17 Tips To Reduce Heartburn And Acid Reflux Symptoms
Do you suffer from heartburn? Here are some tips to help you to reduce symptoms and live better!
Reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as heartburn) is a painful medical condition in which the acid-containing stomach contents regurgitate back into the esophagus, which then causes the sensation of heartburn .
Most adults will experience it during their lifetime, it affects a whopping 25 to 35 percent of the US population!
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) isn’t just an adult disease. Children and adolescents can also suffer from this uncomfortable digestive disorder and It’s very common during pregnancy (I know I had it).
In any event, people who have GERD are usually recommended to stay away from these irritating foods:
- citrus juices
- tomato products
- coffee
- spicy foods
- carbonated beverages
And any other food that regularly causes heartburn for them (this varies from person to person)
You can also help ease the discomfort of indigestion and heartburn by making changes to your diet and lifestyle
Here are 17 tips of to help you to prevent and treat Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Balance Your Hydrochloric Acid Levels
Increasing natural production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is the first step to preventing acid reflux symptoms. Replace cheap table salt with high-quality sea salt.
- Change your diet
Processed foods and sugars are almost a guaranteed way to exacerbate acid reflux and create a bacterial imbalance in the stomach and intestinal tract.
To combat this, eat fresh organic fruits and vegetables. An apple a day keeps big pharma away!
heartburn is typically a sign of having too little stomach acid. To encourage your body to make sufficient amounts of hydrochloric acid (stomach acid), you’ll also want to make sure you’re consuming enough of the raw material on a regular basis.
- Stimulant for your body to produce stomach acid
Having a few teaspoons of cabbage juice (recipe here) before eating, or better yet, fermented cabbage juice from sauerkraut, will do wonders to improve your digestion.
- Take a betaine hydrochloride supplement
Available in health food stores without prescription. You’ll want to take as many as you need to get the slightest burning sensation and then decrease by one capsule.
This will help your body to better digest your food. Be aware, people make common mistakes when taking supplementing with Betaine HCl. This simple supplement can dramatically help those that need it, but hurt those who don’t use it properly.
- Soothe your stomach with aloe juice
Aloe is a plant used to soothe burns, and people often think of using it to help something like sunburn, but it can do more than that.
It may be able to help with heartburn too because it reduces inflammation. This means when your tummy starts getting irritated and inflamed, or your esophagus is getting eaten away at, a nice glass of aloe vera juice may be just the thing to help calm it down. 
- Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
tablespoon of raw organic apple cider vinegarmixed in about 4 ounces of purified water before each meal.
This will help calm the stomach and supports digestion. This remedy also works for acute episodes of acid reflux and is my favorite, fast-acting home remedy for acid reflux.
- If you’re pregnant – Eating frequent, small meals.
Eating smaller meals empties the stomach more rapidly. Eating more frequently increases stomach contractions. If the stomach is contracting and empty this will decrease the incidence of reflux.
- After a meal, pop in a piece of sugar-free gum and chew for 30 minutes
This helps ward off heartburn. The Journal of Dental Research conducted a study that showed people with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or chronic heartburn, experienced relief when they chewed a piece of sugar-free gum for 30 minutes after a meal.
This is because chewing gum stimulates the salivary glands, and increases the flow of saliva. Any acid that has built up in the gut is diluted and washed away or cleared out more quickly. The clearance of acid then improves the symptoms of GERD.
- Eat a banana or an apple
Bananas contain natural antacids that can act as a buffer against acid reflux.
If you want to try out the simplest home remedies for heartburn first, try letting a few bananas ripen up nicely and eating one every day. Another option is to try an apple a day.
Slice one up and eat it a couple of hours before bedtime to relieve or prevent discomfort.
- Ginger root
Ginger Root is an amazing natural herb that is known to absorb stomach acid and have the secondary effect of calming the nerves. For an effective natural remedy from the symptoms of acid reflux, try the following:
Purchase ginger root capsules from a natural health food or nutritional store.
Regularly take one capsule immediately after dinner.
- Baking Soda & Water
Baking soda will help neutralize stomach acid but should only be used moderately, regular use could dramatically increase one’s salt intake (baking soda is high in salt).
Mix 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of baking soda per glass of water. Due to the high salt content in baking soda, pregnant women shouldn’t use this treatment.
- Pineapple
Eat a slice or two of fresh pineapple when it hits or right after meals.
- Lemon Juice
Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to half a glass of water and drink.
- Eat more fibre
Increase fibre in your meals so that your digestive system is alert and moving. Better and early digestion will sure prevent acid reflux.
- Sleeping on your on your left side
Sleeping on your left side may also help in digestion. Better and quick digestion means no acid reflux. Some of the studies suggest that when you sleep on your stomach or on right side, you exert additional pressure, which might trigger GERD symptoms.
- Having raw almonds help containing acid reflux
Almond is alkaline producing food and alkaline works to balance body’s pH level. Thus, it can be said that almonds can neutralize the acid that causes burning sensation in the esophagus. It is also a good source of calcium, which in turn is highly recommended for GERD patients.
- Ginger Tea
Ginger tea acts as an acid buffer.
- Take 3 inches piece of ginger and boil it in water for about 15-20 minutes.
- Add a dash of honey to this. Honey, like almonds, helps in balancing pH level of body and neutralizes stomach acids.
- Strain and have this tea before meals.
In most cases, acid reflux is easily treated, even in pregnancy.
If there are however, more refractory symptoms that result in complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding, difficulty swallowing or weight loss, your obstetrician or GP may refer you to a gastroenterologist.
Have you tried any of those remedies at home? what helps you?
Share it with me and we can help each other.
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