What Causes Stomach Acid
Your stomach produces the gastric acid to digest the food. However, at times, the acid is secreted in large amounts than what required for digestion, and at times the production is low. Both the conditions are not good for you as these hamper the digestion process, can damage your stomach lining or cause troubles like vomiting, nausea, etc.
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Avoid Food Items That Induce Acid Reflux In Your Body:
As every persons body reacts differently to a food item, we cannot be sure without regular observation if a particular food item causes acid reflux for you.
So you may keep a food diary to observe the effects of different food items and reduce the intake of food items and beverages from your diet to improve your digestive health.
What Are The Side Effects Of High Stomach Acid
Having high levels of stomach acid can increase your risk of developing other stomach-related health conditions. These include:
- Peptic ulcers:Peptic ulcers are sores that can develop when gastric acid begins to eat away at the lining of your stomach.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease :GERD is a condition in which stomach acid backs up into your esophagus.
- Gastrointestinal bleeding: This involves bleeding anywhere in your digestive tract.
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Can Acid Reflux Disease Be Treated With Diet And Lifestyle Changes
One of the most effective ways to treat acid reflux disease is to avoid the foods and beverages that trigger symptoms. Here are other steps you can take:
- Eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day and modify the types of foods you are eating..
- If you’re overweight or obese, take steps to lose weight with exercise and diet changes.
- Also, ask your doctor whether any medication could be triggering your heartburn or other symptoms of acid reflux disease.
Youre Not Using The Right Delivery System
It could simply be the way the vitamin is deliveredi.e. is it a chewable, a gummy, or a coated capsule? Coatings keep the vitamin from dissolving as fast, which can cause irritation in your stomach. If you take a coated vitamin and are still feeling nauseous with food, check with your doctor to see if theres a different formula you can take, suggests Sonpal. If coated capsules are a problem for you, chewables or gummies could be a good alternative.
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Set Goals For Yourself
There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment. Whether it’s losing 10 pounds, saving up money for a down payment or getting that promotion you’ve been gunning for achieving a goal can help boost your self-esteem and self-worth.
One thing to keep in mid while setting goals, though, is to make sure they’re realistic. Your goals should be challenging, but should also play toward your strengths. In addition, make sure you can devote the time and effort needed to achieve the goals you’re setting. If there’s something you’d like to do, but are unsure how realistic it might be, consider trying it as a hobby first.
Avoid Foods That Cause Heartburn
While heartburn triggers vary from person to person, there are several foods and drinks that are known causes of heartburn, including:
- spicy foods: hot chili peppers
- acidic foods: citrus fruits, tomatoes, chocolate
- acidic drinks, such as caffeine, alcohol, coffee, wine and carbonated beverages.
Pay attention to the foods and beverages that trigger heartburn for you and eliminate them from your diet.
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Avoiding Smoking And Drinking Alcohol
Smoking and alcohol indigestion and other gastrointestinal conditions, such as gastrointestinal reflux disease .
Pros and cons
Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake improves peoples quality of life and reduces the risk of certain health conditions, such as cancer.
However, avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol can be difficult, and people may require extra support.
Learn more about quitting smoking and drinking:
Pros and cons
Avoiding difficult-to-digest foods may help ease the stomach and reduce discomfort and pain. Additionally, more easily digestible foods such as fruit and vegetables may help promote a healthy, balanced diet.
However, avoiding richer or heavily preserved foods may be more difficult for people who do not have the time to source fresher food or those who live in a food desert.
Common Stomach Acid Problems And The Medications Used To Treat Them
Stomach acid is a key component of the gastric juice we produce every day, but problems can occur if:
- You have too much stomach acid
- The protective barrier in your stomach breaks down
- The ring of muscles at the top of your stomach doesn’t work properly and lets stomach acid rise into the esophagus
Gastric juice is made up of stomach or gastric acid , digestive enzymes , mucus and bicarbonate.
Stomach acid is highly acidic with a pH of about 1 to 3. It works along with enzymes to help break down the foods you eat and also to kill bacteria. The mucus and bicarbonate helps to protect your stomach from the acidic gastric juice.
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What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Gerd
Often, people who have GERD notice that they regularly have the pain of heartburn in the chest or stomach. This can last up to a couple of hours. Many notice their heartburn is worse after eating.
Regurgitation when food and liquid containing stomach acid comes back up into the throat or mouth is also a sign of GERD. But, like heartburn, occasional regurgitation is common for everyone.
Other symptoms of GERD include:
- a sore, raw throat or hoarse voice
- a frequent sour taste of acid, especially when lying down
- a feeling of burping acid into the mouth
- trouble swallowing
Elevate The Head Of Your Bed
Some people experience reflux symptoms during the night .
