Home Remedies for Heartburn

Cure Heartburn With Natural Remedies

Home remedies for heartburn are most likely in your kitchen cupboard now. Learn about what causes heartburn, foods to avoid, and foods will cure this ailment. Heartburn and pregnancy go together but you can have relief without medicines that could put your baby in danger.

What Causes Heartburn

Your stomach contains strong acid that breaks down and digests your food. You need it but at times stomach acid rises up from the stomach into the throat or esophagus. The esophageal sphincter muscle that normally prevents this relaxes or opens for some reason. Stomach acid doesn't burn the stomach because of a very tough stomach lining. The esophagus doesn't have this lining so the acid actually burns. When this happens only once in a while, it is uncomfortable but not a big problem. If it happens frequently or all of the time, it is a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease which is commonly called acid reflux or GERD.

Frequent acid reflux or GERD needs medical attention. If this is what you have see your medical professional now.

Heartburn and Pregnancy

Many women experience heartburn during pregnancy. The good news is that the problem goes away after delivery. Pregnant women with heartburn can generally follow the same remedies for heartburn as other people with the exception of eating papaya which contains natural estrogen. If you are pregnant, ask your doctor about taking over-the-counter antacids.

Foods That Cause Heartburn

Foods that cause heartburn for some people don't for others. Foods that commonly cause heartburn are:

• chocolate
  
• coffee
  
• tea
  
• soda pop
  
• greasy foods
  
• fried foods
  
• milk
  
• spicy food
  
• mints
  
• alcoholic beverages
  
• citrus fruits

Mints and alcoholic beverages relax the sphincter muscle and should be avoided. Milk is often recommended to relieve heartburn but it actually stimulates the stomach to produce more acid.

Home Remedies for Heartburn
From the Kitchen Cupboard

• An age-old home remedy for heartburn is baking soda or bicobinate of soda. Put half a teaspoon in a small glass of water and drink it. The problem with this remedy is that baking soda is loaded with salt. Anyone with high blood pressure or on a diet restricting salt should not use this one.

• Eating papaya fruit or drinking the juice will relieve heartburn. As said before, pregnant women should not use this one because it could possibly cause a miscarriage because of the natural estrogen content of the fruit.

• Drinking apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water works well even though it seems odd that drinking something acidic can relieve an acid condition. Drinking the vinegar water while eating a meal is the most effective for preventing heartburn.

• Eating a few almonds helps many people.

• Apples will neutralize stomach acid. Eat them raw or eat apple sauce either canned from the grocery store or make your own.

• Ginger taken as a tea or in capsule form is very helpful in giving relief. Try this delicious recipe for Ginger Root Tea.

  
  

Other Home Remedies for Heartburn

• Eat smaller meals. A full stomach is more likely to cause stomach acid to escape through the sphincter muscle to the esophagus. Eat five or six small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals.

• Many people only suffer from heartburn after they go to bed. Avoid eating just before bedtime and eat your last meal of the day several hours before retiring.

• Don't wear a belt tight around the waist.

• Sleep with your head elevated. Avoid sleeping on a water bed.

A good homeopathic remedy for heartburn is Acid Free-Flux made by Native Remedies. It can be used safely even by pregnant women.

Acid Free-Flux "Homeopathic remedy relieves acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion"

Keep a food diary so you can figure out what triggers your heartburn. Some people find that it's hot, spicy food that does it. Others can eat chili peppers all day without a problem but find that orange juice does it every time. Sometimes heartburn is caused by medication taken for other conditions. If you suspect this might be the case, consult with your doctor to see if other medications can be used instead.