The Problem With Acid Reflux Medications
Due to the uncomfortableâand in some cases, unbearableâsymptoms, many people turn to over-the-counter and prescription medications for quick heartburn relief. The most common types of medications used are H2 blockers and proton-pump inhibitors , which both suppress stomach acid production really effectively. But as with any drug, there can be side effects. The short-term effects of these drugs may include constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. All uncomfortable but not particularly worrisome or serious.
Long-term use of H2 blockers and PPIs, however, can have more serious consequences. Stomach acid plays a crucial role in breaking down food for proper digestion and absorption, so continual suppression of the acid may lead to nutrient deficiencies. Additionally, PPIs may increase blood levels of the hormone gastrin, which can leach calcium from the bones. This combination can increase the risk for bone fractures and osteoporosis. The acidity of the stomach also works to kill bacteria that can cause illnesses. So, chronically low stomach acid levels can leave you at risk for infections. Additionally, the FDA recently put a warning on a commonly used H2 blocker, ranitidine, because it contains a cancer causing chemical called NDMA.
How Common Is Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is among the most frequent health complaints of American adults, and may have become even more common in the wake of pandemic-related stress and weight gain. Late last year, pharmacies reported an unprecedented run on antacids by people described as having a pandemic stomach, leaving those with serious ailments that required such products often out of luck.
Even before the pandemic, an online survey from 2019 of more than 71,000 adults found that nearly a third reported that they were affected at least weekly by the discomforting symptoms of acid reflux, in which a small amount of stomach contents reverses course and backs up into the esophagus.
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Soothing Home Remedies For Burning Sensation In Your Stomach
Is burning sensation in stomach making your life miserable? We understand how it feels when you are at a long-awaited party with your favorite food but feel like not even looking at them due to your burning gut.
Well, you can get rid of the burning in stomach by embracing various stomach burning home remedies instead of spending hefty amounts on medicines. Read to know about these gastroenterologist backed home remedies.
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Ways To Reduce Stomach Acid Naturally
An overly acidic stomach can easily be prevented and treated with a few simple, and very natural, approaches. Dont reach for those over-the-counter antacids just yet try some other natural options instead!
What causes an acidic stomach?
You cant fix something unless you know why it broke in the first place, right? Well, the same goes for indigestion and an overly acidic stomach. Indigestion can be a sign that your body is too acidic, so its crucial to not just ignore it and pop an antacid. In fact, some antacids can weaken the bodys natural stomach secretions over time and can sometimes cause the stomach to produce more acid. Its therefore important to know about foods that cause indigestion and an overly acidic stomach.
Here is a list of things that can cause indigestion:
- Eating too fast
- Eating while on the move
- Not chewing sufficiently
- Eating too much protein or fat at one time
- Drinking acidic beverages with a meal
- Eating an excessive amount of animal products at one meal
- Acidic foods like chocolate, sugar, refined grains, gluten-containing grains, processed foods, artificial sweeteners
- Sensitivities to citrus, tomatoes, and other naturally acidic foods
- Too little stomach acid being produced
- Greasy foods and fast foods
- Foods youre allergic to
- Food intolerances
- Poorly combining your foods
Here are five ways to reduce heartburn naturally and quickly:
Consume apple cider vinegar before a meal
Consume green juice before a meal
Have a green smoothie for breakfast
When To See A Doctor
If home remedies aren’t enough to control your acid reflux symptoms, you should see a doctor for medical treatment.
Over time, untreated acid reflux can lead to more serious illnesses like Barrett’s esophagus, in which esophagus damage makes it harder for you to swallow food. In rare cases, you can even develop esophageal cancer.
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Drink Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
In addition to its antimicrobial properties, organic apple cider vinegar may help lower blood sugar, aid weight loss, and improve gut health. “ACV is an alkalizing food, which balances the body’s pH level,” Park adds. “Slightly alkaline is the ideal state you want your body to be in to be able to fight off microbes and cancerous cells.”
As for methodology, make sure to buy organic, raw, unfiltered vinegar that comes in a glass bottle. Down a teaspoon or two each morning, and chase it with water. “Try holding it in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing,” Park advises. “This stimulates the saliva production and initiates the stomach in producing digestive acid.”
If You Suffer From Acid Reflux:
Do not take any ant-acids or acid reflux meds
Take 1 capsule during or directly after the meal and see if you do not have the indigestion. If you continue to have the indigestion, you need more.
At your next meal, take 2 caps and continue this process until you find the amount you need in order to not have indigestion. Continue to use this amount until you notice you have indigestion again. When you do, drop your dosage by 1 cap for your next meal.
