Heartburn, also commonly known as Pyrosis and referred to as acid indigestion is a pain in the lower throat or upper chest region. Most people have experienced some form of heartburn, which is usually associated with indigestion and regurgitation. The burning sensation in your chest that can sometimes also come up to your throat and jaw is heartburn. It is a major symptom of a few rare diseases. Pregnant women may also experience heartburn due to the change in their bodies due to their pregnancies, but in most cases it does not pose a severe threat and can be treated with a variety of natural or man made remedies. In this article we will discuss heartburn remedies that might slow down the effect or prevent any future discomfort.

Heartburn is usually harmless, but in some cases can cause damage to the digestive system. Severe forms, for example, are known to affect the lower esophagus, causing difficulty in swallowing, breathing, coughing, etc. Prolonged, it could lead to more serious digestive disorders and should be treated immediately. Checking with your doctor if you have any concerns about a prolonged and especially painful bout of heartburn is always a good idea. If you experience pain from time to time and do not consider it serious enough to consult a physician, you may want to try some of the following remedies.

Three natural remedies:

1. Avoid food that triggers heartburn. Foods that may bring on symptoms include: Acidic foods, alcohol, carbonated drinks, peppermint, and spicy food. You might try keeping a record of what you have eaten right before a heartburn attack to find any patterns and avoid foods you know to bring on heartburn.

2. Quit smoking. If you are a smoker and experience regular pain in your chest, you may want to put some water on your cigarettes. Smoking is known to weaken the muscles at the bottom of your esophagus that help to keep the acids in your stomach from coming up into your throat.

3. Do not eat right before you plan on sleeping. To avoid heartburn caused by going to sleep right after eating, eat your dinner or lunch at least two hours before taking a nap or heading to bed for the night.

We hope that by trying these free heartburn remedies you might on your way to win the fight against heartburn.

Heartburn is a burning sensation that is felt around the area the front of the trunk of the body from the stomach up to the upper chest. It is one of the primary symptoms of a medical condition called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) or more commonly known as acid reflux. There are some fantastic cures for heartburn that don’t require to you take handfuls of pills. Practicing proper prevention techniques are always much easier than having to deal with the irritation of heartburn.

While heartburn is generally caused by GERD, it mostly occurs during or after the following activities:

• Heavy lifting
• Consuming a heavy meal
• Bending over
• Lying on your back

Heartburn from GERD is caused when acid from the stomach regurgitates back to the esophagus. Because the esophagus does not have the same mucous lining that the stomach has, acids cause that burning sensation. Regurgitation is not a normal occurrence since a sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach is supposed to prevent that from happening.

GERD treatment is normally through medication and involves changes in lifestyle such as weight management through exercise and dieting. Drugs can vary depending on the severity of acid reflux. For minor cases, antacids can be used to reduce stomach acidity. Heartburn home remedies also will usually help with this type of heartburn. For more severe cases, H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors are drugs that minimize the production of gastric acids.

Other than medication, diet can significantly reduce heartburn. Listed below are some eating tips that you can apply to reduce heartburn attacks:

• Avoid taking soda or any carbonated drinks;
• Reduce your intake of drinks or food associated with caffeine, chocolates, alcohol and mints. For coffee drinkers, this applies to both decaffeinated and caffeinated;
• While there is no proof that low or high fat food contribute to the risk of heartburn, keep away from saturated fats altogether, especially if overweight;
• Use skim or low fat dairy products;
• Take lots of fruits and vegetables except those that are highly acidic such as grapefruit, oranges, lime and pineapple;
• Avoid tough meat, pasta, doughy bread, and vegetables with their skin on them.

Heartburn more often than not happens at night thus there are a few practical actions one should take if they are experiencing heartburn. Listed below are some of them:

• Don’t sleep immediately after a meal. Go for a walk or stand upright after dinner;
• Avoid midnight snacks. In fact, the last meal taken should be at least two hours before sleeping;
• Try sleeping on your left side as opposed to your right side which makes the stomach higher than esophagus thus putting pressure on the sphincter muscles;
• Sleeping in a tilted or a semi sitting position can help keep gastric acids inside the stomach. Make sure that it is the entire body that is lifted and not just the head which can cause result in more acid reflux.

These simple tricks should provide relief for heartburn. However, if these prevention techniques don’t work and if you constantly suffer from heartburn, see a physician and have yourself checked for GERD. It is important to note that GERD can develop into more serious ailments that can be harmful to both the esophagus and stomach. Furthermore, heartburn can be caused by other materials from the stomach such as bile, in which case, the proper medication must be prescribed.

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