How to Cure Acid Reflux

The information presented here will do one of two things: it will either reinforce what you know about Heartburn/Acid Reflux or, teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• patience

1. Heartburn/Acid Reflux is extremely uncomfortable and it's not always clear what causes it.
   
   Some people say don't eat so much or don't eat so fast. Others like to blame spicy foods such as hot curries or Cajun seasonings; others cite grapefruits, oranges and antacids or acid suppressors like ranitidine, omeprazole or cimetidine.
   
   But the long-term goal here, is, to pinpoint - and avoid - your personal heartburn triggers.
   
   Here are 10 quick steps that will help you do that:
2. Stay upright, no matter how bad you feel. If you're standing, gravity helps to keep acid in your stomach.
3. Avoid bending over after a meal, and definitely don't lie down.
4. Drink a large glass of water as soon as you feel the telltale flicker of a Heartburn/Acid Reflux. The water will wash the acid back down your esophagus and into your stomach.
5. Drink heartburn-easing tea. Add a teaspoon of freshly grated root ginger to a cup of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, and drink. Long used to quell the nausea caused by motion sickness, ginger also helps to relax the muscles that line the walls of the esophagus, so stomach acid doesn't get pushed upwards.
6. A tea made from anise, caraway or fennel seed can also ease the burn, according to herbalists. Add 2 teaspoons of any one of them to a cup of boiling water, allow to infuse for 10 minutes, strain and drink. Add a teaspoon of powdered bark into a cup of hot water and drink a few cups throughout the day.
7. Chew on a piece of sugar-free gum, or daydream about juicy steaks or buttery new potatoes - whatever it takes to get you to generate and swallow extra saliva. Saliva helps to neutralize stomach acid.
8. Take in the juices of vegetables likes carrots, cucumbers, radishes or beetroot. They help to tame the acid in the stomach due to their alkaline nature. Feel free to add a pinch of salt and pepper for flavour. If juicing vegetables is inconvenient or doesn't appeal to you, just eat the vegetables raw.
9. Mix half a teaspoon of bicarb and a few drops of lemon juice in half a cup of warm water. Don't drink the diluted bicarb on its own: you need the lemon juice to dispel some of the gas which bicarb creates in the stomach when it comes into contact with stomach acid.
10. Try a glass of whole milk. It's not just good for your bones!
11. Eat a whole apple! This helps most but not all people.
12. Chew antacids, such as Tums or Rolaids, or drink Pepto-Bismol. These almost always help heartburn, though you may need to eat two. Also helps with calcium intake.

Tips & Warnings

• If night time Heartburn/Acid Reflux plagues you, eat your meals at least two to three hours before you go to bed. The added time will give acid levels a chance to decrease before you lie down. You might also raise the head of your bed 10-15cm with large wooden blocks or old phone books. When you sleep tilted at an angle, gravity helps to keep acid in the stomach. Try sleeping on your left side. When you lie on your left side, the stomach hangs down and fluids pool along the greater curvature, away from the lower esophagus sphincter. Polled fluids thus say farther away from the esophagus. Eat smaller, more frequent meals to minimize the production of stomach acid. And avoid eating too much in one sitting; doing so can force open the lower esophageal sphincter, the thick ring of muscle that separates the stomach from the esophagus and keeps stomach acid where it belongs. If you haven't done so already, give up cigarettes. Research shows that smoking relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter. Breathing secondhand smoke is almost as bad, so stay away from smoky pubs, too. Visit the Resource below, for more information on how you can CURE chronic heartburn or acid reflux naturally.... once and for all!
• When heartburn symptoms become severe, keep you up at night, or occur at least twice a week, you may have Acid Reflux Disease, which if not controlled can lead to esophageal cancer. If it persists, it is advisable to see a Doctor. If you experience discolored, cold, and/or clammy skin, in addition to rapid heartbeat, seek medical attention immediately, as this is not Heartburn, but rather a Heart Attack. Those who only know one or two facts about Heartburn/Acid Reflux can be confused by misleading information.