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Ever felt that troublesome feeling after having eaten loads of your favourite dish where you regret having over eaten it only after that burning sensation strikes down your food pipe? Yes that regret is what we call as heartburn. It is caused due to acid reflux. Some of the contents of the stomach are forced back to the oesophagus and creates a burning pain in the lower chest. Good thing is you can have heartburn remedies for the same.
The stomach acid flows back to the food pipe. Heartburn is a symptom of GERD which stands for gastroesophageal reflux which is a persisting situation.
Heartburn Remedies to Easy Your Pain
If this is a repeated occurrence then the problem of GERD is supposed to be treated by a doctor specialized in dealing with gastrological problems or by can be avoided using food reducing acid reflex. Heartburn has a solution. Here is a list of heartburn remedies you can use to deal with this problem:
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Don’t Overeat:
It may be extremely tempting to grab an extra slice of that pizza or take an extra serving of that butter chicken. But this is where you have to exercise control and limit yourself to eating just as much as you need. If you frequently suffer from heartburn, you must be extra careful about the quantity you eat.
The oesophagus opens in to the stomach and at this opening, there is a ring-like muscle known as the lower esophageal sphincter. This acts as a valve and prevents the acid from rising into the oesophagus. In a condition of heartburn, this muscle is particularly weak and does not perform its function as it should. Larger meals worsen the functioning of this muscle.
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Lose Weight:
Obesity is a cause of heartburn. The problem of heartburn is directly related to your weight. The more the weight, the more the frequency of occurrence of heartburn.
In a healthy body, the diaphragm naturally supports lower esophageal sphincter. Having too much belly fat, this esophageal sphincter gets pushed up due to abdominal pressure exerted upwards. This is a medical condition known as hiatus hernia. This medical condition of hiatus hernia causes acid reflux and heartburn problems amongst fat people and pregnant women.
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Follow a low-carb diet:
There have been studies to suggest that undigested carbohydrates are the cause of pressure of the abdomen. This could thus be the cause of acid reflux. Undigested carbohydrates causes gas and could make you feel more bloated.
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Limit your alcohol intake:
Alcohol intake increases the severity of acid reflux because it increases the level of acid in the stomach. You must ensure to limit your intake of alcohol.
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Control over intake of tea/coffee:
Sitting in office or at home, if you are addicted to either of these beverages, it is time you keep a check on the intake. The caffeine in these aggravates acidity condition in our body. Even if you feel extremely dependant on tea or coffee, the least you could do is not have it too warm. Gradually reducing the intake is advisable.
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Avoid Tight Clothing:
Wearing tight bottoms could pressurise your abdomen thus causing acid reflux. You must ensure that you aren’t making a very hard attempt at fitting into your clothes no matter how favourite they are to you, if you are someone prone to heartburn problems.
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Try meditation:
Meditation doesn’t necessarily imply resorting to yoga. One may just try simple relaxation techniques. You may experience enough stress due to GERD and heartburn. Try to calm your body down to deal with this problem.
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Eat Small meals:
It is not wrong to feel hungry. It’s just incorrect to recognize at what point your hunger is satisfied. Eat less at a time. You may eat after an interval of a few hours again. Eat smaller meals which can be digested well. This reduces the formation of acid in stomach and also keeps the abdomen light.
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Avoid Raw Onion:
Though there is no scientific of medical proof for this, eating raw onion may significantly lead to heartburn problems. Raw onion may irritate the lining of the esophagus and thus may cause heartburn.
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Chew Gum:
The bicarbonate in gums helps to neutralize the acidity in the stomach and could thus be helpful. Chewing gum also increases the saliva formation and thus could help clear the acid.
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Avoid Carbonated Drinks:
Carbonated drinks could increase acid reflux. The main cause of this is the presence of carbon dioxide. It causes belching. Belching produces acid reflux in the oesophagus.
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Avoid Citrus Juice:
It would be common sense to understand that when in a problem of acid reflux, consuming juices and fruits that have citrus acid will only lead to increase in heartburn problems. It may not be the cause of heartburn but could definitely worsen the situation.
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Eat less Chocolates:
This is not a sure shot solution to the problem but there have been observations to conclude that when patients with GERD were made to avoid chocolates, their problem of heartburn was seen to be controlled. They may not be the definite cause of heartburn but why not try to avoid them.
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Elevate the Head of your Bed:
The problem of heartburn is the most disturbing when it strikes at night. Sleepless nights cause stress and could only lead to more problems. You could try to elevate the height of your bed where you rest your head. This could ease the acid reflux symptoms at night.
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Don’t eat immediately before going to bed:
When you eat within a few hours of going to sleep, your body has no activity to do and thus the food may not be digested. The undigested food could cause acid reflux. The solution to this is to not eat atleast 2 to 3 hours before sleeping. The body gets sufficient time to digest the food you have eaten. Also try to keep your dinners light.
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Don’t eat spicy food:
Spices will only cause the acidity to aggravate thus causing more problems and irritation of the oesophagus. Eat less spicy and oily food to cure heartburn.
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Exercise:
It is very important to exercise in order to lose weight. Losing weight is the first step to beating all bodily problems and illnesses. Exercise inorder to stay fit and healthy. It is also beneficial for your mind and overall physiology.
Causes of Heartburn:
While it is very common to have occasional instances of heartburn, a persistent condition can lead to GERD which is very harmful. Causes of heartburn are obesity, lack of exercise, over eating, smoking, alcoholism and an overall unhealthy lifestyle. Eating deep fried and spicy food could also be a contributing factor.
Heartburn and indigestion is a common occurrence during pregnancy. This happens due to hormonal changes and the growth of baby. Generally, doctors do not suggest any medication for this. An expectant woman must just ensure that she has smaller meal throughout the day.
Symptoms of Heartburn:
Symptoms of heartburn are as under:
- Burning Sensation in the middle of the chest
- Lower part of Chest pain or jaw pain
- Feeling of uneasiness due to indigestion
- Foul, acrid taste in the mouth
- Burps and formation of gas
Heartburn could be a very intolerable problem yet there are ways to ease it off. You could adapt the above methods. The key to a healthy heart is a healthy mind. Calm yourself down and use the list to deal with your problem. It is advisable to gain control over heartburn before it develops into GERD which is fairly more serious a problem and will require medical attention.