This may disrupt their sleep quality and make it difficult for them to fall asleep.
One study showed that patients who raised the head of their bed had significantly fewer reflux episodes and symptoms, compared to those who slept without any elevation .
Additionally, an analysis of controlled studies concluded that elevating the head of the bed is an effective strategy to reduce acid reflux symptoms and heartburn at night (
Elevating the head of your bed may reduce your reflux symptoms at night.
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How To Prevent Excessive Stomach Acid
Excessive stomach acid is not at all good for your health, and if neglected it can lead to more severe issues. One can also find himself pooping stomach acid. Hence, it is necessary to follow a healthier lifestyle and adopt the following tips that can prevent the excessive secretion of stomach acid.
- Maintain a healthy weight. For a healthy digestive tract, it is necessary to maintain a healthy weight. Obesity is known to increase the risk of GERD
- Eat smaller portions. Keeping a check on your food portions can prevent overeating and indigestion
- Do not lie down on the bed for at least three hours after a meal
- Switch to a healthy diet. Avoid fried or processed foods and carbonated drinks. There is a direct relationship between the consumption of coke and stomach acid secretion
- Avoid liquors as well as caffeinated drinks
- Wear loose-fitting clothes to avoid pressure on your abdomen region
- Raise the head of your bed to about six inches
Stomach acid is a common trouble which can be treated by following some simple remedies. Employ the treatments for how to reduce stomach acid along with the correct lifestyle habits to alleviate your problems.
These are quite effective in relieving heartburn, stomach pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with excessive secretion of stomach acid. Cure your troubles with them and get back to your normal and happy life. However please note that indigestion and other stomach issues may also be caused due to low stomach acid.
How Do Doctors Diagnose Reflux And Gerd In Children
In most cases, a doctor diagnoses reflux by reviewing your child’s symptoms and medical history. If the symptoms do not get better with lifestyle changes and anti-reflux medicines, your child may need testing to check for GERD or other problems.
Several tests can help a doctor diagnose GERD. Sometimes doctors order more than one test to get a diagnosis. Commonly-used tests include:
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Foods That May Cause Heartburn
Foods commonly known to be heartburn triggers cause the esophageal sphincter to relax and delay the digestive process, letting food sit in the stomach longer, says Gupta. The worst culprits? Foods that are high in fat, salt or spice such as:
- Carbonated beverages
Moderation is key since many people may not be able to or want to completely eliminate these foods, says Gupta. But try to avoid eating problem foods late in the evening closer to bedtime, so theyre not sitting in your stomach and then coming up your esophagus when you lay down at night. Its also a good idea to eat small frequent meals instead of bigger, heavier meals and avoid late-night dinners and bedtime snacks.
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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Risk Factors For Gerd
More than 60 million American adults have heartburn at least once a month, and more than 15 million adults have heartburn every day, including many pregnant women. Recent studies show that GERD in infants and children is more common than doctors thought. It can cause vomiting that happens over and over again. It can also cause coughing and other breathing problems.
Some doctors believe a hiatal hernia may weaken the LES and raise your chances of gastroesophageal reflux. Hiatal hernia happens when the upper part of your stomach moves up into the chest through a small opening in your diaphragm . The diaphragm is the muscle separating the abdomen from the chest. Recent studies show that the opening in the diaphragm helps support the lower end of the esophagus.
Many people with a hiatal hernia will not have problems with heartburn or reflux. But having a hiatal hernia may allow stomach contents to reflux more easily into the esophagus.
Coughing, vomiting, straining, or sudden physical exertion can raise pressure in your belly and lead to a hiatal hernia. Many otherwise healthy people ages 50 and over have a small one. Although itâs usually a condition of middle age, hiatal hernias affect people of all ages.
Several other things can make it more likely that youâll have GERD:
Medications To Help Treat Stomach Acid Problems
There are a number of different types of medications available to help treat stomach acid problems. Some of these are available over-the-counter , while others require a prescription.
Stomach acid medications may need to be taken continuously, or used intermittently for short periods of time, or taken on-demand as symptoms occur. Check with your healthcare professional about which option is best for you.
Stomach acid medications are most commonly taken by mouth in the form of a tablet, capsule or liquid, but some may also be given by IV
The different types of medications work in different ways to help combat stomach acid problems. Some reduce the amount of acid you produce, some neutralize the acid and others simply help to protect your insides.
Hereâs a list of different types of medications used to help treat, heal and protect against stomach acid problems:
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More Ways To Avoid Heartburn
Sometimes it not just what you eat, but how you eat. Check out these tips for taming those searing symptoms.
