January 27, 2011
Chest Pain Indigestion
They call it heart burn because acid indigestion causes pain in your chest right behind your heart.
Your heart is actually located in the center of your chest, right behind your sternum, it’s just that the upper part of your heart is turned a little to the left, even though we’ve been told it’s on the left side.
It’s not unusual for people experiencing chest pain from indigestion to panic, thinking it’s a heart attack.
When your stomach has difficulty digesting large amounts of food, it tends to stretch like a balloon forcing pressure on the large muscle surrounding it.
The chest pain from indigestion is sometimes from this larger muscle, called the diaphragm being forced outward. The chest pain can also be from your stomach being pushed upward toward the opening in the diaphragm where your throat is.
Sometimes the pushing is so strong the stomach literally escapes the surrounding diaphragm, near that opening causing a hiatal hernia . . .
Another cause of chest pain from indigestion is acid reflux, which is when the flap that seal the bottom of your throat, to protect stomach acid from passing upward, get’s over come with pressure.
This produces that burning pain you can feel right behind the heart in the middle of your chest, called heart burn.
All this indigestion and chest pain is from your inability to release pressure and digest food fast enough to empty your stomach.
You can either eat less over all or break your meals down into smaller meals throughout the day, or both.
Some people have chest pain from lack of digestive juices causing undigested food to pile up; others just eat too much through the day, or at the last minute before bed.
Your chest pain may not be a heart attack, but indigestion that triggers chest pain has been known to trigger heart attacks . . .
Also eating a large meal before exerting yourself can cause chest pain too.
So learn to relax, breathe deeply, eat small meals of diverse foods and try to go for a casual walk after eating. Chest pain is a serious issue whether it’s indigestion, poor circulation or a heart attack . . . always see your doctor if it recurs or won’t go away.
You were born to heal,
Todd M. Faass
Health Advocate
Filed under Indigestion by admin
January 26, 2011
Chronic Indigestion
Acute indigestion is one thing, that’s short term and unpleasant as it is, it isn’t a real big deal. However chronic indigestion is like acute indigestion, accept it lasts much longer and if allowed can consume your whole life.
Also called dyspepsia, chronic indigestion leaves you feeling full, gassy and nauseated . . . not a good place to be.
There are only a few things associated with causing chronic indigestion, so it shouldn’t be difficult to stop it, reverse it and cure it if need be.
Inflammation is a natural immune response that can be triggered by many things. When your throat of stomach is inflamed for long periods of time you will need to reassess everything you do. Is it something you eat on a regular basis, something you smoke or drink, maybe an adverse reaction to a prescriptive drug?
One of the most common causes of inflammation and chronic indigestion is acid reflux, but then again, perhaps the cause of your chronic indigestion is also causing your acid reflux and heart burn symptoms.
Too often people confuse cause for effects . . . remember treating the symptoms of your chronic indigestion isn’t the same as curing your chronic indigestion. Symptoms of chronic indigestion are the effect of whatever is causing your chronic indigestion.
Peptic ulcers are often blamed for causing chronic indigestion, however once again you have to wonder, is your chronic indigestion possibly causing your peptic ulcers? In which case whatever is causing your chronic pain and indigestion is also the cause of your peptic ulcers.
Taking medication, especially pain killers will kill your digestive health.
One more myth I have to bust here is that spicy foods cause chronic indigestion . . . it’s just untrue.
Spicy food doesn’t cause chronic indigestion- eating meals based on the Western pattern diet does.
The Western diet is full of animal protein and fats in large quantities. The ticket to curing your chronic indigestion is to eat smaller portions more often, rather than 2 or 3 large meals a day.
It will take less stomach acid to digest your food. Plus eating more diverse foods will offer a more diverse nutritional profile, feeding your organs more natural sources of enzymes, vitamins and their co-factors.
Animal protein and fats stay in the stomach longer to break down. They also create extra waste your body has to deal with. Eating too much sugar, fat and animal protein will slow down your metabolism and these foods demand your pancreas make the enzymes to break them down. All this places stress on your digestive system.
Chronic indigestion is a result of chronically eating wrong . . . change the way you eat and claim your health back again.
You were born to heal,
Todd M. Faass
Health Advocate
Filed under Indigestion by admin
January 24, 2011
Acid Reflux And Coffee
Coffee has nothing to do with your acid reflux symptoms or its cause.
There is a lot of misleading information going around. For instance blaming coffee on your heartburn . . . there simply isn’t any science to back that up.
In fact most everything blamed on causing acid reflux is a bunch of malarkey.
