vinegar is acetic acid, a weak acid. When it meets stomach acid (which is hydrochloric acid, a strong acid), the overall acidity of the stomach is reduced but not rendered too alkaline to digest most foods. And since the apple cider vinegar is alkaline forming, it has an overall alkalizing effect on the body, which most people need due to our modern, acid forming diets.
The Fast and Easy Natural Cure for Acid Reflux
Apple cider vinegar is a healthy, fast and easy natural remedy for heartburn. Take half a shot, about one ounce. If need be, you can dilute it 50/50 with water, but it works best straight. It will burn a bit going down, but within seconds it will relieve your symptoms. And unlike antacids, apple cider vinegar is good for you.Why Does Apple Cider Vinegar Cure Heartburn?
Though vinegar is acidic, apple cider vinegar is alkaline-forming. It is an alkaline-ash food, which means if burned it would leave ash with an alkaline Ph. Though food is not "burned" within the body, alkaline-ash foods are generally alkaline forming.The acid in apple cider vinegar is acetic acid, a weak acid. When it meets stomach acid (which is hydrochloric acid, a strong acid), the overall acidity of the stomach is reduced but not rendered too alkaline to digest most foods. And since the apple cider vinegar is alkaline forming, it has an overall alkalizing effect on the body, which most people need due to our modern, acid forming diets.
Other Natural Acid Reflux Treatments
While apple cider vinegar is the fastest and best natural treatment for heartburn, there are other choices as well.Aloe Vera and Coconut Water
Aloe Vera and coconut water are both natural acid neutralizers. Depending on the severity of the heartburn, coconut water or aloe vera can bring immediate, soothing relief. Drink as much as you need.Acupressure Heartburn Treatment
Relief from heartburn may also be found by pressing on the acupressure point CV 12, which is found in the front, center of your body, halfway between the breast bone and the navel. If this does not work, try a higher point right below the sternum and then move lower as the pain subsides. While this usually does provide immediate relief, the effects are temporary.Reflexology for Heartburn
Reflexology uses massage techniques on the hands and feet at various acupressure points to relieve symptoms. The reflexology point on the left hand is under the thumb close to the wrist up to the middle of the palm. On the right hand, it is a much smaller point in between the thumb and the wrist (see
Natural Remedies for Heartburn
Issue 14 | Natural Remedies | August-September 2010
image).
Here is a great interactive chart for hand reflexology and for foot reflexology.
On the right foot, the stomach area is halfway down the foot, on the inside arch. On the left foot, the area is much larger, spanning nearly the whole width of the arch (see image).
Massage the areas slowly and gently (it doesn't matter which you start with). Each point should be firmly messaged for approximately one minute followed by one minute of massaging the entire hand or foot. If you feel a crunchy sensation (as if there is gravel under the skin), the area needs more attention.
Fenugreek seeds can relieve heartburn and acid indigestion by coating the lining of the stomach. One to two teaspoons in your food or eaten separately is enough to provide relief for many acid reflux sufferers.
Here is a great interactive chart for hand reflexology and for foot reflexology.
On the right foot, the stomach area is halfway down the foot, on the inside arch. On the left foot, the area is much larger, spanning nearly the whole width of the arch (see image).
Massage the areas slowly and gently (it doesn't matter which you start with). Each point should be firmly messaged for approximately one minute followed by one minute of massaging the entire hand or foot. If you feel a crunchy sensation (as if there is gravel under the skin), the area needs more attention.
Herbal Heartburn Treatment
Ginger tea can immediately relieve heartburn or acid indigestion. Put one teaspoon of shredded fresh ginger into one cup of boiling water. Let the ginger steep for ten minutes, strain, allow it to cool, and then drink. This works very well, but obviously, when heartburn is burning a hole in your esophagus, time is of the essence and ten minutes can feel like ten hours. For that reason, planning ahead with ginger tea while preparing a meal likely to cause heartburn is a good idea.Fenugreek seeds can relieve heartburn and acid indigestion by coating the lining of the stomach. One to two teaspoons in your food or eaten separately is enough to provide relief for many acid reflux sufferers.
Acid Indigestion
Heartburn is commonly called acid indigestion. But indigestion is the body's inability to properly digest food. If antacids do not help or only temporarily relieve burning, then indigestion is more likely to be your problem. Indigestion is often caused by a lack of hydrochloric acid and/or a lack of pancreatic enzymes, which can also cause a burning sensation when acidic foods are digested, as well as bloating,
Natural Remedies for Heartburn
Issue 14 | Natural Remedies | August-September 2010
diarrhea, constipation, and food allergies.
We recommend Thorne Biogest for acid indigestion and for anyone who regularly consumes cooked meat. It takes a lot of stomach acid to breakdown cooked meat, and the more cooked it is, the more acid is needed. Take one capsule with a meal or as recommended by a health practitioner.
We recommend Thorne Biogest for acid indigestion and for anyone who regularly consumes cooked meat. It takes a lot of stomach acid to breakdown cooked meat, and the more cooked it is, the more acid is needed. Take one capsule with a meal or as recommended by a health practitioner.
Conclusion
Chronic heartburn and any kind of indigestion is a serious health issue that should not be ignored. Suppressing the stomach's ability to produce acid or neutralizing the stomach acid with over-the-counter antacids on a regular basis will also cause very serious health issues. As easy as antacids work (for some), chronic heartburn is not a small thing. Please do not ignore it. Take care of yourself.
- Risk of Community-Acquired Pneumonia and the use of Gastric Acid Suppressive Drugs Journal of the American Medical Association Journal Vol. 292, No. 16 10 /27/ 2004
Natural Remedies for Heartburn
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