If 4 caps took away your indigestion you can stay on that until you noticed that 4 caps now CAUSED indigestion. Then you can drop your dosage to 3 caps until you notice the new amount causes indigestion. When you notice indigestion at 3 caps, drop it to 2 and continue with this until you plateau or are able to completely eliminate the usage of the HCL caps.
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Add Fennel Seeds To Your Diet
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Rich with vitamins and minerals, fennel has been used as a digestive aid all over the world for centuries. That’s thanks to its source of anethole, a compound that relaxes the stomach. Park suggests seeping some crushed fennel seeds in boiling water to make a tea and sipping it after a meal.
Heartburn Relief: Simple Remedies To Put Out The Fire
Posted January 27, 2022
- The terms heartburn and acid reflux are often used interchangeably, but heartburn is actually a symptom of acid reflux.
- Pay attention to the foods that trigger heartburn for you and eliminate them from your diet.
Heartburn occurs when stomach acid escapes into your esophagus. The muscular valve between your stomach and esophagus loosens or doesnt completely close, allowing stomach acid to escape into your esophagus.
You may be very familiar with the symptoms of heartburn, that burning sensation just below your breast bone that can rise into your chest. You may also have a bitter or sour taste in your mouth. The terms heartburn and acid reflux are often used interchangeably, but heartburn is actually a symptom of acid reflux.
If you experience occasional heartburn, keep reading for things you can do to identify the cause and ways to prevent the burn.
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Is It Possible To Treat Acid Reflux Disease With Medications
Acidity Treatment:
In many cases, a combination of lifestyle adjustments and over-the-counter drugs is all that is required to control acid reflux disease symptoms.
Antacids like Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, or Riopan can help neutralise stomach acid. However, if you use them too often, they can cause diarrhoea or constipation. Its preferable to take antacids that have both magnesium and aluminium hydroxide in them. When used together, they may be able to assist alleviate certain gastrointestinal adverse effects.
Fundoplication is a surgical operation that can help reduce acid reflux. It uses the top of your stomach to build an artificial valve. To strengthen the LES, reduce acid reflux, and heal a hiatal hernia, the top section of the stomach is wrapped around it. Surgeons can execute this surgery by an open incision in the abdomen or chest, or through a minor incision in the abdomen with a lighted tube. These operations are only used as a last resort for treating acid reflux illness after medicinal treatment has failed.
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Is It Just Heartburn Or Gerd
Frequent heartburn can be a major issue. If you experience heartburn two or more times a week, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease .
In this chronic condition, frequent exposure to stomach acid irritates and damages the esophagus. Over time, that can lead to problems such as difficulty swallowing. An estimated 40 percent of Americans report symptoms of GERD – but the condition can significantly improve with lifestyle changes.
If you’ve tried home remedies and lifestyle adjustments and still have frequent heartburn, consult with your family doctor or a gastroenterologist. There are multiple treatments that can help, including medications and minimally invasive surgery for acid reflux.
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Acidic Tummy: Things To Remember
Acid reflux disease is a common condition and is on the rise in the western world, alongside diseases such as obesity and diabetes. This is largely due to the western diet which has poor nutritious quality and sedentary lifestyles. But there are things you can do to reduce the risk of acid reflux disrupting your life. Just remember:
- Acid reflux is not caused by too much stomach acid.
- Acid reflux happens when stomach acid travels back into your oesophagus.
- If it happens more than twice a week, its gastroesophageal disease .
- Extra weight on your waist is linked to acid reflux.
- Your lifestyle can help prevent or encourage acid reflux.
- There could be a link between the condition and gut dysbiosis.
- Ask your doctor about heartburn, its a proper medical problem.
- Surgery is a last resort in many cases of GERD.
- A fibre-rich diet, gentle exercise, quitting smoking, and weight loss can help.
Which Supplement Should I Take For Heartburn Acid Reflux And Indigestion
To help guide you to the right product, here are some recommendations based on underlying features:
- Mechanical factors. If you are obese, pregnant, or have a hiatal hernia the best natural approach is alginate raft therapy. If you are overweight, weight loss is often curative.
- Occasional heartburn. Occasional use of calcium-containing antacids is appropriate but is not recommended for long-term use. Alginate raft therapy is also useful on an as-needed basis.
- Irritation due to ingestion of certain foods. Sometimes symptoms of reflux are due to the ingestion of coffee, carbonated beverages, alcohol, chocolate, fatty foods, citrus fruits, spicy foods, etc. Elimination and avoidance of these foods are recommended, but a person can also use calcium-containing antacids or alginate raft therapy on an as-needed basis. DGL is another option.
- Lack of hydrochloric acid or digestive enzymes. Insufficient output of stomach acid can result in heartburn and reflux symptoms, but generally also leads to gas and bloating within 30 minutes of eating. A simple trial of HCL supplementation at the recommended dosage level can be quite helpful.
