Thursday, September 4, 2014

What to Do for Heartburn #MedicalHealthWorldwide


Source: Peter Sykes @Guidance On Heartburn and Go Articles

What to Do for Heartburn #MedicalHealthWorldwide


The Causes plus 3 Tips for Sufferers

What to do for heartburn will depend on the cause of your problem. For this reason, we see so many different remedies. Some are herbal, some are on prescription and others are obtainable over the counter.

Below is a brief explanation of the causes of heartburn, followed by three useful tips for sufferers, plus a bonus tip!

Heartburn sufferers experience a 'burning' sensation in the chest or throat brought about by an upward movement (reflux) of stomach contents coming into contact with the lining of the esophagus. (the tube which connects the stomach to the throat) The medical condition is therefore known as Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease. (GERD) Two medical conditions co-exist and are the causes of heartburn:

A Retrograde Flow of Stomach Contents into the Esophagus

Here the reflux itself does not necessarily lead to GERD symptoms. It can even occur in healthy individuals.

Malfunction of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES)

The lower esophageal sphincter acts as a valve between the esophagus and the stomach. In this second condition, the LES does not close perfectly and stomach contents move up into the esophagus. This condition is experienced as a persistent heartburn and will usually occur at least twice in one week!


Here are the tips:

Tip 1: Avoid Certain Foods And Watch Your Meal Size

High-fat foods (and in some instances, spicy and fried foods) take much longer to digest and are not so easily eliminated from the body. This increases the chances that acid will move upwards into the esophagus (acid reflux) and cause heartburn. This does not apply to omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish and fish oil. In fact these acids act as very powerful anti-inflammatory agents!

Chocolate is a food that can produce heartburn, taken either in solid form or as a beverage. It contains large amounts of caffeine and fat which may increase acidity. It is generally accepted that dark chocolate is less likely to cause the condition providing it is eaten in small quantities.

Mints such as peppermint and spearmint can enhance acid reflux symptoms, so it is best to avoid foods that contain strong mints. (including mint-based herbal teas)

Overeating is one of the causes of heartburn. If you are unable to identify a particular food as being responsible, then meal size could well be the problem. When the stomach is full to capacity, acid content has a tendency to move upwards into the lower regions of the esophagus or even the throat. This can then cause a 'burning' sensation. Many people experience heartburn after a large meal.

Tip 2: Avoid Certain Beverages

How do we know what to do for heartburn if our eating habits do not appear to be causing the problem? Let us take a look at the beverages we consume.

Coffee and other drinks containing caffeine can lead to increased acidity.

Alcohol can irritate the stomach. It has a tendency to relax and therefore open the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, allowing acid to reflux into the esophagus.

Drinking milk and milk-based products is practised very often as a home-based remedy for curing heartburn. Unfortunately, the calcium in milk makes the stomach produce more acid and whilst it can produce some short-term relief, milk consumption, particularly before retiring at night, can produce adverse effects in the long term!

Tip 3: Avoid Specifically Acidic Foods

Specifically acidic foods such as lemons, oranges, tomatoes and also vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach and onions, promote the opening of the lower esophageal sphincter and therefore increase acid reflux.

Bonus Tip: Use A Holistic Approach To Cure Heartburn

For many people, taking prescription drugs can be ineffective, expensive and possibly dangerous! It is known, for example, that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) damage the lining of the stomach, so you may need to take medication to coat the stomach lining before taking one of these drugs.

Surgery is offered in very extreme cases of gastro esophageal reflux disease, but needs to be considered very carefully because it can compound some underlying conditions, for example stricture of the esophagus and motility disorders involving the movement of fluid.

Holistic therapy points to acid reflux disease being a warning sign for major internal imbalance that needs to be properly addressed. Alternate approaches such as homeopathic remedies, herbal remedies and lifestyle changes as part of a complete holistic course of treatment, are now seen by many as by far the best way of treating and curing acid reflux disease.



22 comments:

  1. It's really important to watch what you eat when you have heartburn or symptoms of it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Consise yet very helpful article. all along I thought pwede uminom kahit na anong fluid, Hindi pala lahat ng beverages pwede.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am starting with my Wellness Program to ensure myself that I will not suffer this kind of consequences.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I used to experience heartburn when I was pregnant but the doctor told me it's typical for pregnant women to have this. I've had a couple of acid reflux situations in the past and it's because of a combination ofeating stuff with a lot of tomatoes, chocolate and soda. Now I make sure to avoid eating them all in one day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. i experience this a lot especially when i ate too much! so you're right, it's best to just watch what we eat to avoid heartburn.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do suffer from heartburn.... a lot. And this post enlightened me on what to eat and what to do. Thanks for this informative article you have.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Urgh, I sometimes suffer with heartburn, generally in the middle of the night that has me up, writhing in agony for a couple of hours. I find bananas, yoghurts and milk help. Generally when I have eaten food that is super tasty but also super bad for me :( Great post! Simone x

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is definitely good to know. some great tips on what is best to avoid xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. I used to suffer from this because I had a very high tendency to have an acidic stomach due to too much coffee and skipping meals. Medication actually worked for me, especially the ones that promote the normal movement of the sphincter. Your tips are useful though.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This was a helpful article for me because I usually get a heartburn. I didn't know that the chocolates & fried foods could cause this. Thanks for the information; thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm not sure if my previous post went through. But here's the repost:
    It sucks to have to be constantly cautious of what we can or cannot eat! And that's a lot to take note!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thankfully I don't experience heartburn, don't know what's with me, but ever since (thank God!) but I really didn't have this experience yet. And yeah, I'm lousy at taking note of what not.. haha well, this is a pretty helpful list of tips for those who do experience such heartburn...

    ReplyDelete
  13. This post is really helpful. It can save lives in cases of heart burns.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is really a well researched post. Thanks for giving such in depth information about heartburns.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very helpful tips ! I never knew there were ways to help with iT

    ReplyDelete
  16. I used to experience heartburn and thought that it's probably because of my coffee addiction. Reading your post confirms it. Have to reduce my coffee intake then.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I use the mnemonic 5C to recall the foods not allowed for reflux patient: carbonated drinks, chili, citrus fruits, cocktails and caffeine.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Excellent points. I see ads on TV all the time about treating acid reflux with medications. Your common sense tips will be helpful to people who suffer a lot from this.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm really happy I don't suffer from this, it sounds horrible! Camomile tea always works for my mum though :)

    Sara | This Girl Loves

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow! Thanks for the share! It sounds bad! I am glad there are things people can do to help prevent things like this.

    Dawn

    www.simplysassysstye.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. That is why I am more careful now on what I eat daily.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is really great info. I suffered from acid reflux for many years and this is the type of advice that really helped me to overcome my problem. So, to all you sufferers, YES! There is hope! Just don't lose faith and know that your body can heal itself. I was lucky to find some great advice that helped me overcome my acid reflux and get better.

    nailtiques

    ReplyDelete