Treating anything during pregnancy can present its own set of obstacles. What can be taken that won?t affect the baby? What can I do to be more comfortable and get some rest? Heartburn can be a common and bothersome problem during pregnancy and finding a solution can be daunting. However, there are several options to stave off heartburn during pregnancy.

1. Prop a few pillows under your head when sleeping. This helps keep acids out of the esophagus and in the stomach where they belong.

2. Don?t eat right before you go to bed. Wait 2 or 3 hours before lying down after eating. Too much food in your stomach combined with lying down encourages acid into the esophagus.

3. Monitor what you eat. Certain foods can trigger heartburn consistently. Common ones can include alcohol, citrus, garlic and onions. Avoid specific foods that set your heartburn off.

4. Relax. Stress is a major producer of stomach acids. Deep breaths, yoga, counting to 10, anything that will help you de-stress can prevent heartburn.

5. Eat smaller meals more frequently. Bombarding your stomach with a large amount of food can cause pressure to build up and acid production into overdrive.

6. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly.

7. Avoid caffeinated drinks. Caffeine relaxes the muscles that control the flow of food to your stomach, which allows acid into the esophagus.

8. Drink a glass of water. It will help dilute acids and flush the stomach out.

9. Drink some milk, but in moderation. Milk can help neutralize acids, but also contains some fats that promote stomach acid production.

10. Try an apple. Some people have found heartburn relief from just one slice.

11. Chew a piece of gum. It causes you to salivate and dilutes acids in the stomach.

12. When lifting, don?t bend at the waist. Gravity is helpful in keeping stomach acids down where they belong. Bending with the knees keeps your alignment the way it should be.

13. Don?t smoke. Aside from a host of serious health problems for you and your baby, it?s shown to increase stomach acid production.

14. Avoid alcohol. Like caffeine, it relaxes the esophageal muscles, which allows acid to flow up instead of staying in the stomach.

15. Don?t wear tight fitting clothing. It can put pressure on the stomach, forcing acid into the esophagus.

16. Over the counter antacids like Tums may help, but always consult your doctor before taking any medications during pregnancy.

For more suggestions for getting rid of heartburn during pregnancy, please see our Reflux Remedy Report.

Heartburn is the uncomfortable result of stomach acids backing up into the esophagus.? While medicines are widely used to treat heartburn, there are a number of inexpensive home remedies that can be tried before rushing out and spending a healthy sum on a month’s supply of medication.

• First of all, try changing your eating routine a bit. Eat smaller more frequent meals instead of a few giant ones. This helps prevent the buildup of acid and pressure in the stomach from too much food. Also, avoid eating before bed. Gravity helps keep acids where they belong, and lying prostrate allows them into the esophagus if the stomach is full.
• Watch your weight. Extra pounds on the chest and abdomen create pressure build up in the stomach causing reflux.
• Try putting a few pillows under your head when you sleep. This will help gravity do its job. In addition, when napping during the day, sleep in a chair or in a semi-upright position.
• Stop smoking. Heartburn is only one of the many health issues caused by smoking.
• Watch what you eat. Certain foods can trigger heartburn. Garlic, caffeine, alcohol, citrus and onion are a few common triggers. Monitor what sets you off and then stay away from that food.
• Don’t wear clothes that are too tight. They put pressure on the abdomen, causing acid to back up into the esophagus.
• Avoid medications known to cause heartburn, like calcium, iron, potassium and NSAID pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
• Drink a glass of water. This helps dilute the stomach acids and flush contents through the system.
• Chew gum. Your body responds similarly to drinking water when chewing gum. Excess saliva helps flush your stomach contents and dilute acids.
• Ginger is an effective natural remedy for many stomach conditions, including heartburn. When taken in pill form, as tea, or candied it can help treat and prevent heartburn.
• Fennel or chamomile tea, when sipped warm, can help soothe acid reflux.
• Milk can help absorb stomach acids, but should be used in moderation as it also contains fats that are difficult to digest and causes acid production.
• Papaya contains a helpful digestive enzyme that aides in the breakdown of foods. When taken before meals, it helps prevent the buildup of pressure in the stomach.
• Glutamine, an amino acid, can help heal damage done to the esophagus as a result of frequent acid reflux and eliminate damaged cells.
• Just a few tablespoons of undiluted apple cider vinegar can eliminate heartburn. When diluted in water, it acts as a preventative.
• Just a handful of almonds contain soothing oils that help relieve heartburn.
• Unflavored yogurt has helpful bacteria that aid in the healing process of the esophagus and helps tighten esophageal muscles.

For more ideas on natural heartburn remedies, please see our Reflux Remedy Report.

So you finally figured out what was ailing you.

Having a hiatal hernia isn?t as bad as it feels if you know what to do to reverse it.

The most important thing about being diagnosed with a hiatal hernia is staying optimistic. In other words the first step to curing your hiatal hernia is in actually believing it can be cured.

Otherwise you?re typically stuck with watching your underlying hiatal hernia symptoms get worse as you treat those symptoms. The absolute worst thing you can do is ignore the root cause of your hiatal hernia symptoms by ignoring it.

The root cause of your hiatal hernia is, simply put, your diet.