Certainly there are many foods available that are less than healthy for you and many that are downright harmful. The problem is you’ve been over eating for years, combined with a less than idea lifestyle and the stress of day to day living has all taken its toll on you, taxed your health and virtually bankrupted your nutritional status,
Too many people allow themselves to be misled by all the direct-to-consumer advertising they’re bombarded with in this country. By the way those obnoxious ads that acid reflux sell drugs directly over your TV or radio are illegal in every country in the world, accept the US and New Zeeland.
That’s why Big Pharma makes more money than all the 500 fortune companies added together, including coffee growers . . . acid reflux drugs happens to be a large part of that profit margin.
No one is going to trade up their morning coffee for acid reflux; it’s easier to just pop some toxic antacids all day long, believing it’s the coffee or some other food.
You are an exception to most people simply because you do your own research; I commend you for that . . . you wouldn’t be reading this if that weren’t true.
In doing my research I found a 20 year study that followed approximately 44,000 men and 84,000 women who drank coffee. The study revealed that coffee is safe and may even have some cardiovascular benefits.
How can coffee be beneficial to your heart health but cause acid reflux? Simple, coffee doesn’t cause acid reflux; it has nothing to do with it. That doesn’t mean that drinking coffee can’t trigger your acid reflux . . . anything can ‘trigger’ your acid reflux, especially when you over eat or lie down after eating a lot.
Coffee relaxes people, helps them focus and if you drink 3 cups a day may help lower age-related cognitive decline . . . so stop your acid reflux by not over eating and drink more coffee.
None of the coffee studies say anything about acid reflux. True coffee can temporarily raise blood pressure, but it isn’t a cause of hypertension. All I can say is I would stay away from non-organic coffee because of all the pesticide spraying going on these days . . . I also like to add cacao nibs to my coffee drip maker . . . it tastes great and adds magnesium a natural muscle relaxant.
Overconsumption and under-nutrition is the cause for your acid reflux, not coffee.
You were born to heal,
Todd M. Faass
Health Advocate
Filed under Acid Reflux Remedy by admin
January 21, 2011
Hiatal Hernia Symptoms
It’s important to know and be able to identify Hiatal Hernia symptoms so that the condition can be properly treated and prevented from escalating to a state of bleeding.
Symptoms of a Hiatal Hernia often closely resemble heartburn. They include a burning sensation in the chest, acid reflux (or stomach acids making their way up into your mouth), burping, hiccups and chest pain. However, this chest pain is different from the chest pain of a heart attack and it’s vital to differentiate between the two.
Hiatal Hernia chest pain is often the result of spasms due to the displaced stomach. The pain can be extreme, but it is often just pain, or pain accompanied by heartburn symptoms. The pain of a heart attack is often accompanied by shortness of breath and pain or numbness in an arm or hand. Knowing and understanding what these different symptoms indicate can be the difference between life and death. If you’re experiencing chest pain associated with shortness of breath, seek medical attention immediately.
Causes
A Hiatal Hernia happens when a portion of the stomach becomes displaced, and is forced through an opening in the diaphragm. Although it can be difficult to point to specific causes, some risk factors that may make you more susceptible to a Hiatal Hernia are smoking, obesity, and aging.
Hiatal Hernias that occur in younger children or infants are often a congenital condition that they were born with.
Solutions
Hiatal Hernias are rarely serious conditions, but shouldn’t be ignored. They can often be somewhat painful, and so should be dealt with promptly. Surgery is seldom necessary, as your body can often heal itself of a Hiatal Hernia. However, there are a number of things you can do to help speed the healing process up.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia, eat smaller meals, but do so more often. That way you’re giving your body the same amount of nutrition, just over a longer period of time, so that it can better digest the food and extract nutrients from it without getting overly stressed. This helps reduce the impact of eating on your already strained digestive tract.
Also, don’t eat right before you lay down. This will help prevent food from gathering in your stomach, and moving back up into your esophagus where it can cause irritation. You really shouldn’t eat less than two hours before bed if you are battling heartburn or a Hiatal Hernia. That way you won’t have any food or acid lying in wait when you do decide to go to bed.
Additionally, quit smoking. Smoking is very detrimental to your health, including your digestive system. Quitting will help your body heal at a more natural rate, and will help prevent a future Hiatal Hernia from occurring.
You can also reduce stress in your life to help your hernia heal. Although stress can’t be directly blamed as a cause for Hiatal Hernias, it can certainly hinder your body’s ability to heal from one. It tends to cause an overproduction of stomach acid, which can irritate your esophagus and stomach, slowing the healing process. So, do things to help yourself relax, like getting a massage or adding regular exercise to your routine. These things will help you tom maintain a healthy mind and body.
For more information on Hiatal Hernia symptoms, visit refluxremedy.com today!
Filed under Hiatal Hernia by admin