Just about everyone has experienced heartburn at some time or another during their life and many have sought out natural heartburn cures. Heartburn is a common name for acid reflux. People usually feel a burning pain in their chest that spreads upward to their neck. They may also experience bloating, belching and nausea. Heartburn can be an occasional incident after a heavy meal or extremely spicy one, or a frequent occurrence that is disruptive to daily life.

When you swallow food, it passes through your esophagus and into your stomach.? The stomach contains acids which digest the food. There is a muscle between your stomach and esophagus that opens to allow the food into the stomach and closes after the food has passed through. If this muscle doesn’t operate properly, the food and stomach acid can back up into your esophagus causing pain and discomfort in the form of acid reflux or heartburn.

There are as many remedies for heartburn as there are sufferers. Unfortunately, there is no one cure that works for every one. People need to learn their bodies and figure out what triggers their attacks. Sometimes it is a particular food. Caffiene is a common culprit.? Onions and citrus are others.? So if a person can determine their personal food trigger, they can easily solve their problem by avoiding that food.

However, when a change in diet isn?t an option, people sometimes reach forhome remedies. Drinking a bit of apple cider vinegar and water prior to a meal can help prevent the onset of heartburn. ?Also, eating a smaller meal can help prevent too much acid and pressure from building in the stomach.? Refraining from eating less than two hours before bed can also help keep stomach acids out of the esophagus and in the stomach where they belong.

If heartburn is already in full force, there are a number of natural things you can try.? Eating an apple has been found to be surprisingly successful in relieving heartburn pain.? Also, all forms of ginger, including candied and teas help to settle an upset stomach.? Papaya contains an enzyme that helps the body?s digestion process, which prevents uncomfortable pressure from building in the stomach.? Something as simple as drinking a glass of water can also eliminate heartburn pain, as it flushes unwanted acids through the digestive system.? Also, sitting up, or if heartburn is happening at night, sleeping on an extra pillow helps keep the head aligned properly with the stomach, making sure acids stay down.

Natural remedies are often preferable to over the counter medications or prescription drugs because of their low cost and convince.? Most people don?t need to run to the drug store to get a glass of water, and things like apples and ginger are significantly less expensive than a daily prescription routine.

For more natural heartburn cures, visit www.refluxremedy.com and read The Reflux Remedy Report.? The natural cure that will work for you could be there, so don?t wait!

Gallbladder surgery is another one of those unnecessary operations that come with bonus side effects.

One of those side effects is acid reflux, which is, having excess saliva with a constant bitter taste from gastric juices refluxing up your throat.

No worries though, your doctor will most likely prescribe Protonex, Nexium or some other Pharma gimmicks to keep your adverse symptoms and complaints quiet.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but the word is most gallbladder surgeries are unnecessary.

Remember tonsils? They used to snip those by the hundreds of thousands annually, until they found they are part of your endocrine and immune system.

There are many overused surgeries due to the loop holes in managed-care insurance, lack of scientific evidence and simple greed.

Surgeons are always coming up with new techniques (i.e., laparoscopy) and better tools to remove gallbladders, yet you never hear of anyone trying to cure the cause of gallstones, do you? Today instead of opening you up all the way, they make a smaller incision, making it an in and out procedure.

Don?t let that fool you, gallbladder removal is still a risky business and considered major surgery. If for instance they nick or sever a bile duct, it will result in permanent liver damage . . . this happens about 2% of the time.

Your gallbladder is NOT the enemy here, your gall stones are and for that matter, your diet habits. If you haven?t had a gallbladder attack and show no signs of pancreatic inflammation or jaundice, you don?t need surgery . . . you need the cure.

In fact did you know there are successful remedies for gall stones, kidney stones and acid reflux?

Another point I have to mention is because gallbladder removal is easy money for the hospitals, every now and then someone with acid indigestion, symptoms of bloating or acid reflux get sent through the procedure in a rush to treat gall bladder-like symptoms.

Recent studies disclose that only 10% to 18% of the 20,000,000 people who have gallstones ever even develop symptoms. What that means is you can start eliminating the risk of gallstones now, before you have a gallstone attack.

Statistics claim only about 10 to 18% of people who have gallstones will experience symptoms at all.

Eating the wrong things year after year can lead to gallstones, acid indigestion and acid reflux. You need healthy bile function and stomach acid function to work together. Usually if one gets out of balance they both could eventually fail to work properly.

Of course if you have gallbladder disease or cancer the odds are you may end up losing your gallbladder to save your life. Gallbladder disease, like acid reflux is associated with obesity, diabetes, smoking and synthetic hormone replacement therapy, to mention a few.

Always get a second or third medical opinion when surgery has been suggested.

By avoiding the classic Standard American Diet (SAD) you can avoid a lot of the Standard American Diseases.

To prevent gall stones as well as acid reflux issues cut out the bad fat, but keep the good fat.

That means, eliminate animal fats and enjoy healthy fats from super foods like avocados and almonds

Gallstones are triggered from poor quality fat intake which increases the bad cholesterol (fatty acid) that makes gallstones.