Dont slouch when eating. It may be tempting to settle into the cushions and watch TV while inhaling that plate of Buffalo wings. But sitting less than straight while you chow down can encourage gastric juices to head in the wrong direction. Doctors say its also important stay upright for 45 to 60 minutes after eating. If stomach acid does escape, gravity will send that noxious stuff back to where it belongs: your stomach. Liquid and gas want to go to the path of least resistance, Pichetshote says. If youre laying down it can easily go up toward your head. If youre a little more upright, it has to fight gravity to move upward. The same goes for sleeping: Wait at least two to three hours after eating before hitting the sack.
Find your sweet spot. Overeating is never a good idea. When your stomach is distended and bloated, acid can rise back into the esophagus, triggering symptoms. But an empty stomach can cause problems, too. Go more than three to four hours without a meal or snack, and stomach acid which would usually be used in the digestive process to break down food collects. The best approach? Eat smaller meals and eat slowly. And choose water to wash things down.
S To Reverse Low Stomach Acid
1. Ingest Apple Cider Vinegar
The No. 1 thing you can do to start to balance this pH in your stomach is use apple cider vinegar right before your meals. I would take one tablespoon and just a very small amount of water. Apple cider vinegar is a great natural remedy because apple cider vinegar has a very low pH in balance with your stomach.
2. Take Digestive Enzymes
The No. 2 step you want to start taking to improve your stomach acid are digestive enzymes. I would get a good digestive enzyme blend and take one to two caps right before your meal. You could even take that with the apple cider vinegar.
Digestive enzymes will help you fully break down those nutrients you ingest. If your stomach acid is too high, that will actually not allow you to break down the food youre eating, so you must get plenty of enzymes. Thats not something you should have to take the rest of your life, but it is something you should take for a time until your stomach acid balances out.
3. Add HCL with Pepsin to Your Diet
The No. 3 thing you may consider if you have low stomach acid is HCL with pepsin hydrochloric acid with pepsin. Now, hydrochloric acid is naturally created in your stomach. That is really the main thing that creates that very acidic environment to break down food. But if youre deficient in hydrochloric acid, and stomach acid itself, thats not going to allow you to fully digest and break down things like protein, which, over time, can also cause a condition called leaky gut.
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How To Get Rid Of Excessive Stomach Acid
If you are suffering and are trying to figure out how to reduce excess stomach acid, you will likely have luck with one of the following approaches. Some people do take antacids to help fight the symptoms, but it is important to know that chronic antacid use can cause side effects.
The following are more natural remedies for excess stomach acid:
Natural Remedy: Use Baking Soda
You may find relief from infrequent heartburn with sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda. Simply mix ½ teaspoon with four ounces of water to help neutralize the acid. Note this contains sodium and should not be used if you are on a sodium-restricted diet. Check with your doctor if you are taking any prescriptions drugs, are pregnant or have a chronic health condition before using baking soda to relieve heartburn.
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How Gastroenterologists Help With Gerd
The key to treating your GERD: a board-certified gastroenterologist
If you are suffering from chronic acid reflux, a specialist can help. GERD is a potentially serious condition, and it will not go away on its own. Untreated GERD can lead to inflammation of the esophagus and cause complications like ulcers, strictures and increased risk of Barretts esophagus, which is a precursor to esophageal cancer.
A gastroenterologist is a physician with specialized training in managing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract . Our gastroenterologists are fellowship-trained and qualified to diagnose GERD and help develop a meet your treatment plan.
Using Apple Cider Vinegar As A Stomachache Cure
Another paradoxical-sounding remedy is using acidic drinks to relieve pain from gastric reflux. Since gastric reflux can result in stomach acid leaking out into places its not wanted, your stomachs acidity can end up lower than is optimal for digesting food.
Drinking apple cider vinegar can help improve the levels and ease an upset stomach. This assumes that youre able to, well, stomach the drink in the first place. While apple cider vinegar does its work best if taken raw, you may find mixing it with water, a teaspoon of honey, and sipping slowly to be the more tolerable option.
- Add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to one cup of warm water.
- Mix in one tablespoon of honey.
- Drink this remedy every three hours until pain is gone.
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Factors That Contribute To Heartburn
No one knows the exact cause of acid reflux. Several factors can weaken or relax the lower esophageal sphincter, causing reflux. They include:
- Lifestyle choices, such as the use of alcohol or cigarettes
- Medications such as calcium channel blockers, theophylline, nitrates, and antihistamines
- Diet choices such as fatty and fried foods, chocolate, garlic and onions, caffeine drinks, acidic foods, spicy foods, and mint flavorings
- Eating habits including eating large meals or eating close to bedtime
- Other medical conditions such as hiatal hernia, pregnancy, diabetes, and rapid weight gain