- Presence of an irritable bowel along with heartburn. Either the ginger–artichoke combination or the enteric-coated peppermint oil.
- Nighttime heartburn. Raising the head of the bed six inches is often helpful. Alginate raft therapy is effective and so is melatonin .
- The combination of heartburn and poor sleep quality. Melatonin .
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Elevate Your Upper Body While Sleeping
Acid reflux often gets worse at night, because when you lie down, it is easier for stomach acid to flow into your esophagus. You can improve nighttime symptoms by changing the angle of your body during sleep.
Specifically, it is helpful to raise your head and shoulders above your stomach and keep your esophagus tilted downward. For example, you can elevate the head of your bed or prop yourself up on a slanted pillow. “This lets gravity help clear anything that comes into the esophagus at night,” says Wolf.
A small 2011 study found that people who elevated the head of their beds with an 8-inch block for one week saw significant improvements in their heartburn symptoms and had less disturbed sleep.
And a 2016 review of four studies found that even for people already taking acid reflux medications, adding an elevated sleeping position helped symptoms more than just taking medication alone.
To elevate your bed, you can use bed risers under the top two feet of your bed frame, or if this isn’t possible, you can buy a sloped pillow to help angle your head and shoulders upward while sleeping.
Follow A Proven Natural System To Cure Acid Reflux Quickly & Permanently
Researchers have identified all the causes of acid reflux or GERD and have created a natural system to get rid of all these causes to heal acid reflux permanently.
> > Watch this Video,which reveals a proven natural system to heal acid reflux quickly & permanently.
Curing acid reflux with drugs can provide immediate relief still, you should understand that the medication can be harmful and can lead to mineral deficiency and cause osteoporosis, constipation, kidney malfunction, skin rashes, impotence,, etc. So if you suffer from an acid reflux problem, treat it with the home remedies mentioned above, which are safe and have no harmful side effects.
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Lifestyle Changes For Heartburn Symptoms
If acid reflux is bringing you down, Dr. Gabbard recommendsgiving these lifestyle changes a shot:
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How A Doctor Can Help
If you have heartburn two or more times a week and changes to your diet or eating pattern haven’t helped, consult a doctor. A gastroenterologist can perform tests to measure the acidity in your stomach and see if frequent acid reflux has damaged your esophagus.
GERD is often treatable through a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. But persistent symptoms of reflux need thorough evaluation by a gastroenterologist who can find the underlying cause and discuss available treatment options.
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A Few Lifestyle Changes Are Worth Trying Before Resorting To Drugs For Controlling Gastroesophageal Reflux
If you are sounding a little hoarse and have a sore throat, you may be bracing for a cold or a bout of the flu. But if you’ve had these symptoms for a while, they might be caused not by a virus but by a valveyour lower esophageal sphincter. That’s the muscle that controls the passage between the esophagus and stomach, and when it doesn’t close completely, stomach acid and food flow back into the esophagus. The medical term for this process is gastroesophageal reflux the backward flow of acid is called acid reflux.
Acid reflux can cause sore throats and hoarseness and may literally leave a bad taste in your mouth. When acid reflux produces chronic symptoms, it is known as gastroesophageal reflux disorder, or GERD. The most common symptom of GERD is heartburnpain in the upper abdomen and chest.
Three conditionspoor clearance of food or acid from the esophagus, too much acid in the stomach, and delayed stomach emptyingcontribute to acid reflux, says Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, a gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and author of A Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Stomach: Taking Control of Your Digestive Health.
Tips For Defeating Acid Reflux Naturally
This post is available in: Spanish
GERD, known mostly as acid reflux, is the most common reason Americans are referred to gastroenterologists, doctors who specialize in disorders of the digestive system.
More Americans than ever are having acid reflux symptoms, which include heartburn, that burning pain or discomfort that can crawl up your abdomen and chest regurgitation of stomach acid bloating and sometimes nausea after eating. Even this years limited holiday festivities may have included over-consumption of foods that fuel acid reflux even more in both the chronic sufferer and the occasional victim.
Eating Too Much of the Wrong FoodsEating too much is a risk factor, as is eating too much of the wrong foods or drinks. Over consuming spicy or greasy foods, sweets, high-fat meals, or drinking too much alcohol or caffeinated drinks, can contribute to acid reflux.
In our society, processed high-fat meals are more common and the portions are larger, says Joanna Lopez, M.D., a gastroenterologist with the Baptist Health Endoscopy Center. Large portions lead to a more distended stomach, more acid production and worsening reflux symptoms. Unfortunately, dietary indiscretions are the norm in our society the types of foods and the large portions that we tend to eat.
Dr. Lopez recommends these tips for avoiding acid reflux:
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