Don?t end up with double the trouble, cure two problems by eliminating one stone.

Eliminate refined carbohydrates, animal fats and processed food additives so your risk of developing gallstones and acid reflux will be reduced significantly-otherwise you may end up having to deal with the combined symptoms of both problems.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

A hernia is generally defined as the displacement or protrusion of an organ through a hole or into a cavity.? There are two types of hernias related to acid reflux – Sliding Hiatal Hernia and Para-Esophageal Hiatal Hernia.

Sliding Hiatal Hernia

Sliding Hiatal Hernias are the most common.? They occur when the muscle at the junction between the esophagus and the stomach – the lower esophageal sphincter – becomes too relaxed.? This allows the diaphragm to become displaced and a portion of the stomach to pass into the lower esophagus.

Roughly half of people with a Sliding Hiatal Hernia don’t suffer symptoms.? If symptoms do occur they are identical to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, and can include heartburn, acid reflux, regurgitation and frequent belching and hiccups.

Treatments can include over the counter antacids or prescription drugs; a change in diet that involves eating smaller, more frequent meals, or eliminates foods like citrus, alcohol, caffeine, garlic, mint, or any other foods that would cause heartburn; quitting smoking; eliminating tight clothing which can cause pressure on the stomach resulting in reflux; and taking care not to lie down too quickly after eating.? If symptoms are severe, surgery may be necessary and would involve pulling the stomach down and tightening the opening to the stomach, which would prevent recurrence.

Para-Esophageal Hiatal Hernia

Para-Esophageal Hiatal Hernias are slightly more severe than Sliding Hiatal Hernias.? They occur when a portion of the stomach becomes displaced and ends up next to the esophagus.? This condition can be problematic as a result of complications associated with it.? Strangulation can occur when blood can’t get to the affected area, resulting in tissue death.? It can also put pressure on the esophagus, causing food to lodge there after swallowing.? Ulcers can also form from damage caused by food stuck in the esophagus or stomach acid.

Most Para-Esophageal Hiatal Hernia’s aren’t symptomatic, but if there are, symptoms can include nausea, chest pain and pressure, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and trouble swallowing.

The complications due to an untreated hernia can become severe, so early surgical intervention is the most successful treatment for Para-Esophageal Hiatal Hernia.

Diagnosing Hiatal Hernia

A doctor can diagnose a Hiatal Hernia many ways; however a few tests are used regularly.? An upright chest x-ray can be performed.? This would reveal any obvious abnormalities to the esophagus and stomach.? A barium x-ray involves digesting barium, a thick solution that is visible under x-rays.? Or, an upper endoscopy could also be performed, which involves a physician inserting a lighted tube to search for problems in the esophagus and upper stomach.

There are many natural cures for heartburn. This is great news because a lot of people suffer from this painful burning caused by stomach acid entering the esophagus. Stomach acid often enters the esophagus but it usually goes unnoticed because our bodies naturally swallow saliva throughout the day which washes the acid back into the stomach without any pain. When too much acid is coming up and it causes pain, it is necessary to take action starting with looking into natural cures for heartburn.

Conventional and somewhat unconventional methods alike often include basic items around the house. One of the most commonly recommended remedies is drinking a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water before a meal to prevent the onset of the painful condition. This remedy has proven effective in preventing an occurrence; however this must be done prior to eating for it to be effective.? Another way to stop heartburn before it starts is papaya.? It contains an enzyme that helps speed the digestive process and prevents pressure from building in the stomach.The specific types of food that typically trigger heartburn attacks vary from person to person. Foods like alcohol, garlic, onion, citrus and caffeine are common triggers.? It is important to take note of any patterns in your diet in relation to heartburn attacks so that you can be aware of what causes it for you.

If preventative measures are not taken or are not effective, there are a few natural cures for heartburn that are known to relieve the pain of acid refluxafter it has already hit. These include eating an assortment of foods that contain a special acid that counter the pain a little differently than the prevention methods will. For example, apples are effective acid neutralizers.? Also, ginger helps settle an upset stomach, and can help where heartburn is concerned as well.? Drinking some chamomile tea can also help bring relief from heart burn pain.? Even something as simple as drinking a glass of water can be just the boost your body needs to flush unwanted acids through the system.

Other remedies that may prove effective include lying with your head in an elevated position if you are experiencing heartburn. This helps keep your head properly aligned over your stomach and prevents acids from creeping into the esophagus.? Also, eating smaller meals prevents large amounts of food from backing up in your stomach causing uncomfortable pressure to build.? To give your stomach a head start, just don’t eat less than 2 hours before going to bed.? That gives your body time to properly digest everything and prevents acids and foods from getting into the esophagus when you lie down.

There are numerous options when it comes to natural cures for heartburn that should be looked at. It is not a one size fits all solution and you should try several different remedies or a combination of solutions until you find the one that works best for you and gives you the best results.

For more on natural cures for acid reflux, please visit www.refluxremedy.com.? The Reflux Remedy Report found there is full of natural remedies that you can try today.