The best diet for hiatal hernia is a diet that gives back to your body, rather than take away. Basically that?s the key to unlocking your body?s own inner hiatal hernia cure . . . stop taking and start giving back.

Through the years you?ve eaten things you shouldn?t have eaten and as a direct result you triggered critical deficiencies of nutrients, including enzymes, minerals and their cofactors.

The big problem is there are a lot of mixed messages out there concerning hiatal hernia and the best diet. Perhaps knowing the worst diet for hiatal hernia will help you by process of elimination to learn what the best diet is for you.

Too often I hear people with hiatal hernia come back from the hospital, or doctor?s office, saying they can?t have any acid foods.

Avoiding entire food groups is more than unrealistic, it?s incorrect.

You see some foods are acidic, but they produce a non-acidic or alkaline environment in your body.

For example if you eliminate all citrus foods, you?ll not only create more nutritional deficiencies, you may even make your hiatal hernia and acid reflux issues worse than before.

Vitamin C is necessary for optimum cellular health. One of the easiest sources of vitamin C is from citrus fruits. Many leading health experts insist vitamin C is necessary to help prevent heart disease, oxygenate blood and promote healthy digestion.

Besides, the best diet for hiatal hernia is not necessarily creating less gastric acid. The key is to enjoy a diet that helps create a non-acidic or alkaline pH, in your blood, saliva and tissue. You need stomach acid to digest your food to take pressure away from your hiatal hernia. The acid reflux effect is usually caused from a gastric acid deficiency triggered from eating a diet that was high in bad fats and low in minerals and enzymes.

The best diet to reverse hiatal hernia is to eliminate foods that take away nutritional factors like enzymes, minerals and their various co-factors.

Here?s the best diet for hiatal hernia menu:

? Eat slowly and chew your food extra well

? Eat until your 75% full, stay a little hungry.

? Eat your raw fruits an hour in between meals.

? Don?t mix nuts with fruits.

? Don?t mix protein with fruits.

? Drink half your weight in water ounces daily

? Drink your water in between meals and snack, don?t dilute gastric acid.

? Avoid alcohol, tobacco and caffeine; they relax your esophageal seals.

? Eat raw vegetables like avocado, broccoli and spinach after you?ve eaten your protein.

? Avoid artificial sweeteners and MSG.

? Avoid pharmaceuticals if you can.

? Eat steamed yams, potatoes and brown rice sparingly.

? Avoid refine salts and sugars.

? If you eat grains, use sprouted grain sources.

? Eat your salad last.

? Use Celtic or Himalayan sea salts.

These are a few tips for the worst diet and the best diet for hiatal hernia. You?ll have to make adjustments for your lifestyle and tastes.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

Heartburn happens when stomach acids enter the stomach and irritate the nerves in the esophagus, causing a painful burning sensation. There are many ways to approach eliminating heartburn, including routine changes, dietary changes or solutions, over the counter and prescription medicines and surgery, in extreme cases.

Routine Changes

? Instead of sleeping lying flat, try propping yourself up with a few pillows, or sleeping in a chair to nap. Gravity prevents acids from escaping the stomach, and lying prostrate can allow them to creep into the esophagus where they don?t belong.

? Don?t smoke. Smoking has been shown to cause heartburn, in addition to other serious health problems.

? Lose a few pounds. Added weight on the chest or abdomen puts strain on the stomach, causing acid reflux.

? De-stress. Stress can encourage stomach acid production. Something as simple as taking a few deep breaths can help prevent the onset of heartburn in the near future.

Dietary Solutions

? Don?t eat large meals. Try smaller, more frequent ones. Large amounts of food bombard the stomach causing pressure and acid to accumulate.

? Watch the foods you eat. Certain foods can trigger heartburn. Common ones include onion, caffeine, garlic, alcohol and citrus. Keep track of what sets you off and avoid those foods.

? Drink a cup of fennel or chamomile tea. When sipped, it has been shown to soothe or prevent heartburn.

? Take ginger. All three forms ? pills, tea and candied ? can help relieve heartburn pain.

? Drink a glass of water. It will help flush the stomach of excess acids.

? Eat an apple. Some people have had great success with just a few slices.

? Apple cider vinegar can help with both prevention and treatment of heartburn. A few tablespoons, though bitter, will help soothe heartburn pain. When added to water and taken before a meal, it will help prevent it altogether.

Medicines

? Many over the counter medicines, like Tums and Mylanta, can help alleviate heartburn, and some even come with the added benefit of an extra dose of calcium.

? Prescription medications can help target the specific thing causing heartburn.

o For example, drugs like Nexium, Prilosec and Pepcid block the production of acid. This helps people with too much stomach acid.

o Foaming agents help coat the stomach and protect it from damaging acids.

o Drugs like Relgan can help move things through the digestive system and strengthen esophageal muscles.

Surgery

Surgery is often a last resort. Most people will be able to find a solution or combination of things to solve their heartburn problems. However, if severe enough, a procedure called fundoplication can be performed. It involves using a portion of the upper stomach to help tighten the esophageal muscles, thus preventing acid from getting into the esophagus. Surgery for heartburn is rare, and generally a more natural or medicinal approach is recommended.

For another resource on curing your heartburn, please reference our Reflux Remedy Report.